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If you ever thought of becoming a bird breeder, one of the “brass rings” you are always trying to grab is the ability to breed mutations. In other words, by breeding two birds you are trying to develop special colors or traits into birds.People that breed parakeets are well aware of this hobby. They spend years trying to create beautiful birds, and will travel for miles to show them off at shows.

Several years ago, we were introduced to a very unique little bird…the Blue Quaker. We never heard of them before. We were introduced to them by a breeder who was getting rid of her green Quakers so she could concentrate on breeding blues. Because they were very rare at the time, they were selling for many times the cost of a normal green Quaker. We researched this for a little while, and discovered that not only are there Blue Quakers, but also Yellow, White, Grey, and Cinnamons. They also have been bred into pearly, and pied mutations. All of these are quite rare, but as breeders continue to work on these different mutations, they are becoming available in greater quantities.

BACKGROUND

Blue Quakers started showing up in the wild many years ago. According to historic records, The Duke of Bedford in England began breeding them from a captured pairs, and all blue Quakers can be traced to this stock line.

In 1993, four pairs were imported into the US, where breeders started a breeding program to increase those numbers. At that time they were extremely rare, and cost nearly $5000. But after several years, and a successful breeding program, costs have come down to $300-$500.

FACTORS

So how exactly do you create a Blue Quaker? On the surface it sounds very simple, but doing it is complicated.

Quaker parrots are normally green. The green color comes from combining the blue coloring of the feather structure, and the yellow, which is the actual color of the feather. Through selective breeding, you select Quakers with a predominate blue gene, and breed it with another Quaker with a lesser yellow gene. Since a different gene is responsible for each, you can gradually produce a blue, or even a yellow, Quaker. By combining a weaker “blue” gene, you can produce a lighter “green” color, producing a cinnamon colored Quaker.

Today, because of this dedication of breeders, there is a large variety of color variations and splits. These unique birds are now widely available, especially from breeders. And new variations are still being worked on, such as Aqua colored Quakers. These are starting to appear at bird shows and getting great reviews from judges.

[tags]quaker parrot, quaker parrots, blue quaker parrot[/tags]

One of the bird breeds that we frequently recommend for a new pet owner is the Quaker (Monk) Parrot This bird is a great starter bird because it has a lot of things pet owners are looking for…playful, talking ability, not too loud, and easy to maintain.

So, what I’ve done is put together a “factsheet” to help you decide if this bird is for you.

BACKGROUND

Quakers have been around as pets for a long time. Native to South America, they are the only breed of parrot that builds their nests in colonies. Because of this, they have developed into four distinct subspecies. However, in the last few decades they were brought into the United States and Europe, where wild Quakers have become considered a pest. This is because they are a very hardy bird, and prolific breeder. In their native country of Argentina, Quakers are reportedly responsible for 30% of the corn crop destruction. In the US, they have been known to build huge colony nests which interfere with utility cables and towers. Because of the potential of becoming a major agricultural pest, they are banned or restricted in several states. Connecticut, for example, bans the sale or breeding of Quakers. This problem became a major concern when Quakers were being imported in 1993 in greater numbers, and many got into the wild. Colonies began to develop in states as far north as Illinois and New York, with some smaller colonies being recorded in Colorado!

Currently, Quakers are widely available. Because they are prolific breeders, and can produce clutches or 4 to 8 eggs, they are a popular bird for pet breeders to raise. Over the years, several different color mutations have been developed, making them even more popular (and expensive).

MUTATIONS

Over the years, Quakers rapidly became a popular pet, and professional breeders have developed a number if color mutations. The normal Quaker color is green, with gray on their chest and chest. You may have already heard about blue mutations of Quakers, but there are also many variations of this. You can also find yellow, lutino, and gray and white. These birds are very difficult to find (and expensive!) but as more breeders begin to breed them, they should become available. At one point, the Blue Quaker was extremely hard to find, but currently they are readily available for as little as $300.

HEALTH

Quakers are fairly hardy birds. Their average lifespan is 25 to 30 years if well cared for. They are known for developing Fatty Liver Disease, especially in domesticated birds. This is usually helped on by owners who feed an all seed diet and practice poor nutrition. Quaker owners need to educate themselves a little on this disease.

Quakers are also known as bad feather pluckers. This is sometimes due to poor diet, but many times is behavioral. It can also get quite severe, turning into Quaker Mutilation Syndrome, where the bird begins to chew and damage the skin itself.

WHERE TO BUY

Quakers are readily available at most large pet stores, and are actively bred by many bird breeders. It is highly recommended that you search out a hand fed baby, as trying to train an older Quaker can sometimes be a challenge for a new bird owner.

The cost will very depending on where you buy it, and what part of the country you live in. Since Quakers are very prolific, many breeders in warm climates have large outside aviaries, and are able to mass produce them. They can be purchased for as little as $50. In northern climates, it is common for many breeders to have a couple of pairs, and they sell their babies at bird shows or to pet shops. These can be purchased for $175-$300.

