In his small store within the historical Kafr Takharim market in northern Idlib, sits young Mahmoud Nureddin (27 years old) on a picket chair, watching a cage with a pair of brightly coloured parrots nibbling on sunflower seeds and emitting harmonious appears like a candy symphony.
In the young man’s store, there are neatly organized iron cages housing numerous species of birds, the place they show quite a lot of colours and kinds and vary in measurement from medium to small.
“This is an imported parrot called a Sun Conure, and it has not laid eggs yet. It is also unfamiliar in our region, but I believe it will be a good breed,” mentioned Nureddin, referring to the cage he was observing.
Nureddin managed to show his ardour for birds from a pastime he cherished since childhood right into a occupation when he opened his store a number of years in the past, and it turned his solely supply of livelihood after he left his job as a tile setter.
Nureddin informed Enab Baladi that breeding birds requires persistence and “long breath” in addition to steady care, making a comparability to babies who’re affected by climate circumstances and illnesses as a consequence of their weak immune methods, particularly the younger ones.
A reasonably heat atmosphere is appropriate for breeding birds, as they get used to the place the place they hatch “if it is cold they will need warmth constantly, and if it is hot they will need cooling—hence moderation is preferred,” based on Nureddin.
Birds displayed on the market inside a store within the historical Kafr Takharim market in rural Idlib – February 24, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Shams al-Din Matoun)
Secondary occupation
While Sulaiman al-Abdullah (39 years old), displaced from Aleppo and now dwelling in rural Idlib, works as a barber, the corners of his store are full of bins of decorative birds of assorted shapes.
Al-Abdullah informed Enab Baladi that the lengthy hours he spends in his store, particularly during times of few clients, pushed him to amass a number of species of canary birds and take care of them all year long till they lay their eggs and he raises their young with the intention of promoting them.
This small commerce offered al-Abdullah with extra earnings, counting on his barbershop clients to advertise the birds he breeds, which are a magnet for among the store guests to buy as a consequence of their melodies and vibrant colours.
Caring for birds
Birds require specialised meals, water, and a bit of heat to dwell in good situation and reproduce. The value of a kilo of meals doesn’t exceed one US greenback (31 Turkish lira), whereas the birds with lengthy beaks eat sunflower seeds and others, and a boiled egg meal is offered for the feminine chicken after laying its eggs, and for the young birds that want further meals to develop properly.
Bird breeders can determine most illnesses that have an effect on birds by observing their motion, the shapes of their bellies, and the kind of modifications that happen. One of the commonest illnesses affecting birds is hepatitis, particularly in recent years, with the rise in imported birds contributing to the unfold of an infection.
A sick chicken will be handled with particular treatment within the early days of its sickness to assist it get well shortly. However, if therapy is delayed, the effectiveness of the treatment decreases, as does the chicken’s bodily response, and it might die, based on Nureddin and al-Abdullah.
Birds displayed on the market inside a store within the historical Kafr Takharim market in rural Idlib – February 24, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Shams al-Din Matoun)
For decoration and commerce
The lifespan of decorative birds in most of their varieties ranges between three and ten years in the event that they dwell in appropriate circumstances.
Mohammad al-Shater (32 years old) from Idlib metropolis enjoys buying birds, particularly canaries, as he hangs their cages on the door of the blacksmith store the place he works. He informed Enab Baladi that he by no means thought-about chicken buying and selling however likes to see them for decoration solely, preferring canary as a result of it’s distinguished by its voice and the varied tones it emits.
“Whenever I feel the birds have grown and their movement has decreased, I replace them with more lively birds,” added al-Shater.
On the opposite hand, Mazen al-Shami, displaced from the countryside of Damascus, purchases newly born birds to handle till they’re able to mate, then provides them on the market to make a great revenue.
Al-Shami retains the birds in a single room of his home, the place he regularly cares for them, contemplating them part of his household, spending hours of his day beside them, and making certain they’ve darkness at night time to get their mandatory sleep and relaxation.
Local and imported varieties
The varieties of birds fluctuate based on their colours and breeds; there are the native (recognized within the space) and the imported ones, which include greater costs.
The value of a pair of Cockatiel parrot (female and male) begins from 50 US {dollars} to 150 {dollars}, whereas the value of the albino budgie ranges from 7 to 10 {dollars} for a pair, and the value of a Sun Conure parrot is 350 {dollars}, and native canary is priced between 15 and 50 {dollars}, whereas the imported begins from 50 to 150 {dollars}. Lovebirds, that are probably the most widespread species, don’t exceed 10 {dollars} for a pair.
The costs of birds fluctuate based on their varieties and the way widespread they’re. The melodies they produce are elements in figuring out their value, and whether or not they can speak or not like parrots and cockatiels. The costs of comparable varieties differ based on their measurement, colour, and readiness for egg-laying.
Cockatiel parrots want from 8 to 12 months to turn into able to laying eggs, whereas canaries require eight months, and lovebirds want 5 months. The period for which the feminine stays on the eggs till they hatch and young birds are born is from 18 to 24 days for many chicken species.
