Question about bird breeding laws.

[loveyourparrot]

Hi Guys!
My question is for bird breeders. Do you have your pairs set up in your home and do you have people come to the house to purchase a baby? I have contacted my local humane society which is very strict here in NE and they said there is no limit on how many pet birds you can have (although if a complaint about your house or noise is made and the house is seriously unclean, that could warrant them taking the birds, in hoarding cases ect... as well).

The lady said I can't operate a business in my home like a pet store thus having baby birds and selling them for cash out of the house. SOOOO, what about those that have a few pairs, like under 12 and have babies to take to bird fairs and such. I'm sure they sell a few out of their home. The humane society lady mentioned maybe a permit was needed but she really didn't know and said it is a lot of hoops, yada yada. I have 6 pairs of green-cheeks, it is more of a hobby but this really just bothers me. I have adopted some babies out with a regular fee but I have been wondering for along time how to resolve this question and feel good about it. Thanks for your input!

 

[camelotshadow]

It seems to be more of a hobby if the birds are your pets who have babies & if you don't put a sign outside your door birds available only the close neighbors might suspect. If they are annoyed at noise or excessive traffic they could report you. Not much to prove unless they take pictures of people leaving your house with birds. A nosy neighbor could make a problem.
I guess technically if you make more than whatever the min is for selling birds the tax people might want their share if it became known.

I doubt after the food & vet fees that you will be making much income off of it.
You will probably be only having birds to sell I or 2 times a year so its not like you are continually selling birds like a pet shop.

You still have to be careful with people bringing in disease to your flock. Still meeting someone somewhere with a few baby birds could get tricky.

I really don't know but they are GCC not macaws so the noise level would be less as well as the adoption fee.

 

[karen256]

I have no idea about your laws there, but a lot of places seem to consider you a breeder if you have more than 3 litters/clutches a year amd require some sort of breeder license.. but laws are usually much stricter for dogs and cats than for birds.
The AFA website is probably a place to start: Welcome to the American Federation of Aviculture

I would be careful about bird fairs, some are good and require any birds taken there to be vet checked, but many will let any birds in, and if there's one bad breeder with sick birds, you run the risk of exposing your babies to disease. You might conuder just selling some toys and supplies and only showing photos of your babies and maybe giving out business cards and care sheets.

 

[melissasparrots]

I don't have people come to my house. Too much of a security and bio-security risk. You just don't know how crazy some people are. Although, as time goes on I'm getting more and more strict about screening people and generally don't sell unless I feel super good about the person. As in, they are actually sane, not an animal rights nut, not emotionally unstable, co-dependent or wanting something from the bird it can't give etc.

Consequently, I really can't answer the second part of your question because I sell such small numbers of birds, its totally not profitable for me and many of mine are old enough by the time I find them a home, that they aren't going for typical weaned baby prices. I used to make money doing this when I wasn't so worried about how close to crazy and unstable most people are. When I did make money, I would report it and pay taxes on it as income. However, its been many years since I had to do that.

 

[loveyourparrot]

Thanks birdie folks! I really appreciate your input and advice!

 

[C.Harris]

If I can chime in, I'd just add that Karen is correct, and in some jurisdictions the laws will require you to have a "fanciers permit" or similar to keep or produce a specified number of birds. With that said, many Humane Societies are against all breeding so to call them up and ask about laws could get you an answer you don't like. The truth is, many municipalities have laws about dogs or cats that they might try to fit you into, but oftentimes, this is very vague or the laws simply do not apply because you CAN'T comply. For example, in California some jurisdictions require you to register and permit all non-spayed/neutered dogs or cats. But you can't spay or neuter a conure in the present day. So, because of this, that law and those that hinge upon that (such as litter allowance) start to fall apart.

As for selling the birds from home, most home-based businesses are permitted only to conduct business where nobody comes to your home. In your case, what you would *likely* be instructed to do if you went to the city about this (and this is not legal advice), is to get an Animal Handlers Permit (sometimes called something else but often the same thing despite the name) from Animal Control. You would then be subjected to regular inspection of your facilities each year, and instead of people coming to your home, legally, you would probably be limited to selling birds wholesale to pet stores (usually done while the babies are on 3-4 feedings) or shipping birds to buyers via delta, etc.

And P.S. as to the ethics of this, if your heart is in the right place, let that be your guide. Some people weren't into birds before the ban of 1992 when breeding birds and buying babies from a breeder was the RESPONSIBLE thing to do because it meant we weren't supporting the smugglers and trappers of the wild caught trade. As we've unfortunately seen with the Lears Macaws, Spix Macaws, Pesquets parrots, etc, people will get these birds from the black market if there is not a viable source of commercially produced birds. Therefore, it is imperative that we do continue to produce captive birds for the pet trade. If we don't, the REAL suffering begins. Some people only see money, but I know from experience the dedication and commitment it takes to raise birds for sometimes months at a time, paying for vet bills, caging, the best food, gender tests, formula, incubators, brooders, and your time, every day, weekends, holidays, sick days, etc. Just to produce a bird that sells for $50 wholesale. There are much easier ways to make money, and some people talk about things that they don't know about. So don't be discouraged, and I hope someday you progress to other species that are getting harder to find here in U.S. aviculture, because many are going extinct in the wild, and if we lose them here too...