Here we will list some of the most frequently asked questions that we get about how to purchase a bird and how our waitlists work. If your question cannot be answered by any of the below answers, feel free to contact us here.

 

How Can I Purchase A Baby?

• The first step is to ask about being added to a specific species’ waitlist via email, facebook, text, or on here.

• Please provide all of the following information when inquiring about being added to the waitlist:

  • First and Last name

  • Primary email address

  • Phone number

  • Species of interest and specifications (gender, color, etc.)

  • Experience with birds and or owning a bird

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When Will I Get My Bird?

First and foremost, there will almost always be a number of people ahead of you in line. Being added to the waitlist does not guarantee you get a bird within a certain time frame. The wait time can range from a few months to a few years, depending on the species. This is for of a number of reasons: the breeding season of your species of choice, how many babies of that species our breeders produce, the number of people ahead of you on a list, and the availability of your specifications.

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What Is My Placement Number?

To find out where you are in the line, you need to talk to one of our employees or email us at waitlist@SugarcreekBirdFarm.com.

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How Will I Pay For My Bird?

When you select your bird from us they may not be ready to go home yet, as they will still be on hand feedings. We ask for a minimum deposit of 20% of the price of the bird selected. You are then able to make payments until your chosen bird is ready to go home (weaned or on 2 hand feedings a day depending on the species). The bird must be paid in full on the day of the send home.

If you are selecting a bird that is ready to go home on the same day, the payment must be made in full to take the bird home.

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When Do The Birds Breed?

There are many factors that influence if and when birds breed, which all boils down to their natural seasonal cycles. In order to ensure we are ethical breeders, our breeding pairs are "rested" several times a year in outdoor enclosures. This break helps prevent them from being overworked. This means we can't guarantee babies available year-round, as we often only get babies certain seasons.

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At Sugarcreek Bird Farm, we do our best to be as removed as possible with our breeders. While this means they get less interaction with our staff, the benefit is allowing the birds to carry on and breed as they would in the wild. While we know when our pairs will be given nesting boxes, This means we can never accurately predict when our birds will breed, and therefore can never give a true estimate of when you might get a call about a bird.

Some species of parrots we raise have a particular time of year that they will nest, while others can nest year-round. We do keep our website up to-date each week with “what’s in the nest” and we suggest you visit the site often to see what is coming up soon. When babies hatch they typically are not up for sale until they are 4-5 weeks old. When they are taken from the nests to begin hand-rearing, we will do a blood test on them which includes DNA and disease testing. Once these results come back AND the bird is feathered enough to tell color mutation (if applicable), we will begin our process of going through the waiting list names.

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How Do You Go Through The Entries?

When you submit a waitlist entry, you are placed at the back of the list for that species. Each entry is given a placement number in our system, and when a baby is available we start contacting groups of people from the top of the placements downward until we find an interested buyer. 

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Once we have a baby that has begun hand-rearing and testing, we will send out a group email to the top people on the list notifying what we have available. If you receive an email about an available baby bird, you need to respond as soon as possible with “yes, I am interested”. After that, we will then call or email you to set up an appointment in the store to visit with the babies and choose one. You WILL NOT be taking it home that day, but simply choosing which one and placing a 20% deposit down to hold that baby for you if you are interested.

 

After you place your deposit, one of our staff will run down what you can expect next including our estimated send home date. Every bird goes home at different times depending on the species and you will be contacted once the baby bird is deemed “ready to go home.”  You will then have 10 days to come and pick up the bird, by appointment during store hours. 

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What If I'm Not Interested In The Available Bird?

If you are notified of what babies are available thru email but are not ready to purchase yet, you may remain on the list for the next group, but you must respond. If you do not respond to the email at all, you will be removed from the list. If you are added again after this, you will go to the bottom of the list again.

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How Much Is A Certain Bird?

You can find a full list of prices for our birds on this page.