The amount of care and affection that they devote to their birds is immense and their dedication to the hobby is the same.

Their stud is located in a beautiful rural location near the town of Ballybay in County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.

They are always happy to share their knowledge of the exhibition budgerigar with visitors, many of whom regularly travel from as far away as the U.S.A., Europe and the U.K. to purchase birds from this high quality stud.

The Birdroom

The Emerald birdroom is a superb building measuring 70′ x 25′ (21 m x 8 m) and is described by many visitors as 5 star budgerigar accommodation.

The birdroom, among many other things, contains:

• 4 full height flight rooms each being 10′ x 8′ (3 m x 2.5 m)
• 2 nursery flights each being 10′ (3 m) long
• 2 breeding rooms which contain 50 breeding cages

All wire breeding cages are preferred, not just for their cleanliness, but so that all birds can enjoy a colony atmosphere.

Wooden, outside fitting nest boxes are used, sprayed inside and out with disinfectant and an anti-mite solution, before copper coins are put under concaves for their anti-fungal properties, with a handful of fine wood chippings added.

Stock

Emerald Budgerigars line breed and keep all the mainstream colours, specialising in Lutinos and Albinos.

Fine examples can be found in all colours.

The stud’s original mainstream colour stock came from Eric Lane and Ormerod & Sadler bloodlines.

The “ino” original stock came from Margery Kirkby Mason, Reg Watts and Rick Watts …. that was about 40 years ago!

In more recent years, very strong blood lines have been built, based on Daniel Lütolf, Reinhard Molkentin, Jo Mannes, Huxley & Marchant and Willi Dokter.

Eileen and John’s birds are well known for their overall quality and especially for their strength in width of head, length of feather and directional feather, which they have also managed to put into their “ino’s”.

Management

Daily management for Eileen and John includes changing the birds’ water and cleaning the utensils. Bottled water is used – not tap water – due to the chlorine content.

Another daily job is to make and provide every bird with fresh soft-food. This is made from boiled eggs, soaked oats, Orlux moist eggfood, vegetables, honey, garlic oil, ‘Panta-20′ (supplement), a small amount of salt, cod liver oil, wheat germ oil, ‘Frucht-mash’ (supplement), calcium / D3 powder, love bird seed mixture, and the most important ingredient ….. “EB.1 complete” – a magical mix that is used by many of Europe’s top breeders.

Eileen and John will provide more details and quantity information to any breeder requiring the same (see website link at the end of this article).

All birds, at all times, have access to 4 different seed mixtures:

• An “A.1.E.” mixture that contains 60% canary and 40% mixed millets
• An “E.B.” feather growth promoting seed mixture
• An “E.B.” conditioning and herb seed mixture
• An “E.B.” Japanese millet and fruit pellet mixture

Again, Eileen and John will provide more detail to any breeder requiring the same (see website link at the end of this article).

Grit and mineral utensils are changed weekly and all flights and cages are cleaned and disinfected weekly.

Cuttlefish and iodine blocks are provided to all birds and the bird room is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner twice per day.

Once a year, all birds in the Emerald Budgerigars birdroom are treated with “Tricho Plus” as a preventative against Trichomonas.

Also once a year, all birds are treated with “Doxycycline”, before pairing-up, to ensure the birds optimum performance.

Breeding

All birds are kept in the stock flights unless breeding.

Cocks and hens are kept together to encourage exercise and eucalyptus branches, ladders, tumblers, balls and various other play things are provided to stop the birds becoming bored and to encourage additional exercise.

Ring issue dates are ignored, as pairing commences every year in September. Eileen and John say that September is the best time to pair up exhibition budgerigars. If the birds are in condition, 50 pairs are put up in this month.

Both cocks and hens have their vents plucked and both birds are put into the breeding cage at the same time with the nest box already attached. Nest boxes are inspected daily, but only once.

When pairing birds, Eileen and John attach much importance to pedigree, and try to pair the best visual cocks to a lesser visual sister of their best hens, so long as the pair complement each other visually – i.e. if one of the pair lacks in a particular feature, the other in the pair must excel in this feature, and so on.

Showing

Eileen and John have won many “Best in Show” awards, “Major Specials” and “C.C.’s” at Championship, National and World Championship level.

