Conflicting information...how do yall deal with it?

[Macawlvr]

There is so much information and opinions out there. Much of it agrees with each other, however much of it does not.

One person/group/forum/book/vet/etc says something while the other says something different or even the total opposite.

What is your sorting process? How do you decide what is credible and what is not? How do you decide what to try and what not to try?

How do you eventually decide what is best for you and your birds?

[Michelle & Fids]

I guess the first thing I always consider is the source the info is coming from. Then I guess I would ask others(that I already know and trust) opinions on it and do more research on it. I guess the final deciding factor is always my gut feeling on it though.

One of my other thoughts would also be that while it may work for bird A it might not work for bird B. Most all the information you get these days is generalized. I think that's where it helps living with a flock. When you live with more then 1 bird of a species yes you will see things that are similar, but you also see how they are different. Take my Scarlets Mischief and Chaos, they are siblings that came here as nekkid little babies together, so I know their whole life story and that they were raised the same. Mischief spends his days trying to live up to his name. He fits the stereo type that Scarlets are beaky, pinchy and headstrong. He will push the envelope every time and that is how he came to be known as my wild child or as John and Jace would say " a bird only a mother would love". And I do love him and his strong personality and for that fact that there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me smile with his antics. Chaos in the other hand is his polar opposite and should have been named calm or tranquility. She is so sweet and very seldom beaky and loves to cuddle. I don't know if it is because she is so sweet or what, but she is much harder to "read". When you get pinched from her it's out of the blue and you never see it coming. Where with Mischief you know when's it's coming, you just never know how hard it's going to be Well I better quit rambling, because I'm not sure if I stayed on topic or not

[Lucas]

Krames, Apologies, Pard... I can't be of much help on this one. I agree that it can be mighty conflicting much of the time. Intuition? A good beginning... and then perhaps average out the "Experts" ??? When I come to a fork in the road, I take it. As a Pilgrim / Traveler I get all manner of "info" and "advice" in road houses, truck stops, and over the two-way...much of it BS! Such a plethora of Individual ideas and information... if You DO find out, share it with Me, Willya?
Sincerely,
Lucas

[ingrid]

Good question James,

Some of the information that i read, I do agree with and other things I dont...what I have found, it what works for you may not always work for me.

It also depends on where one gets the information from.

I usually have an open mind, and Love learning all I can

[Sierra]

That's why I'm here....trying to sort out all of the conflicting info! I have a new macaw, and I am just trying to figure out how to give her a great life! I am trying to learn as much as I can, and I think boards like this, where people from all over are willing to share info, are a great place to learn.

[Michelle & Fids]

Originally Posted by Sierra

That's why I'm here....trying to sort out all of the conflicting info! I have a new macaw, and I am just trying to figure out how to give her a great life! I am trying to learn as much as I can, and I think boards like this, where people from all over are willing to share info, are a great place to learn.

It's great to have you here, I hope we can help shed some light on giving your girl a good home.

[Xanthus]

Well, here is the order I trust information.

1 Vet (make sure they are an avian vet)
2 Books by well known authors
3 Internet

I take all info with a grain of salt, weigh and measure by my own knowledge and understanding, and then go with the best course by what I find. The internet is a great tool, but there is little means of validating what is here. So if you find 20 similar answers to the same question, then you can kinda take it as truth. But if all the answers are different, you need to try some way to find which ones are right.

[DancingGreenBird]

I also always listen to my vet first. She has been caring for my birds for more than ten years and I trust her expertise.

My next source for information will depend on the information I am looking for. Although I own a lot of books, I find that the information on many is outdated, and the species information is often vague. Even "The Large Macaws", and excellent resource, is very focused on certain topics and completely silent on others. If you have a mini-macaw, you will find no species specific information here. If my bird is ill, I will still hit my Branson Ritchie books first, but then hit the internet in hopes that more information has been discovered and written about.

I am constantly looking for new books to add to my library that has more and more current information. There are several books that I refer to regularly, many of the better behavior books are still current. Information also seems to cycle in popularity, one year pellets are the only correct food to offer, next year it is criminally negligent to offer them.

However, if there is a specific topic that I am targeting, I tend to find more information on the internet. You have to sift through the chaff, but it usually isn't too bad. The more outrageous or absolute the claim, the more likely it is wrong.

Forums like this are wonderful, because you can call on the combined experience of some wonderful, caring people. In general, someone has more than likely seen or experience whatever problem you are asking about. They can tell you about their mistakes as readily as their successes and what they learned about both.

Sherry