VR1 now I know why you love Lories

[jusdeb]

Sheesh ...Im saying some people do keep birds for the pleasure of admiring their beauty ie. as pets . If your running multiple aviaries whats a handful of seed and some greens going to cost you ? Not much since you already have to buy the food anyway .

D/birds to Hoodeds , lovely little bird .

[Jayburd]

nice pics too ;)

[Myzomela]

Hi Hammer,

The species I listed are all losing popularity. Violets, I mentioned just because they are so eye-catching but are now affordable. Malabars- I feel are the same and rare outside of Australia. They can also have their problems so if we don't manage them carefully they could become rare again. Maroon-bellied conures are fairly plain- which is why they are very likely to slip back in number unnoticed- similar to most munias and mannikins. It's handy to have a stock of such birds for when the wheel comes full circle and everyone wants them again then we're not trying to ressurect them from very low numbers.

If i can ever afford more aviaries i might look at weavers,Red Eared Firetails,Beautifuls,White Bellied Crimsons,,Chats ,Wrens ect, which have all maintained some sort of value over recent years.

Yes, all these birds are amazing and can be a challenge to master but I'd hardly call them money-spinners. They are uncommon for a reason. Red-eareds and beautifuls are not common aviary birds and softbills can take a lot more work not only to breed but also to maintain, than commoner finches. For people with the right setup they are marvellous. But they still have a limited market.

I agree with what you are saying- there is nothing more frustrating than breeding a particular species, then being unable to dispose of surplus young or having to practically give them away.

But I believe we should also be mindful of "out of favour" species and retain some to ensure their future in aviculture. I feel too many of us change with the fads- to the detriment of some species.
However

[Myzomela]

Hoodeds,Golden Shoulderd`s,pure Rosellas and Neophemas will be better value than mutation exotics shortly.

Couldn't agree more. Golden shouldereds in particular are worthwhile, if only for their rarity in the wild. I'm waiting for the "pied" golden-shouldereds to appear ( after crossing with hoodeds- what a disaster!!)
How many people still keep normal blue-wings or rock parrots anymore?

[thehammer]

How many people still keep normal blue-wings or rock parrots anymore?

Can you still get rock parrots?

[Jayburd]

Grasswren, who just joined, has rock parrots...he said so in his intro

[E Orix]

If I actually went and got either or both of those Parrots it would have nothing to do with making $'s
My collection these days is made up with my seed birds $20 /$50 bracket, then the $100/$200 ones to cover general costs of buying the odd bird,travel expenses etc.I expect my birds to generate the funds to support my hobby not take from our house hold funds. Finally the rarer types, they are my challenges and my effort to attempt to breed them up.I am definitely not a collector of rare species because they are rare.
After many years in the hobby my birds do cover all costs and that keeps my wife off my back as a bonus.

[thehammer]

I expect my birds to generate the funds to support my hobby not take from our house hold funds.

After many years in the hobby my birds do cover all costs and that keeps my wife off my back as a bonus.

Ideally this is all I want to do and is what most of the people I know try and do.

[Jayburd]

e orix