COVER STORY: ‘Golden Macaws’

Abstract

What do you do when something so incredible happens with your pet birds that it changes your life forever? This is exactly the question Gary Redden and his family had to answer 10 years ago, when he found strange-looking baby birds in the nest box of his pet Blue and Gold Macaws, Mickey and Minnie. This was the beginning of a decade of commitment for the Reddens as they worked to establish the "golden macaw" in captivity.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Gary Redden was always interested in birds. He lived on a dairy farm as a boy and kept chickens and peacocks. Gary's interest in birds continued to grow and after being married, he acquired a pair of Zebra finches. Birds were a hobby for Gary and his family, as they enjoyed watching and listening to the birds in their aviaries. Raising birds is a challenge and a thrill when you are successful, no matter what species you choose. And like so many of us, their collection just kept growing. There was no way to foretell the legacy Gary's interest in aviculture would create.

In 1992 Gary's wife Lynn gave him two baby Blue & Gold macaws as a birthday gift. These were their first large parrots and were named Mickey and Minnie. By 1996, the pair was three and a half years of age and laid their first clutch of eggs. Mickey and Minnie produced one to two clutches per year for the next three years. Minnie typically lays four to five eggs per clutch, and in the early years it was nearly always five eggs. Gary and Lynn sold a few of the offspring and kept some to set up more breeding pairs for the future.

Rat snakes are a particular problem in Texas, and the snakes are very good at scaling walls, wire and trees, getting into nests to swallow eggs, babies and small birds. Certain times of the year are worse than others. It pays to be vigilant about checking nest boxes and getting the eggs out before the snakes get a chance at them. Gary routinely pulls eggs for incubation and raises chicks from Day One.

The year 2000 marked the fourth breeding season for Mickey and Minnie. Conditions seemed right and safe enough for allowing the birds to have a turn at hatching and raising some chicks. Minnie laid three eggs and was incubating during the summer of 2000. The Reddens didn't know it then, but this little hobby was on the brink of changing their lives forever and it would send shock waves across the globe.

Gary went out to check the nest box and noticed that two of the three the chicks in the box did not look "right." For starters the skin was too pale and the eyes looked unusual. He immediately pulled the chicks and took them into the house for hand rearing and to check them over carefully.

All three chicks were brooded together in the same box and fed the same hand-feeding formula. The two unusual babies seemed to be growing at the same pace as the normal chick. They appeared healthy in all respects except that the skin, feet nails and beaks were white.

The first clue to solving the mystery of these first pale chicks was when the eyes opened. The eyes were deep red in color. As the feathers began to open, the chest feathers were a deep yellow-gold like the normal chick. The head, tail and body feathers wings were a pale yellow. Obviously a mutation, but what kind? Knowing these mutation chicks were unusual and probably very valuable, the Reddens contacted various aviculturists to ask about the genetics, special needs of mutations, potential for selling and long term breeding ideas. They wanted to consider all the options before making any rash decisions. It wasn't long before the news of these fantastic birds spread like wildfire across the internet and the world. Everyone was talking about the "golden macaws" from Texas.

Gary worked for the Dallas Zoo's bird department, a job he truly enjoyed because he was surrounded by like-minded people. Soon realizing that his avicultural hobby was suddenly going to require more time than he had available, he made a decision to leave his job and manage his hobby full time. This was the first of many sacrifices that he'd have to make in order to be successful with the golden macaws. His little hobby evolved into a full-time career, as these macaws became the focus of Gary's passion.

 

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