Feature Story Final

Feature Story

William Clyde Carson admired the beautiful parakeets flying around in the cage owned by a neighbor who had always had a passion for all types of birds. Encouraged by his mother to go look at the parakeets, he no longer regretted the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn to walk over. Then it hit him. He could buy, raise, and sell parakeets just as his neighbor did. With that brilliant idea, at the age of only twelve years old, he started his first successful business.

Born in Westover Edition, San Marcos, Texas in 1938, Carson had a business idea that would be part of his life for many years to come. When he bought his first two parakeets at a very young age, he had no idea what the future would hold.

Carson credits the start of his unique journey to his mother.

“My mother was very very interested in all kinds of animals and is who encouraged me to get a couple of parakeets,” Carson said.

As soon as he bought the first parakeets, Carson rushed home to build them a small cage with a nesting box. From then on, raising parakeets became one of his biggest passions.

“My two original birds and their five babies began nesting, and within six months, I had an additional 25 plus new baby birds,” Carson said. “By the next year, my collection of birds increased to about 60.”

With growing numbers of parakeets being born, he began considering selling his parakeets. Carson was aided in making his business profitable by the kind man who sold him his original two birds. Carson was contacted by Oldenwall Bird Company out of New York, who he soon after signed his first contract with in 1951 at thirteen years old.

“During the season when the baby birds would hatch, a representative of the company came by and bought all the birds I had available,” Carson said. “There was one other person in San Marcos, the person I bought my original two birds from, who also sold birds to the company. He's the one who also helped me get the contract,” Carson said.

Now that he owned a growing business, Carson knew he needed to build a larger cage and make sure he was raising the parakeets properly and keeping them healthy.

“My grandfather helped me build a bigger house, and we had 200 birds. Each pair could produce at the minimum six birds a year,” Carson said. “The hardest thing was making sure to take care of them, which requires feeding them, keeping them warm in the winter time, and so forth. It’s a matter of having the discipline to manage a business,” Carson said.

Carson had a very uncommon business, but he enjoyed every minute of it. He was proud of what he did, especially considering the fact he was making great profit.

“At that time, we’re talking about 1950-1952, I was able to sell the birds for five dollars a piece, which was a lot of money. Some of my peers were cutting grass for 20 cents an hour, and I was selling birds for five dollars each,” Carson said. “The parakeets were my first real profitable business. I think I had to pay my first income taxes. It was terrible,” Carson said.

All throughout high school, Carson continued selling parakeets to Oldenwall Bird Company. However, he soon enlisted in the Air Force, causing his parakeet business to came to a halt. As the years went by, Carson was involved in many different careers and businesses, but he never forgot the joy raising parakeets brought him.

“After getting out of the Air Force, marrying in 1968, and having children, I decided to raise a few more parakeets just for the sake of the novelty,” Carson said.

He has not yet stopped raising parakeets, and he has a cage the size of a small room in his backyard housing the birds he currently owns. The business became less profitable over the years, but now that Carson is a successful businessman in several industries, the money aspect is not an issue.

“I continued raising a small number and selling them to some local feed stores while only getting 10 dollars a bird, which didn’t even pay for my feed really,” Carson said. “I still today have 40 birds and supply local feed stores in Wimberley and New Braunfels with birds spring through summer,” Carson said

Family members of Carson recall all the times they would watch the birds from outside the cage and dream of having their own, especially as younger children.

“Every time we would go to his house, I always remember my cousins and I all begging to get one,” Kennedy Carson, young granddaughter, said.

Kennedy Carson was informed most of the birds in the Wimberley pet store near where she lives were raised by her grandfather.

“I’ve always thought ‘Did people raise these animals or were they given them,’ but now I know. He raised them all. That’s so awesome,” Kennedy Carson said.

Carson repeatedly emphasized the importance of business in his job of raising parakeets. In some ways, he believes it is what was made parakeets so appealing to him as a boy. His very first business was selling Christmas and every day cards around his neighborhood at the age of six, and throughout his life he’s been involved in real estate, ranching, funeral, and countless other businesses, so it is safe to say he loves the industry.

“Meeting people and being able to visit with different people is what I love about the business industry. It [the parakeets] has been not just a business for me, but it’s been a about the animals and the experience,” Carson said.