How It All Started.   It all started when my daughter moved out, then later moved back in with a cockatiel . After meeting this new charmer, I was hooked! (And I have been hooked on birds ever since.)   In 1989 I purchased a pair of hyacinth macaws, Mac and Belle from a real crook in southern California. Mac almost died within the week from copious regurgitation caused by an intestinal obstruction, probably due to ingestion of a bake-lite type of plastic. He was dehydrated, could not perch and rarely opened his eyes. He spent his first weeks on our laps and every time he tried to open his eyes, we would stick his beak in orange juice to get him to drink some fluids and calories. After improvement from his crisis condition, he was the subject of an article in Bird Talk, " Buyer Beware ". He has also been the subject of veterinary articles, since he has had about 8 endoscopies by now. Through the years he has been a management problem with frequent or constant bacterial and fungal infections. There have been several times I thought he would not live through the day. He has been maintained on a formula, which I make and which he laps up like a kitten. Throughout the years his condition has gradually improved. First he no longer needed the heat lamp at night and in the winter, now he rarely regurgitates, and he has not had any medication in 2 years. He also seems to be eating some soft foods. He grinds up lots of pellets, but I'm not sure how much he actually swallows, since he still requires his formula to maintain his weight. He doesn't try to eat any of the nuts which are put in the food dishes for Belle. This year we will try him outside in the summer. Maybe someday he may even be able to tolerate the winter. If he and Belle ever breed, you won't have to read about it, you'll hear my screams from where ever you live! Mac finally gave up his fight for life 12/9/98.   I started breeding in 1990. My first incubator hatched red-fronted macaw, Kermit, hand-fed from day 1, is still my current pet.   With my nursing and medical research background, I have been especially interested in the nutrition, medical and social needs of these special new family members. I started learning good avicultural practices from reading and from bird club meetings at the Golden Gate Avian Society in Livermore, CA, and have attended many large meetings and seminars: AFA, Avian Pediatric Seminars, IAS, and others. A hobby has grown to a passion and we have moved to a wonderful mountain community so the birds could each have flights and fresh air. Aviary Standards    Being Model Aviculture Program (MAP) certified means that a veterinarian comes routinely to inspect our premises, birds, equipment isolation and quarantine procedures, and records.   Breeding pairs are housed outdoors so they can benefit from fresh mountain air, natural sunlight, rain for bathing, and seasonal variation. In the dry season, birds are misted. Birds are housed in flights, with a section of the flight, the food bowls, nest box and perch protected from rain and wind. They delight in bathing in the rain and soaking up the morning sun. They have a wonderful view, as they would in the wild.   We still have a small aviary by most standards. My husband has been great about accepting my passion, but he controls aviary size by rarely making more flights in which to put new birds!   All birds are quarantined upon arrival, and after the quarantine period, put in outdoor flights (not cages) . All large birds have tested negative for Psitticine Beak and Feather Disease and Polyoma virus. Some testing has also been done for chlamidia (results negative). Nutrition   I believe that nutrition is paramount to having and raising healthy birds. All birds have a good pelleted parrot food available at all times. In addition, daily they all get a large bowl full of yams, carrots, mangos, bananas, at least 2 dark green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, green beans, beet tops or red chard), and selected other fruits according to seasonal availability (oranges, apples, pomegranates, peaches, apricots, cherries, berries, papaya, melon, grapes). Daily they also get a scoop of my own sprouted mix of 15 beans, corn, peas, seeds and grains. I don't believe supplemental vitamins are needed if the total diet is nutritionally adequate. I sometimes shake some spirulina and calcium carbonate on the sprouts. The Chicks   My birds are encouraged to incubate and start feeding their babies. I only incubate eggs from the pairs that would otherwise destroy their young. Incubator hatched chicks are initially fed every 1-2 hours and throughout the night. If the parents are willing to feed the chicks, I only take chicks for hand feeding after they have a good start with their parents and their immune system is partially developed.   I don't wean my birds, they wean themselves. They have soft fruits and vegetables, sprouts, pellets and a bowl of water in their basket before they even spend much time on their feet. They lay around and munch at will. Eventually they are eating and drinking so much that they refuse the hand feeding.   The incubator, brooder and baby spaces are in my home. Hand-fed babies get lots of attention and socialization. Some of the older babies are even taught tricks before they go to their new home.   The fledged and weaned babies also go in an outdoor flight for a few hours daily, so that they can soak up some sunshine, socialize with each other and learn how to fly before they have their wings clipped. Allowing a bird to learn how to fly and land well helps to strengthen its chest musculature, and gives it the confidence of flight and landing, should it be needed. If a bird should escape, the bird who formerly had flight training is better able to return. Quality and Customer Satisfaction   I believe that raising the birds with a high standard of husbandy, nutrition and socialization produces a better quality and happier bird for the customer.   I have contacted most of the new owners long after sale, and all have approved of the pet quality of the birds (although some have not kept the birds because they underestimated the species noise level relative to their environment!).   I give a written health warrantee with each baby that is one of the best available.