Parrot breeding facilities supply the companion animal trade with birds that may be well or poorly adapted to captive life depending on the breeding and socialization practices used.
Parrot breeding welfare involves both the parent birds and the offspring. Parent birds in commercial breeding facilities may spend decades in small cages with minimal social or environmental enrichment — welfare standards for parrot breeding facilities are poorly developed and rarely regulated. Offspring hand-reared for human socialization lack species-appropriate behavioral development and often develop problems in later life. The most welfare-compatible breeding approach raises chicks with appropriate species contact, adequate human socialization, and environmental enrichment, but this approach is more resource-intensive than commercial operations typically provide.