However, in recent years, they much prefer breeding budgerigars than showing them and now, regrettably, show very little and do not show at all in Ireland.

However, they say that they will always support the B.S. World Championship Show whenever possible.

Tips for Beginners

Here are some of Eileen and John’s top tips for beginners:

• Budgerigars do not always breed when paired up for the first time. Some birds can go 2 or 3 years before they breed for the first time, so it’s worth persevering with a quality bird.
• Try to buy one outcross, or two, every year to add quality fresh blood and always buy the best that you can afford with the desired feature(s) that your own birds require for improvement. Do NOT be tempted to split the money you have available over say 3, 4 or 5 birds – spend all the money that you have available on just one or two birds and buy the best that you can obtain. Quality is more important than quantity.
• Some budgerigar hens will not use a nest box if the entry hole is facing direct sunlight, as it will not be dark enough for her inside.
• Every evening before the main lighting changes to night lighting, fine spray the bird room (NOT the birds), with an F.10, Virkon-S, or similar solution, to kill possible airborne germs.
• When preparing your birds for a show, spread the de-spotting process over many days. Do NOT de-spot a bird completely in one attempt, as you run the risk of a good spot falling out later due to bruising around the area.
• It is good practice to spray the inside of a nest box that has chicks, in the same way using an F.10 or Virkon-S solution. Simply cover the chicks with your hand when spraying to protect the chicks from the spray.
• Have patience! If your birds are not performing as well as they could, seek assistance from an experienced breeder. If things are going wrong in your birdroom, it is probably not the fault of the birds, but your fault!

Further Information

For further details about the Emerald Budgerigar Stud, please visit Eileen and John’s website:

• www.emeraldbudgerigars.4t.com

Photographs

All photographs below of Eileen & John’s birdroom and birds were taken and kindly supplied to us by Eillen & John Hall.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Emerald Budgerigar birdroom
- external view

Emerald Budgerigar birdroom
- internal view

Breeding cages are on the all wire system

The Hall nest box design

 

 

 

 

Let’s look at three other elements that play their part in successful budgerigar breeding.

2 – Father Time

Don’t kid yourself that you can buy time. You will need a lot of it.

The problem for the majority of new fanciers (or those coming back to the hobby around retirement) is that it is running out. Don’t believe that you can succeed without spending a lot of time with your birds.

If you have a partner and they can’t be persuaded that it is better than spending time elsewhere, then you had better not get started. At least with budgerigars, they will know where you are!

Getting Started

On getting started, don’t hang about. Knock up something modest in a shed or what ever. Get some birds and see if they are really what you want to do and you are prepared to give them the commitment.

My recommendation, if you can find a breeder who has decent birds, is to buy two or three pairs of his “rubbish” as long as they are young and healthy, and, importantly, are colours that you like.

Start breeding them. Colours are important. Remember pet shops don’t like the drabs, the Cinnamon Grey Greens and their like so you won’t be able to get rid of the surplus. Remember to get breeding records and chart where every bird comes from.

Breed them and keep all the hens. Go to shows and get an idea of what you like and what seems to be the type that wins. If you have hens you think are decent and you know their ancestry you can identify other sources of related birds, if you can’t get birds you like from your original source at a price you can afford. Once you have reasonable hens you can always buy decent cocks.

Remember, the more time you can spend with your birds, and indeed in other aviaries, the better you will know their habits and needs and the better will be your understanding and feel for the type of birds that you like and want to breed. Following your instinct for your birds is essential and only kept active by constant exposure to the source of your passion.

Planning Your Birdroom

Use your initial time in planning your birdroom.

The only tips that I can offer are:

1. Don’t make it too big but consider how you might be able to expand it
2. Make sure that you have easy access to all areas, so that your cages are not too high or too low, your access doors wide enough
3. Identify easy clean surfaces. Try to avoid paint. Use hard coated plastic surfaces they will save you hours of cleaning time
4. Ensure that you can get electricity to the birdroom. The only way to get rid of feather dust, a major problem with modern birds, is by electric fans.
5. Make provision for washing facilities in the birdroom. It will save you a vast amount of time. I write from bitter experience
6. Seriously consider an outside flight. This is a personal must for me as I feel my birds are healthier for it and enjoy flying as a small flock. It also helps to counter misguided criticism that we give them an unnatural life
7. Get a decent computer program for your records

Part three of this article can be read here.