PERSONALITY

The personality of the Quaker is one of their main features! They are comical and intelligent, capable of teaching tricks to. They are in the top ten list of talking birds.

They can be entertained for days with a handful of toys, straws, shoe laces, and puzzles. They love to weave things through the bars of their cage. This goes back to their instincts of creating nest colonies.

Puzzles? You bet! One of the most common tricks Quakers will teach YOU is how easy they can break out of their cage! These escape artists have driven us crazy attempting to find clamps or straps they couldn’t remove. Our solution was to give them puzzle toys and hide treats into them. They will occupy their time getting their treats and not getting out of their cage….and into trouble.

Quakers will usually bond to one person (hopefully their owner) and can be very protective. Nothing scares them. If they are on the floor, no feet are safe! And you will find that your pet dog or cat will make a wide detour around them.

NOISE

Quakers are not known to be a very noisy bird. This makes them a great companion bird for apartment residents. They don’t “scream” but tend to have a loud “chip” or “chatter”. If you have more then one Quaker they may tend to get loud as the talk to each other….mostly in the mornings and evenings.

FEEDING

Due to their tendency to become overweight, you must watch their diets. As usual, we do not recommend an all seed diet. Quakers will require a good pellet diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. You may also need to supplement their Vitamin B and Calcium. To do this, sprinkle a good powdered vitamin mix on their fresh food. Our favorite trick is to take a 2 inch section of corn-on-the-cob (raw), moisten it and sprinkle a little vitamin power on it. We use a mix of vitamin, hand feeding formula and powered calcium. Quakers are suckers for corn! Try to stay away from feeding fatty nuts.

CAGE

Quakers can get along just fine in a cockatiel size cage. Their tail is not that long, so large cages are not necessary. An 18×18x24 will do fine. Just make sure they have room for their toys. They are a very active bird, so if you do not intend to give them time outside of their cage, you may want to invest in a larger cage/play area.

[tags]quaker parrot health, quaker parrot diet, quaker parrot cage, quaker parrot, quaker parrot personality, quaker info, quaker parrot information, quaker factsheet[/tags]

With the increasing popularity of the Quaker (monk) parrot, now might be a good time to cover a few issues related to them. It’s strange how many pet stores know so little about these guys, yet it’s my opinion they are a great starter bird for people just getting into parrots.

Quakers are unique. They are the only bird in their species of parrot. They are the only type of parrot that builds nests in colonies, using whatever materials they can find to construct their nest. All other parrots seek out hollow trees.

They are a fairly quiet bird, but are known to have an occasional “chatter” type of scream. This makes them a good bird for people living in apartments. They have a lot of other similarities to Conures. They are very friendly, easy to train, and are great talkers.

But Quakers have a few health problems that need to be addressed. While these problems can also strike other birds, Quakers are more prone to them. But they can easily be resolved once you recognize the symptoms, and begin early prevention.

FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Quakers are prone to being overweight. This will usually lead to health issues, especially to Fatty Liver Disease. It is also triggered by poor diets, especially those lacking Vitamin B Choline. Choline is necessary for nerve function and fat metabolism… leading to an overweight Quaker! Vitamin B is easily supplied by feeding your bird egg yolks, legumes, and whole grain cereals with their regular diets.

Another vital item missing from their diet is Methionine. This amino acid also helps eliminate fat from accumulating in the liver, bladder and kidneys, and reduces cholesterol in the blood. Methionine is very common in high protein foods like fish, meat, eggs and milk.

Quaker’s are prone to Fatty Liver Disease. So the best prevention is to know and understand their unique nutritional requirements. Avoid high fat diets! The main cause for this is in seed diets. And since seed is a very poor source for Vitamin B Choline and Methionine, you must supplement their seed with other foods.

Some additional methods to prevent FLD is feeding dandelion greens. This herb has been used as a liver aid in many birds, and some tests suggest that it works well with Quakers, and stimulates certain liver functions such as increasing bile production.

One other cause for FLD is the introduction of toxins into the bird’s diet. This “toxic injury” is often caused from eating improperly prepared foods. Diseases caused by E-Coli and Salmonella quickly damage their livers and trigger FLD. Quakers are also very sensitive to household chemicals and other airborne pollutants. Cleaning products, deodorizers, insecticides and other cleaning products must be used with caution around their cage and living area.

Prevention is fairly easy if you understand all of these factors, and watch out for early signs of problems.

Do not let your bird become overweight. Learn how to examine their chest and abdomen. You can “feel” how fat the bird is this way. You could also monitor the bird’s weight by purchasing a digital scale.

Fatty Liver disease will trigger an unusual growth or abnormalities in the beak. This requires constant trimming and shaping of the beak to prevent eating problems.

Look for black spots on the toenails and beak. These are signs of hemorrhaging, similar to a bruise.

