We get lots of questions about the birds. So, we figured that we would tell the story and answer questions at the same time.
In the beginning
Tom Williamson (the W in RCW) liked birds and decided that the nursery would be a great place to expand his hobby. Many cages have come and gone over the years, along with many birds. There have been peacocks, quails, Diamond and Ringneck doves, finches, Chinese ducks, Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Quaker parakeets, Marroon-bellied conures, Ringneck parakeets and Budgies, to name a few. David Williamson, Tom’s son, developed his dad’s interest in birds and adopted our mascot “Bud” in 2000. We have information sheets attached to each cage with descriptions of each species.
Most of our current residents are rescues or children of rescues. Most come from customers who can no longer keep their birds or from breeders, looking to get out of the business. The sad truth is that birds are a big commitment and sometimes, well-meaning and loving people simply can’t take care of their birds any longer. Many species can live well into their 20’s and the larger the bird, the longer they can live. “Bud” is a Hahn’s macaw, the smallest of all the macaws. Hahn’s can live between 40 and 60 years. Adopting a bird is not a personal decision, it can be a generational thing. Your kids may wind up with the bird, years from now.
One of the most common question we get is about the birds and cold weather. Every fall we cover the cages with the same plastic we cover the greenhouse with. It is very strong and holds up to the weather…but not to the birds themselves. The Cockatiels start picking at it immediately, but the Lovebirds are the worst. Every year we figure out how to stop them (at least that is what we tell ourselves), but they are smart and tear it up! The plastic keeps them very warm by acting like a mini greenhouse. We do not use heaters or lights to keep them warm, which would be more dangerous than cold weather. They chew on everything! Even at 20 degrees, they were fine. Another common question is about who takes care of the birds. Leon is our head honcho of the bird ranch. It is heart touching how he cares for the brood. The numbers and species have fluctuated over the years and no matter how many we have, they are all treated very well. We go through 80 pounds of seed mix every 6 weeks.
“Bud” does get special treatment, I will admit. He gets to ride around on shoulders, hang out at my desk, have lunch in the break room and lives with his cage door open all day. He says about 100 words and sounds and loves children. He gets very excited when kids come in and he always wants to get a closer look at them and talk to them. Rank has it’s privileges and it’s burden. When “Bud” was 5 he started to pluck his feathers out. We tried everything everyone suggested. He went to several vets and bird specialists. We tried birdy Valium, birdy Prozac, special (and very expensive) diets. He wore the cone of shame for over a year, and nothing helped. We finally decided that he was just a nudist at heart and it would never change. Other than being “naked”, he is happy and healthy. The reason we don’t see birds do this in the wild, is that with few exceptions, birds expect members of their flock, to look exactly alike. Odd looking members are likely to be killed by the flock. Without feathers or with heavily damaged feathers, birds can’t fly. No flying means getting caught by predators or starving to death. A featherless bird stands no chance in the wild.
We are often asked if we sell our birds. The answer is, no. We have had people actually get mad about this. When a customer leaves birds with us, they are looking for a long-term home for their bird, not a temporary one. Some customers come back to visit their birds. If you are interested in having birds in your home, please contact one of the Gulf Coast bird rescue groups (Google “Gulf Coast bird rescue”) or the SPCA. They would love to have you adopt the birds they already have.