It appears that the problem is our “old friend” Trichomoniasis (See page 233 in The Challenge), which has been carried by pigeons for years, but has now crossed into some species of our wild population.

The total number of different species involved has yet to be determined.

Budgerigars

It is well recorded throughout the hobby we enjoy, that for years we had no trouble from this protozoan disease which gives all the symptoms of “going light”, but additionally causes secondary fungal deposits in the oesophagus so that the budgerigar cannot swallow seed grains.

The sure symptomatic sign is birds crowded round the seed pots and the pots filling rapidly with “dust”. This is because the birds are grinding up the seed into tiny particles in order to get a few tiny grains down into their systems.

There will also be signs of wet areas around the beak and face in general.

Alleged Problem

A few years ago the European Union (EU) banned the use of Emtryl Powder which was used by the grouse breeders so that the gun “sport” has plenty of targets.

That caused an outcry at the time in that industry and of course in our “world”.

Pure Emtryl is unobtainable now, but there are various products containing Emtryl sold under various product names.

One wonders if the banning of such an effective product has caused an increase in trichomonas across other species, but that is guesswork.

What To Do?

By chance, Les Martin and I were invited by Tom and Andrew Luke to their excellent aviaries near Preston in Lancashire.

As we entered, Tom asked us to step on a very large 2 inch deep absorbent mat containing disinfectant – probably Virkon-S or similar.

This meant anything carried on our feet from other aviaries was immediately neutralised.

However trichomonas was not the main object in mind, but a sound practice of practising biological disinfection from entering the birdroom.

Our hands were similarly sprayed – as one does in a hospital today. Hands are the greatest form of cross infection of any kind so be aware of that after handling birds between aviaries.

Tom and Andrew were quick to respond to a request from myself where to obtain such a mat and I now have one outside the aviary filled with disinfectant – and I use it all the time!

Why? Because we are surrounded by pigeons at home and droppings are all over the place and the pigeons excrete into the bird baths every day. Step into any droppings and walk into the aviary and the flights in particular – and off you go with trichomonas in the stud.

Uncovered outside flights are a big hazard – so be warned.

Related Links

• BBC News (video)
  • Disease causes greenfinch population to fall
• Zoological Society of London
  • Parasite threatens many of Britain’s best-loved birds
• Full British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Research Article
  • Emerging Infectious Disease Leads to Rapid Population Declines of Common British Birds

This original version, now edited for international appreciation, was written by Rod Skivington and is reproduced with his kind permission and acknowledgement to the The Budgerigar Council of Victoria Inc.

GSB

Introduction by GSB

This is the second of a two part profile of the Sheppard & Flanagan partnership – one of a group of important studs that now exist in Australia. Part one introducd Bruce Sheppard and Colin Flanagan and described how the partnership was formed. Part two gives an insight into the breeding methods employed by this highly successful duo, and asks them for their comments on the Australian show scene.

Well-designed Birdroom and Aviaries are essential

There are literally a hundred matters to consider when constructing a birdroom and aviary.

Bruce and Colin have gone down different paths here – Bruce has changed little of the birdroom over the last thirty years, whilst Colin has relocated many times due to work commitments and has been continually building new birdrooms and aviaries every time he relocated.

They both said the key considerations are:

• Face aviaries eastwards, so that birds can capture the morning sun daily
• Insulate the birdroom against both the summer heat and the winter cold
• Clear roof panels can be painted white to reflect the heat and still allow light in, this has significantly reduced the sun from heating up the birdroom
• It is essential that a birdroom has good ventilation
• Aviary floors must never be permitted to get wet, they must remain dry
• Aviary lofts are a great way to feed vegetable and citrus foods that are damp and will be discarded and fall outside and not mix with droppings, this is now a common design feature for all of their aviaries
• Take care in the birdroom layout to enure efficient daily routines, otherwise the routine will take time away from your birds and desire to improve the stud
• Fresh and clean drinking water must be convenient
• Cages and breeding boxes must be large and well ventilated
• Extending daylight utilising timers is essential for both the birds and the carer
• Provide a 24 hour night light (15W pilot lamp) allowing birds to find the breeding box if disturbed at night
• A radio that provides a constant background of noise so that other bumps in the night are less of a threat
• A well sealed birdroom will prevent mice from disrupting the breeding season and seed storage must be kept clear of fouling from mice etc.
• Hawks need to be kept from the outside wire, this can be easily achieved with shade cloth
• Vacuum aviaries weekly and clean birdroom floors daily to keep the dust down
• Water and seed daily

