Pet products & breeding
Books and taxes for bird shops and aviaries.
A register sale, a week of boarding for a customer's macaw, a hand-fed baby that took two months to raise, and a DNA sexing test on a bird you cannot tell apart by eye. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $8,000. The DNA sexing on your new pair got tied to those two birds, not lumped into general vet costs.
- Square terminal payoutStore sales
- Boarding invoicesBoarding services
- Hand-feeding formula orderHand-feeding supplies
- DNA sexing labDNA sexing
- Aviary heat and humidity controlAviary utilities
Why your books are different
A bird shop's books go wrong in a handful of specific spots.
A generalist sees register deposits and a feed bill. Your business runs on hand-feeding labor, boarding customers who travel, DNA tests on birds that look identical, and pairs that can take years to mature into breeders. When the books miss that, pricing becomes a guess.
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1
Hand-feeding labor never gets counted
Raising a hand-fed baby to weaning can take six to ten weeks of multiple daily feedings, and if that labor is not tracked against the bird, two babies that took very different amounts of work end up priced the same.
What we doTracks hand-feeding time and formula against each clutch, so pricing reflects what it actually took to raise them. -
2
Boarding and grooming blend into bird sales
Boarding a customer's bird while they travel, or clipping wings and trimming nails, is steady service income that has nothing to do with selling a bird, and if it lands in the same bucket, it is impossible to see how much of the shop's income comes from services versus livestock.
What we doKeeps boarding and grooming income in its own line, separate from bird sales. -
3
DNA sexing looks like a random vet bill
Many parrot species cannot be told apart by sight, so a DNA sexing test is a real cost tied to a specific bird, and lumped into general vet care, it is hard to see what confirming a breeding pair's sex actually cost before they ever produced a clutch.
What we doTies DNA sexing costs to the specific birds tested, separate from routine vet care. -
4
Quarantine time gets treated as a delay, not a cost
A newly acquired bird typically needs weeks of isolation and testing before it can safely join the rest of the collection, and the vet costs and lost selling time during that stretch are easy to overlook entirely.
What we doBooks quarantine testing and care as a cost tied to that bird, so it is part of what the bird actually cost before it was ever cleared for sale. -
5
A breeding pair takes years to prove out
Larger species like macaws and cockatoos can take several years to reach breeding maturity and pair up successfully, and if the feeding and housing cost during that stretch is not tracked, the first clutch never looks like it was worth the wait.
What we doTracks a breeding pair's costs from acquisition through their first successful clutch, so the real payoff is visible.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a bird shop or aviary.
Set up once for how the business gets paid and what it spends. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Store salesBirds, cages, and food sold at the shop.
- Boarding servicesFees for boarding a customer's bird while they travel.
- Grooming servicesWing clips, nail trims, and beak care.
- Hand-fed baby salesWeaned babies sold at a premium for their socialization.
Money out
- Breeding stockBirds acquired to add new pairs to the aviary.
- Hand-feeding suppliesFormula, syringes, and brooder equipment.
- DNA sexingLab tests to confirm the sex of monomorphic species.
- Quarantine careTesting and vet care for newly acquired birds.
- Cages and aviary equipmentFlights, perches, and enclosure hardware.
- Seed and pellet inventoryFood stock for the store and the aviary.
- Aviary utilitiesHeating, humidity control, and lighting for the birds.
What we watch for you
- Cost per hand-fed baby
Formula and feeding time against the sale price, so pricing reflects the real work.
- Service revenue share
How much of income comes from boarding and grooming against bird sales.
- Breeding pair payoff
Total cost of a pair from acquisition to first clutch against what that clutch sold for.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things bird shop and aviary owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
That's worth a look. I track feeding time and formula against each clutch, so you can see which babies actually cost more to raise before you set a price.
They get their own line. That way you can see how much of a good month came from boarding and grooming versus actually selling a bird.
I keep it separate, tied to those two birds specifically. That way you know what confirming the pair actually cost before they ever produce a clutch.
The tax side
The tax side of a bird shop or aviary.
Most of what matters here is inventory, equipment, and proving a long breeding project is a business, not a hobby.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goodsBirds, cages, and food bought to resell are not deductible when purchased. They become a cost when they sell, which is why an accurate count of stock and the collection matters at tax time.
- Hobby loss rulesA breeding aviary that does not run or record itself like a business risks being treated as a hobby, which limits what losses can be deducted. Tracking each pair's real costs is the best protection.
- Equipment write-offsFlight cages, brooders, and climate control systems can often be written off in the year bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for equipment acquired after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionA profitable shop or breeding aviary run as a sole proprietor, partnership, or S corp can often take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income.
Deductions bird shops and aviaries miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hand-feeding formula and syringes
- Brooder and incubator equipment
- DNA sexing lab fees
- Quarantine vet testing
- Flight cages and perches
- Seed and pellet inventory
- Banding and microchips
- Aviary heating and humidity control
- Business liability insurance
- Boarding cage supplies
- Grooming tools
- Website and listing fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A bird shop and aviary year, kept every month.
Clutches and boarding requests both move on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of the year's costs and the return. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how summer boarding requests and this year's clutches are tracking.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Ahead of holiday gift buyers looking for birds and gear, Gus looks at equipment worth handling before year end.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for bird shops and aviaries. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions bird shop and aviary owners ask first.
Can Gus track what a hand-fed baby actually cost to raise?
Yes. He tracks formula and feeding time against each clutch, so you can see which babies took more work before setting a price for them.
How does Gus keep my boarding income separate from bird sales?
Boarding and grooming get their own line, so you can see how much of a good month came from services versus actually selling a bird.
Is a DNA sexing test just a normal vet expense?
Gus keeps it tied to the specific birds tested, separate from routine vet care, so you know what confirming a pair's sex actually cost.
My new bird has to sit in quarantine for weeks before I can sell it. Does that cost get tracked?
Yes. The testing and care during quarantine gets tied to that bird, so it is part of what the bird actually cost before it was cleared for sale.
My breeding pair has not produced a clutch in two years. Is that a problem for the books?
No, but Gus tracks their costs the whole time so when the first clutch does sell, you can see what the wait actually cost against what it earned.
My records are just receipts from the feed store and boarding invoices. Can Gus start from there?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus will separate boarding and grooming income from bird and feed sales. Most owners see a clear picture within a cycle.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in pet products & breeding
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Aquarium & tropical fish stores
- Cat breeders
- Freeze-dried pet treat makers
- Licensed dog breeders
- Pet treat bakeries
- Raw pet food brands & stores
- Reptile shops & breeders
- Custom pet portrait businesses
- Pet apparel brands
- Pet supply boutiques
- Canine fitness & dog swimming pools
- Canine massage & rehab
- Cat groomers
- Dog agility & sport training facilities
- Dog behaviorists
- Invisible & electric dog fence installers
- Off-leash dog parks with bars
- Pet cremation & aftercare
- Pet photographers
- Pet relocation services (international)
- Pet taxi & pet transport
- Protection dog trainers
- Service dog trainers
- Exotic animal vets
- Holistic & integrative vets
- In-home pet euthanasia services
- Low-cost spay/neuter & vaccine clinics
- Veterinary dental specialists
- Veterinary rehab & hydrotherapy
- Board-and-train programs
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever