Start with the parents, even from a distance
Ask each breeder if you can observe the parent pair, ideally without handling them or crowding their aviary. You are looking for birds that move confidently, hold their feathers in good condition, eat willingly, and react to people with interest or calm indifference rather than panic. Greys pass more than genes to their chicks: a tense, poorly kept parent pair hints at the conditions the whole breeding setup runs on. Note the parents' housing as carefully as the birds: a roomy aviary with natural light, perches at varied heights, fresh food and water in clean dishes, and toys or branches to work on suggests daily standards that chicks benefit from long before they are handled. A breeder who is proud of the parents will usually make this easy; one who will not discuss them at all, or keeps changing the subject to price and availability, is telling you something important.
Ask how this specific chick was raised
Move from general claims to this chick's actual story. Was the chick parent-raised for the first weeks, hand-fed, or co-parented? What weaning foods were offered — warm soft foods, soaked pellets, vegetables — and is the chick fully weaned and eating independently, and for how long? African greys weaned too early or force-weaned onto seed can carry feeding insecurity and anxiety into adulthood. A careful breeder answers in specifics: dates, foods, weights, fledging milestones. Ask both breeders the identical questions and compare the texture of the answers, not just whether they sounded friendly.
Handling: frequency, style, and social exposure
Early handling shapes how a young grey copes with a new home. Ask how often chicks are handled each day, by how many different people, and whether they have met household sounds, children at a distance, carriers, and towelling. You want a chick that steps up willingly, accepts gentle restraint for health checks, and recovers quickly from a surprise noise. If you can meet the chick, watch for curiosity rather than frantic escape or frozen stillness. Also ask what the breeder does about early flight: a chick allowed to fledge and learn controlled landings usually grows into a more confident, coordinated adult.
Records and the questions that reveal standards
Request the paperwork each breeder keeps: hatch record, closed ring or microchip details where used, any veterinary checks, and notes on the parents' health and diet. Then ask the revealing questions. What does the breeder feed the breeding birds daily? Will they take the bird back at any age if circumstances change? Do they quiz you about your home, time, and experience, or is any buyer acceptable? A breeder who screens you is protecting the chick; a breeder who pressures you to decide today is protecting a sale.
Making the final call between two good options
If both breeders pass those checks, choose by the chick in front of you: the one eating independently with confidence, exploring, and choosing to approach you is a better bet than a prettier sibling that shrinks away. Get the chosen chick's history in writing before you pay. With KinsLe Transferrable Profiles, that breeder history — hatch notes, weaning foods, handling routine — transfers to you with the profile intact, so your grey's first chapter is never lost when he comes home.