Feeding and Maintaining our Birds is critical

Feeding of quality budgerigars is a science according to Bruce and Colin, they both have a strong ethic in this area which has been developed over decades, and they expect that their programs will continue to develop as more is understood.

• Seed – Golden Cob Premium Budgie, daily
• A large variety of other seeds are provided on a regular basis
• Multi vitamins are a regular additive
• Softfood is not fed
• A wide range of vegetables and fruits are fed on a regular basis, offering something daily
• Clean water daily or more often in the summer months, Bruce prefers large drinkers in the loft, while Colin prefers large glass bowls on the floor

The Breeding Season

Management of the pairs during breeding season is very important if you are to maximise your opportunities and in turn produce more and more each season.

• Bruce and Colin refer to themselves as traditional breeders, that is they pair up on the Queens Birthday weekend in June, take two rounds, and in turn empty and clean out the birdroom by the Christmas break
• Checking pairs twice a day is a minimum during the Breeding season
• Establishing foster pairs early, when you recognise some pairs are not feeding well enough, or too many chicks in the same nest the same age, or more than 4 chicks per pair, you need to start moving chicks to save them don’t hesitate
• A strong culture of accurate record keeping is essential
• You must repeat the same pairing each year if they continue to breed you great chicks or even a National winner each time, it may seem simple enough, but many breeders feel they can do better and change the pair!
• Trim feathers from both the Cock and Hen and if need be then in between rounds is equally important
• One difference between the two establishments is that Colin does not wean his youngsters from the parents “until the babies are almost ready to breed”, but Bruce takes the babies away “almost before they can fly” as he believes that this assists in a reduction of possible scalping incidents in the breeding cage and rarely loses a chick because it has been weaned too young

The Real Priorities in Building a Competitive Budgerigar

• Right back from the days of importation it was clear that the main feature of this stud was going to be strength of shoulder, and this key feature remains the highest priority for the partnership today
• The bird must fill the cage and literally be a hand full
• Mask and spot are very important and again need to be presented on the wide shoulders to catch their eye
• Birds must be truly representative of their respective variety
• If you want to improve your specialist variety, always put your best Normals into this line to breed splits. Only use a split to recessive when the split is better than the recessive. Never use inferior normals to breed splits
• Bruce & Colin consider that flecking has it’s place in the stud, and ticked birds are often shown when birds of the same quality but clean are not available, so flecking is very acceptable and can in fact be an advantage if managed well
• It is important to be ruthless with hens that do not perform, the hen is so important for the number of and size of eggs, fertility and feeding, you need to be able to trust the hen that you are about to put with your best Cock Bird. You also need to trust her with fledgling chicks while you are at work during the day

The Australian National Budgerigar Council Inc. (A.N.B.C) National Show

Q: Why has Victoria dominated the Nationals for many years?

Both New South Wales (NSW) and South Queensland have been within a class of winning on many occasions, it would not take much for either of these two states to have won in recent years.

At his point, however, it is worth mentioning that the introduction of the “champion” status in Victoria some 10 years ago has stimulated many exhibitors to strive for the highest membership status. To remain in the champion section you win 30 points each year to maintain a presence otherwise you drop back into the open section.

Getting into the champion section is a bit like improving your golf handicap, while staying there becomes very personal indeed. Consequently there are many more birds on the bench, the birds have improved and less people have exited the fancy because of these new challenges.

Q: Are there too many varieties at the Nationals?

Victoria expanded the shield competition for a number of reasons but one of these reasons is not well understood.

By increasing the number of specialist variety classes, so too, you increase the number of first places on offer. Winners are grinners, more people have more opportunity, more membership points and more people are happy!

