Have anyone had any experience with buying fertile parrot eggs?

[luvourpets]

Hi, I am pretty new to this site. I am still trying to figure out how to use it. I am curious if anyone have any experience with buying a fertile egg and hatching it themselves. I've seen an ad before selling fertile eggs, is this a scam? is this safe? would they really be fertile and what is the hatch rate? Can someone give me advice on this? Do you know any reputable breeders that I can buy some fertile eggs from? I am trying to find a cheaper way to add a family member to my flock at home. I would like a macaw or eclectus preferably vos or biaki. Any ideas? Thanks Jimmy

[bekfreak]

The safest and healthiest way to add to your flock is to get a weaned baby from a good breeder. It will cost a little more but in the long run it's better and could be lest costly should anything go wrong during the feeding process with high vet bills due to an inexperianced hand feeder.

[2horse]

It would be a bad idea to try hatch an egg even if it was not a scam. The cost of a setter and incubator can run into thousands. Eggs have to be incubated and turned according to strict temperature and humidity control. They are not chicken eggs that can be hatched with a light bulb and a dish of water. Also once the babies hatches it is floppy and weighs the same as the egg it came from. You have no idea how tiny a baby is. It is very easy to kill a tiny baby so even if you hatched the egg the chance of the baby surviving is minimal. Also babies hatched in an incubator are not as resistant to sickness as those hatched by parent birds.

The best idea would be to save up some money and buy a weaned baby.

[fluffy_stitch]

i would agree with bekfreak and 2horse,unless you have a lot of experience in handfeeding from hatching,i dont have any experience with handfeeding or weaning and have read several posts by people that have had problems with it so personally i would be too afraid to even try it myself,also i think it would be risky as to weather or not the eggs would be fertile or if they could get damaged or chilled in transport and it would probably be very expensive to have all the equipment like incubators and handfeeding equipment and probably a ton of more stuff besides,so it might even turn out to be more expensive in the end,anyway thats just my opinion and im sure plenty of more experienced people here can give lots more advice whatever you decide:)

[Lisa B]

I dont think a reputable breeder would even consider selling the eggs. Their livelyhood relies on happy clients & healthy babies.
2horse was right on with the costs and risks involved.

there is also the option of adopting an older bird that needs a home. not all have problems, tho there are alot who need loving stable homes.

[ROYJOY]

hand feeding is scary enough at 2 weeks, but from day one, alot choke to death, even if it does survive the incubation and hatch.

[Monica]

I've seen an ad before selling fertile eggs, is this a scam?
It probably is a scam.

is this safe?
Only if you are an experienced handfeeder... which includes having to feed every hour to 2 hours around the clock (guess how much sleep that means for you??? VERY little!), as well as having all the necessary supplies to properly raise the chick... and those supplies are numerous.

would they really be fertile and what is the hatch rate?
If it's not a scam, then sure... hatch rate? Hard to say... there's no guarantee that a fertile egg will hatch. There is no guarantee that a hatched egg will be healthy. I suggest looking up the pros and cons of handfeeding...
BirdsnWays - Possible Hand Feeding Problems
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - The Responsible Breeding of Cockatiels Part III - All About Handfeeding Cockatiel Chicks
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - The Responsible Breeding of Cockatiels Part IV - Handfeeding Cockatiel Chicks

Can someone give me advice on this?
The best advice I can give you is to either buy a fully weaned chick, OR to adopt an older bird in need of a home.

Do you know any reputable breeders that I can buy some fertile eggs from?
No, and a reputable breeder would not sell fertile eggs...

I am trying to find a cheaper way to add a family member to my flock at home. I would like a macaw or eclectus preferably vos or biaki. Any ideas?
You need to understand that parrots aren't cheap... even if you got a free bird, you would still need a good sized cage, which will set you back $300-$800 minimum. You'll need food which would probably start at $30-$100 if not more, plus various toys, which should set you back $100-$300 (if you don't make your own) minimally... Plus you'd need perches, dishes, and who knows what all else... so you are easily looking about 1 grand of supplies, no bird included...

The easiest way to add another family member is to adopt, which in many cases will include the birds setup... however you never know just how tame the bird may be... and if it's neglected, the bird could cost a fortune to get healthy again. I suggest really thinking all this over.

[luvourpets]

Thanks for all the responses. I was just curious about the fertile eggs ads I saw. I know how much it will cost to care for a bird. I already do have most of the supplies I need except for the food cause I want to buy them fresh. There was a local pet shop that I knew the owner that closed his store and bought all his cages, toys and supplies. I have looked at other sites that sells birds and they are almost the same as buying them from a pet shop. I have hand feeding experience and have adopted out my babies. I have no problems adopting untamed or neglected birds since some of my birds now were adopted from owners that neglected them and were not tamed. There are a couple ads I responded to that the owners can no longer take care of them but they are asking too much, they are either the same or almost the same prices as the pet shops. I told them that with the adoption fee they are asking I could get a baby bird that is tame. I am just exploring my options and learn from others experiences. I will probably look around some more for adult birds that needs a good home. Would rescues adopt birds out to breeders? How much are the adoption fees usually run? Thanks again.

[Monica]

Most rescues will not adopt out to breeders, since many DO NOT want their birds going into a breeding position... even if that was never your intention. You never know though. As for price? Varies from place to place.... It sounds like you've got quite a lot of supplies however if you've bought out a lot of the stores supplies! So at least in that respect, you probably have most, if not all, of the items you already need to care for another large parrot!

It's just a bit of a pit peeve of mine when people are looking for a cheap pet, but I don't really know you and what all you have, so to me it already sounds like you are possibly already prepaired to bring in another feathered creature.

[Birdsmile]

I have tried to transport fertile eggs (bought birds on eggs) they have never hatched for me and we own a incubator with a turner and have it running so it is always ready if we need it. If you jar the egg or turn it wrong the chick will not hatch, so noone will sell fertile eggs since you cant move them safely.