How shopping for a birthday present led to a birds breeding business idea

I know birds need no introduction to Zimbabweans but making money breading birds does. A friend asked me to accompany him to buy a birthday present for his eight year old daughter. “I think she wouldn’t mind a bird. A parrot!” he had said to me. Besides going bird hunting in the rural, I literally knew nothing about bird.

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Congo African Grey

That afternoon, after searching for a pet bird, I was convinced that there was money to be made creating aviaries and breeding birds. I got to work right there and then and these are my findings.

The bird breeding secret
As a little boy, I remember using cage traps to capture live birds. I kept the birds for months, feeding them with almost anything I knew hens could eat. The schools closed and I went to the rural areas for holiday. No one could take care of my birds in my absence. My mom let them go free. I remember so vividly how I felt when I came back to face an empty cage. I felt in different… but there was one exotic bird that I kept thinking about. It had been brought from the amazon, I later on learnt.
The secret is your birds have to be unique and special. The more unique the bird the higher the selling price. Your aviary has to have birds from DRC, Amazon, parts of Brazil, France, Australia, some parts of Asia just to mention a few. Aviculture should sell a variety of birds including budges, parrots, doves, canaries, finches etc. Some avian species have a higher market price than others so this is also an important factor in selecting your breeding species.

The birds market in Zimbabwe
Birds market is an untapped niche in Zimbabwe with just but a few players. I was surprised during our birthday present shopping expedition that the price of a common exotic bird surprisingly equals the price of a he goat. Unbelievable! That’s not the most mind bugling part. Some priceless avian species may equal three cattle in value.

Budgerigar (parakeet or budgie) and finches – $40.00

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macaw

The budgie found throughout the drier parts of Australia is one such bird that can be domesticated into a pet. Its fair market price in Zimbabwe considering the current demand and supply trends is equivalent to the price of a goat. The finches are the other interesting specie with profit potential. Kids love them.

Macaw & Ring necks – $60.00

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Green Ringneck Parrots

This is good money we are talking about. Good avian money. If you breed up to 10 macaws or ringnecks and say we understate profits and project a selling price of $50.00, that will be $500.00 income notwithstanding income from other birds species sales.

The African grey parrot – $400.00

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Congo African Grey

Yes! It’s no typo. This is the average selling price for anyone wanting to buy the bird as a pet. If these were the barter trade years, it would be an African grey against my grandmother’s bull or cow. I think this is the part you can afford to smile and read the line again.

The cockatoo – $???

I deliberately didn’t put a price tag on this avian gold equivalent. The cockatoo is mainly found in Indonesian, Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia. Now rewinding my birthday present story…

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Cockatoo

We ended up not buying her a bird because she wanted a cockatoo and we simply didn’t afford it. Every other explanation will be a lie. When we saw the price of the cockatoo in one aviary in Harare we looked at each other, nose dilated, mouth agape and brows raised. It had a price tag just shy of $1,000.00

I shall live you to do the rest of the research. Consider this post just an eye opener. A speaker once said in my hearing, “Until you know value, everything is worthless.” If you are interested in the bird breeding business, I can give you a head start of where to shop. This is a business you can do in your backyard. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, twitter and Google plus to get these exciting ideas before everyone else does.

To your continued success