So, increase the fancy, increase the number of winners and increase the number of grinners. Therefore, increasing the number of classes at the Nationals would follow the same philosophy.

Q: Do overseas judges add to the National competition?

Overseas judges are good for the fancy in Australia, particularly when they add value through feedback whilst visiting and judging at our shows.

By commenting on the comparison of the quality of birds benched in the UK versus Australia, we can get good feedback on where we are deficient to the UK birds or where we compare favourably.

For example at a recent National, comments were made about some of our lesser varieties (i.e. Blackeye and Clearwing) being “true to the standard” for these varieties. Where the actual variety was almost lost to the UK.

Also, the winning Fallow at the WA National was stated as being “the best Fallow I have ever judged” from a UK judge.

Q: What benefit do you see in having an optional third bird benched per zone at the National competition?

This would increase the spectacle but most importantly allow exhibitors, who often manage to get a bird into the zone team only to see it left as the reserve bird on the day, to feel a sense of achievement.

Points, like at the Victorian Shield competition, would only be allocated to the first two birds from each zone, but, instead of having the bird left in the holding cage, you may still be the 3rd best bird in Australia for your particular variety.

Even with the smaller zones, imagine the boost in confidence and pleasure one would get when just having a bird in the National.

Regardless of which zone, often this extra bird is from a beginner or intermediate exhibitor and this would enhance their profile and assist in generating further interest from their fellow club members to strive for success in future years.

The Victoria Scene

Q: The Adult Shield

The Sheppard & Flanagan Partnership does not show in the Budgerigar Council of Victoria Inc. (BCV) Adult Bird Shield to enable other Mountain District members the opportunity to get more birds into the Shield competition.

This allows them to obtain Exhibitor Points where they may not be able to do so when the Partnership has 3 birds in the team.

Another reason is that showing should be a focus for your “current breeding stock” and past seasons’ birds (i.e. Young birds and Unbroken Caps).

Q: Exhibitor Points?

Current points to enter and retain Champion status should be increased to reduce the ease of obtaining Champion status through one or two birds.

Points required should be increased to 100 or 120 points per three year period as the number of points available now compared to when Exhibitor Points were introduced is substantially higher.

One option may be to also increase the number of points available by giving points down to 6th place at the Shield competitions and / or giving points for Best Opposite Sex at Diploma Shows.

Other Comments

Q: 1st September Ring Issue

The Sheppard & Flanagan Partnership sees no reason to change their “traditional” approach and will continue to pair birds up on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, even with the change to the ring issue.

Just because the rings arrive on 1st September, does not mean you have to put a ring onto a chick on that day!

Remember, you don’t have to change anything if you don’t want to.

A whispered comment was heard that the ANBC almost got the ring issue right … it should have been two months earlier … i.e. 1st July! Then the full circle would be complete (for those that are too young to remember, many, many years ago our rings were issued on 1st July each year.)

Q: Judging

It is often difficult for judges to judge certain varieties when they have never bred the particular variety, particularly when it comes to some of the lesser varieties.

If you have not experienced the results of breeding certain features or varietal characteristics then it is difficult to comment on these factors on the exhibition specimen.

Q: Dwindling Membership Numbers

It was interesting that some experiences from their early days in the fancy, that have vanished in more recent years, may have attributed to our falling membership numbers.

There is no real formal education programme to learn varieties, husbandry or how to improve quality through breeding programs (i.e. Line breeding, etc).

Many new members also want “instant successes” without doing “the hard yards” and achieving success through a number of years of work.

Mentor programs or aviary visits incorporating some sort of training programs may be of assistance.

Also, the target “new member” is no longer the teenager or youngster – due to modern electronic and technological completion – but should be the young family or older generation who no longer have kids to look after but yearn for a hobby to keep them occupied.

This original version, now edited for international appreciation, was written by Jean Horrobin and Marilyn Harrington and is reproduced with their kind permission and acknowledgement to the BS of New South Wales and The Budgerigar. My appreciation also goes to Keith Gough for the accompanying photographs.

