Janette Courtney from Cumbria, a dedicated, and founder member of the hugely successful and pro-active Solway Parrot & Foreign Bird Club, has kept parrots for 25 years. But, even though her small mixed collection of parrots is mostly set up in pairs, breeding them is not her priority.
First and foremost, Janette considers all her parrots to be part of her family, and spends quality time with them all, putting their well-being and happiness above anything else. But, she tells me, “If they want to breed they can.” Some have showed no inclination in this direction, and out of those that have tried, some have enjoyed greater success than others
Janette’s two very special companion parrots, that live indoors, are the result of a pair of African Greys and a pair of Galahs, whose breeding attempts were not so successful. Here Jeanette takes up the story …
Ringo, my 15 year-old African Grey, was named after Ringo Starr, one of the Beatles, and my favourite group of all time. His parents, when they were still young and new to breeding, abandoned their eggs, so I put them in the incubator, and went on to rear Ringo and his siblings when they hatched. I had bred and raised quite a few African Greys over the years, and decided that the time was right to keep one for myself.
Read more in the magazine…