My (9) year old daughter has become a bird addict and as part of her Homeschooling, has decided she would like to take up breeding seriously. She has our full support and is researching everything.

 

I as a parent, who would like to guide her through the process, would appreciate some expert advice on what direction she should go, in a business sense. We have an aviary, but are planning a bird room, have several nesting and breeding boxes set up. She has about 4 sets of adult budgies, 2 baby red-breased parrots and 2 sets of adult breeding finches plus a few babies.

 

We've had suggested to us that leaving a notice up with photos/phone numbers might be a good place to start and i think we are a bit detered from selling to pet shops and would rather sell direct. We do live north-west outer suburbs of sydney on a rural property so website may be better than advertising locally???

 

Anyway, can anyone suggest an appropriate path to take with a long-term view.

You can easily set-up a free website for your daughter to sell her birds on... I used freewebs, the address is www.webs.com you can upload a number of photos, customize the site to your needs and it will be big enough for your daughters needs for now... Than you would have to advertise your website in your local area to help bring in the business...

 

Good luck...

Truthfully if she is thinking of taking it up seriously which is great by the way, she should decide what is she doing it for?

 

If it's to produce pets that's fine but it won't be a money making venture if she is maintaining the birds to their optimum level.

 

On the other hand if you see her doing it for the long term, I would suggest getting her to meet some breeders in your state who could inspire her with the possibilities of breeding exhibition quality birds.

 

One again this isn't a money making venture but for a young person starting off it would be better to get some better birds (not expensive) to start off with and develop it from there.

 

I started out about the same age and would have valued someone steering me in the right direction with my set up.

 

Best of luck!

okay, so I'm getting that its not a big money-maker - that's okay, but does it pay for itself in the end or is it a costly hobby?

 

Thanks for the free web idea - she's already into that. She is definitely doing it for love and has an expensive 'just another one please' habbit but I want her to learn the economics of it all and throw in the 'value of money' lesson too. :rofl:

Yes it can be a costly hobby, my thoughts, but if do right all money she makes she should put it back into the birds, seeds, med's, new birds when need and only once she has saved the money... Some big breeder who have shown budgies for years and have a name behind them do make money... So it is up to you on whether it cost you lots or a little each month...

 

I think you spend the most money setting up at the start of the hobby... Birds, aviary, breeding cabinets, holding cages, seeds, meds, plus than you have your every day costs of keeping the birds plus the time you need to spend on them... :rofl:

Edited April 12, 201015 yr by LittleBudgie2005

Maybe make a list of all your initial expenses as you would in any business

 

Birds? Pet or Exhibition quality you decide

Aviary dependant on room,number of birds and budget

Breeding Cages Type can vary as wll cost

Nest Boxes etc etc

 

Then consider what your weekly or monthly expenditure would be for quality seed,meds etc

 

From here you should be able to establish a regular pattern of expense,barring the unforseeable vet bills etc

 

Now consider what you and your daughter can realistically charge for a bird sold as a pet for instance?

 

This amount divided into the the above running cost should give you an idea of how many birds you would need to breed and sell to come out at least even.

 

Your intitial expense on set up will take longer to get back, but it will get you started and if you do it properly should save you in the long run.

 

Hope that is what you had in mind?

hello reading this some great advice

i myself only sell hand tame birds from request

other birds i sell young

i charge same price for hand tame as i do not hand tame

20.00 this recently just went up from 10 or 15 as seed meds and veg all take toll on my budget i do however sell some birds less or more depending on cercumstance of bird for sale eg rairaty of variety color nothing over 30 though

i did try selling birds for 10 each then charging 10 for if they were split

making some birds 10 some 20 and some 30 regardless of colour and variarty just depending on how many splits but i felt like i was ripping people off so now

all birds 20

bar the odd specialty

vet account is great idea to have with some funding set aside for that

id start with around 500.00 in that before anything else was even thought about

i just resently got stuck a very cheep vet bill for prociders done in dec 09 250.00 and that was with vet halving meds till following week vets cant aford to let people pay them off so...some do but not often

 

good luck with it all

Its the extras and setting up that has to be accounted for that is sometimes hard to work out. There will be equipment to get and medications to have on hand and those times where a vet just has to be called. Being in tune with the birds, their state of health, age related breeding decisions that will save you vet costs if you can follow some guidelines etc.

I dont really recall any time at all where my birds paid for themselves to be honest, even when I was breeding a whole lot of pet type birds. Maybe they didnt hold their own financially because of me setting up for them and giving them all I could to keep them healthy and well fed etc.

BUT in saying this, there is always a market for hand raised babies. We get a lot of inquiries here. $35 seems to be the right price for them sold privately.

If we can help you work it out based on your current setup and what you may have to change..............let us know :rofl:

Its the extras and setting up that has to be accounted for that is sometimes hard to work out. There will be equipment to get and medications to have on hand and those times where a vet just has to be called. Being in tune with the birds, their state of health, age related breeding decisions that will save you vet costs if you can follow some guidelines etc.

I dont really recall any time at all where my birds paid for themselves to be honest, even when I was breeding a whole lot of pet type birds. Maybe they didnt hold their own financially because of me setting up for them and giving them all I could to keep them healthy and well fed etc.

BUT in saying this, there is always a market for hand raised babies. We get a lot of inquiries here. $35 seems to be the right price for them sold privately.

If we can help you work it out based on your current setup and what you may have to change..............let us know :rofl:

 

 

kaz is so good at puting things in prospective i agree with all she said here

and yes 35 is good price for hand tame

i only charge not much as i started out with the intention to bring good healthy birds to people at as cheep as i could prices

35 is great if birds wings are not clipped and their fully tamed thats a bargan

some pet shops charge 90.00