GSB

Introduction

Henry George lives with his wife, Diane in a stunning area just north of Brisbane in Queensland. He is arguably one of Australia’s pre-eminent budgerigar breeders and his results at national level are second to none. For the record, Henry was the driving force to get 4500 birds into Australia from the UK so many years ago and the leader of the first syndicate. Incidentally, Henry was not Australian born – he comes from Yorkshire, UK!

Henry George – In His Own Words

My wife Diane and I live on a property situated in a picturesque valley with a mountainous backdrop. The aviary is large and is situated towards the middle of the property and is surrounded by horse paddocks along with 40 horses – which are my wife’s passion. We have a German Warmblood stud of horses with arguably the best bloodline in the country. Germany has the best dressage horses in the world. Our horses are headed by our stallion Donnatraum (Donny for short) who is unbeaten in the show arena.

My Budgerigar History

I started with budgerigars in 1975 when my daughters expressed an interest, but, like others experiences, they eventually took a different route – but I continued. I discovered the Queensland Budgerigar Society (QBS) and went to meetings and obtained advice on aviary construction. We learned a lot about budgerigars at the same time.

I moved through the ranks to Open Status in the minimum time after successes on the show bench and then took the judges course to become a Queensland judge in May,1979. By 1991, I became a National Judge and have subsequently judged at the nationals on four separate occasions.

My major achievements included winning, at first, Champion of Show with a cinnamon grey cock at the QBS Annual Show – when still a beginner! However, the achievement that ranks highest in my mind was winning my first national with an opaline light green cock in 1982. Since then, my achievements include 27 firsts at national Level and include greens, blues, yellowfaces, dominant pieds, lutinos, opalines, spangles, lacewings and clearwings, all of which varieties I still keep.

My Stud

My aviary is 25 metres long by 9 metres wide (82 by 30 feet). It has four major flights, 75 breeding cages and a walkway from where to enter the flights easily. The aviary contains a store, an office, a 5 metres wide (16 feet) birdroom fitted with food storage bins, a bank of 16 show cage training cages and a further 12 more cages for newly weaned youngsters and birds being prepared for shows. There is also a quarantine room for new purchases and any sick birds that arise with a heated hospital cage to hand. The room also contains two glass-fronted trophy display cabinets.

Since our water comes from a borehole, all water has to be boiled and filtered before it is pumped around the property. In the aviary, various vitamins are added for half the week, and a water cleanser for one day a week – mostly KD powder. (A product from Dr Rob Marshall – click here for more details.)

The birds receive a softfood mixture daily. This comprises soaked wheat and oats, an animal protein called Hi-Pro supplied by the veterinarian Ron Woodhead; grated carrots or silverbeet and a square of multigrain bread which is dampened with milk, over which I sprinkle canary egg biscuit and Budgie Starter. Seed is soaked for 24 hours and rinsed, put back and KD powder added to kill off any bacteria. It is drained and then fed.

Breeding

Nest boxes are checked daily and my system is to have record cards on the boxes after which the vital details are recorded in the year’s main record system. Breeding time for me is spring and summer, not winter as winter gives bad results. I check that every bird that is possibly fit to breed is exactly that, starting with a hen and then finding the right cock that is related and looks visually suitable. My favourite pairings are aunt to nephew; uncle to niece, first or second cousins and half brother to half sister, providing that the cock or hen that I am breeding back to, was not closely related to the birds that produced the half brother or half sister involved. I never closely inbreed as it never seems to work for me.

With my selection process, it is rare to have a hen refuse to nest but if this is the case then I allow her three weeks to lay. If no results, then the pair is broken up and returned to the flights. I normally allow for two rounds, but if a pair produces real quality in their first round, I foster out their second round eggs and let the pair rear their third round.

I check all eggs for fertility using a laser torch. In hot weather, I get a bowl of warm water and place all eggs that are within two days of hatching into the bowl for 10 seconds. This is enough to soften the inner membrane and it increases the hatchability. Other fanciers seeing this have remarked how much this has helped them as well. Feather plucking can be reduced by putting a lump of rock salt in the breeding cage concerned – it sometimes works. If not, remove the offender and leave the partner to finish the rearing process.