If you are uncertain, a quick trip to the vet for a blood test will reveal any problems with the bird. Your vet will prescribe additional vitamins and other meds. DO NOT medicate your bird without first consulting a vet, and never give your bird more vitamins then recommended. This can do more harm to your bird then it helps to prevent.

[tags]quaker parrot, quaker parrot diet, quaker parrot info, quaker parrot liver disease, quaker health[/tags]

One of the more intelligent birds is the Quaker parrot (also called a Monk Parrot). These birds are in the top 10 list of talking birds. They are very playful, mischief makers, and full of personality.

They are also despised by several states in the US, to the point where they are banned. If caught, the authorities will fine you for owning it

WHY THE BAD REPUTATION?

Quakers have been labeled as “agricultural pests”. In the wild, Quakers form huge colonies, and can threaten native species in their local environments. There are documented cases where thousands of Quakers in New Jersey built a huge society of nests on a power pole, causing it to collapse and knocking out power to a huge area.

Quakers are illegal to sell or own in Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Wyoming, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kansas and Pennsylvania. In Connecticut, you can own but not breed them. In Virginia and New York you must register them!

They are a very hardy bird. They can survive in the northern climates and in areas where most birds can not survive in.

While understandable, it’s a sad situation for a bird that is as friendly as the Quaker.

OWNING A QUAKER

They are loaded with personality! I still remember my first Quaker, Corey. He loved to play. He loved to hide under the sofa and attack any feet that made the mistake of coming too close. It was HIS sofa.

About 15 years ago I lived in Florida, and worked as a deputy sheriff. My partner stopped by while on duty, killing some time. He got too close to Corey’s sofa and soon had a green monster attached to his ankle! Out came the gun…..’WHAT THE…!”

Good thing they don’t have birdy prisons…but he wasn’t allowed out of the cage when my partner came over again.

GREAT TALKERS

Quakers are known to be one of the better talking birds. They are very good at mimicking sounds, and will sit for hours practicing every one of them. If it gets out of hand, simply find a way to distract them. Play with them, offer them a bath, or give them a treat to munch on. Covering their cage for a while can also give you some peace and quite. But in our case, the noise never really bothered us. After raising several large parrots, I guess we learned to block out most of the noise.

>>Download my “The Easy Parrot System” ebook to learn how to teach your Quaker to talk: http://www.TheTameParrot.com/cb/

QUAKER DIETS

Quaker diets are a bit different then other parrots. They are prone to fatty liver disease. A diet high in fats and sugars should be avoided. We tried to keep our birds on a 75% diet of pellets, and fed other foods as a snack. But you need to pay attention to what they are getting.

The normal advice about lots of fruits and vegi’s must be handled carefully. Grapes and other fruits contain high amounts of sugar….so don’t overdue them. Fatty seeds like peanuts and almonds are also going to cause problems if they are feed too many. Some of the big no-no’s are fatty meats like sausage, lunchemeat, and canned meats. Oily fried foods like french fries and potato chips are out. High sugar treats like cereal or muffins are also bad. But my hubby will give them an occasional taste once and a while. With our Quakers, we actually tried to give them as much table foods as possible. A little meat, lots of veggies, and their pelleted diet was all they needed.

If your Quaker is on a poor diet, it will quickly become overweight. This is one of the beginning stages of fatty liver disease. Research has shown that the use of two herbals, dandelion and milk thistle, will help fend off the disease. These medications can be found in most good health food stores. Never medicate your pets without first consulting your vet, and consult them for the proper dosage.

>> I have a whole section dedicated in my ebook to bird diet- The Easy Parrot System – Parrot Diet

THEY LOVE TO WEAVE

Quakers are one of the easiest birds to get toys for! You don’t need anything expensive or fancy. Find them anything to weave through their cage.

My husband worked for the phone company and had long cable ties laying around the aviary. We used them occasionally to tie cages together or secure some feed cups. He laid several on top of our Quaker cage and forgot about them. The next day he found them weaved throughout the birds cage! After that we made sure they had some to play with.

Long strands of cloth and rawhide also make great toys. They are also suckers for toys made from rolls of adding machine tape! They will shred them for hours.

GET THEM AS BABIES

If you have decided a Quaker is for you, try to get them as a baby. Quakers have a tendency to bond with one person. They will definitely protect that person! If I’m taking a nap and Corey is with me, NOBODY gets near me! Even my dogs know better then to mess with me when Corey is on my shoulder.

But adopting an older Quaker will be a lot more difficult. They are set in their ways and will be difficult to train. It can be done, but expect to spend a lot of time, and go through a lot of Band-Aids on your fingers.

I’d love to hear your feedback and comments. Please post them below! Thank you!

[tags]quaker parrot behavior, quaker parrot diet, quaker parrot care, quaker parrot food, quaker parrot info/information, quaker parrot training, quaker parrot talking, owning a quaker parrot, quaker monk parrot, quaker diets[/tags]