1950s

In those days, nest box designs were the “leftovers” from pre-second world war thinking. They were designed to be placed inside a cage and hooked on to the rear facing cage wall with the nest hole facing the light. Other “leftovers” were like minature desks, where the parents entered via a hole on the top and squeezed down vertically. Watching them emerge was always good for a smile and a laugh, as can be imagined.

My great friend Jim Moffat used these and even up to his passing in the last decade, still had a few pairs using this box design. Old habits die hard!

It was not long before I realised that breeders were, like myself, having many problems, particularly when trying to retrieve the box for inspection, unhooking it, then seeing the hen, or the pair, dashing around and trying not to drop the box with one hand. Needless to say, at best, the eggs were scattered all over the place and many times damaged. The final irritation was when the fancier entered his birdroom, all the hens would come off the eggs to have a look at him. Lots of faces would appear to see the newcomer. This could not continue, as far as I was concerned. So my thinking cap went on.

Nest Box Design Changes

With hindsight, it is easy to look at today’s designs and accept what we have, but back then we were stuck with what we had. I realised that a box had to have the following changes listed below, to avoid the above disasters, but with the added sound reasoning required which would suit the breeding birds, before such a change was made.

So I addressed the following:

• 1 – Overcome the danger of dropping the box.
• 2 – Overcome the problem of massive disturbance and smashed eggs.
• 3 – Overcome the hens leaving their eggs when you entered the aviary.
• 4 – Overcome unhooking the box with the adult birds inside.
• 5 – Overcome the chicks dropping out too soon and either dying from cold before you got home or similarly overnight.

I started with items three and four! Build a test nesting box which could be placed on the outside of the cage, ideally on the front with the entrance hole facing away from the light. This, I hoped, would work.

In the inside I had the usual concave base. This box was up for a full season and when empty a new pair introduced. The result? A massive improvement with more chicks in that box than anywhere else!

I had 20 cages at that time. Still thinking about it. I could see that hooking on this box was stupid. Fine for taking over to the bench to inspect, but the parents were difficult to dislodge and if you held your hand under the box, it was cold. I wanted it warm! In fact doubly warm and that gave me another idea.

Why not have a double box, one inside the other with the outer box bolted to the cage? So, I scrapped that first test and re-designed again. The result? Even better! Steadiness with the parents, box solid with no movement on the cage front and with a round perch sticking out under the nest hole protruding into the cage for perching.

The last was also a developing problem as I found that a round perch became slippery with use, so a square perch, as with the major perches in all cages, was fitted. Finally, I had forgotten about the chicks dropping out too early. The new test box was the same as previously in depth from the base of the entrance hole to the concave. Back to the drawing board and try an 8 inch (20 cm) drop. Certainly better and by this time various manufacturers were taking notice and marketing, “The Binks Type Double Nest Box”.

That snowballed and a few years later everyone had them. Then the Binks name vanished – hardly surprising and understandable, but the hobby was breeding bigger birds and was the better for it.

Darker is Better

In 2000, a visit to Jim Laurie in Scotland made me think yet again. He was a breeder who had very thick walled wooden boxes some 9 inches (23 cm) high outside measurement but only a 5 inch (13 cm) square concave in the base. Breeding was fantastic as he had coupled the feeding to my diet and was breeding better results than I was. He was, because of the thickness of the box walls, spraying the boxes every night very heavily. Naturally I was very interested. Could my 8 inch (20 cm) boxes be still too shallow? Time to test again! This time up to 11 inch (28 cm) height (outside measurement), but more of that later.

Jim Laurie had a great knack with budgerigars, as most Scottish fanciers will attest to. With his deep boxes and with five chicks in most of them, they were crammed into the boxes – vertically when the parents were in there! And they were big chicks that you could hardly get your hands round. However, they could not reach the nest hole easily until nearly four and a half weeks of age and that had the benefit of holding back the hens from laying too soon and having those eggs scattered and soiled in the process.

My only reservation was the 5 inch (14 cm) square base. I felt it could be enlarged to the standard 8 inch (20cm) x 5inch (14 cm) size, made 11 inches (28 cm) deep and a small inside stepping block under the nest hole glued in – mainly to keep the eggs restricted into the resultant smaller area in the concave. Remember, the darker the box inside, the better the hens sit and incubate. That leads to more chicks on the perch at 6 weeks of age.

I did this and now have 56 boxes with all these factors incorportated. The result? I breed budgerigars reasonably easily given full attention to other well understood essential factors. Boxes today are a far reach from the very early fanciers’ techniques. They started with a coconut shell!

Note: This article is more fully discussed in “The Challenge” book which is to be recommended as an essential addition to your library. Other successful designs are also discussed.

• You are a young school person who has little money, but your parents are fully supportive in all that you do.
• You are in full employment with a family, but need a sound hobby to relieve the pressures of the workplace – something different in fact.
• You are in full employment, but can see that retirement approaches or redundancy might loom at any stage.
• You have just retired and want a hobby that both you and your partner could enjoy together.

What is the first stage?

Firstly, the advice so that you do not waste hard earned money from whatever source.

This is to not do anything in the way of erecting a birdroom or buying budgerigars in the first year – you have much to learn and you learn from two sound, must have, up-to-date books and you have a lot of visits to make to aviaries owned by very well experienced fanciers.

This website advertises many breeders and the links, appropriate to your country, will open such doors to gain massive quantities of ideas and designs for your aviary that suit the birds first and then you – in that order!

The essential books are published on this website.

Stage #2

In most countries, but not all, there are National Societies – plus what are termed State or Area Societies and then the Local Societies near to you.

Your contacts with other breeders will have opened such doors. My advice is that you join the National Society immediately.

In addition to paper magazines that are supplied as part of your annual subscription, it is through these major societies that you get your budgerigar rings – which are called closed rings. These have your personal code number inscribed on each ring for the rest of the time you are in the hobby.

Stage #3

You are now a member!

In addition to the books mentioned, you may find there is a National Mixed Variety Publication – contact your paper shop as they will have details. A few mixed variety magazines are superb covering Budgerigars, Parrots, Foreign Finches and Canaries.

One such is the Australian publication “Australian Birdkeeper Magazine”. High quality, beautiful photography and whichever variety is your preference, there is something to learn within the pages on the other species.

As you gain experience, ask questions all the time. Many beginners feel they are being silly at a meeting of their chosen club, asking basic questions. Do not hold back – nobody minds especially any lecturers who feed off such questions and thrive on them.

Also never put anybody, who you might think is a top champion, on a pedestal. We are all in the same hobby, all involved and our doors are open to beginners and champions at all times. Just call up out of courtesy and make a time to visit and above all – enjoy the experience.

Stage #4

By the end of your first apprentice year, you will be bursting to erect an aviary and get going – but the wait will have been worth it, believe me.

Remember, it is no use spending on basic sheds unless you anticipate you will have to move home at some stage. Even then it is better to make a sectional birdroom that can be moved. Next, remember, however big you decide you will have your aviary, eventually you will want a bigger one. So allow for expansion.

We now come to Local Authority permission to build! However, before you do that, I strongly advise you to approach all your neighbours that border your property and ask their permission, or their approval, to erect your aviary. Ninety nine percent will give that if you explain clearly what the design is and that you are not putting up a chicken run affair. Once they have been approached and know what you are doing and have said “Go ahead”, they are then happy and thereafter will have great difficulty if they have a complaint. Noise can be controlled by a design that does not necessitate outside flights, but in hot countries this may be desirable.

You now approach the “Local Authority”. Be aware that staff in such organisations are not always sure of their own rules and will insist that you have to have Planning Permission and conform to Building Regulations. This author found out the hard way on one occasion.

What you need to realise is that if your aviary is not attached to your property you (probably) do not need Planning Permission, as it is “external to the uses of the dwelling house on freehold property”. Local Authority property is another matter.

You do however have to conform to the Building Regulations which are an easy matter to deal with. At your Local Authority Offices ask for sight of the document applicable to a structure for a hobby (in the UK it is called “The Town and Country Planning Act”). They will oblige with copies of that information for you to study and give you forms to complete. If you have a problem, go to another Local Authority and ask them for help – on the understanding that you are moving into the area they are responsible for. Then armed, go back to your Local Authority and submit what you now know beyond doubt. Obviously such rules will vary from country to country – but the basic principles apply.

Stage #5

With full approval and design decided, you can start building.

There are basic pitfalls – such as having too much light with oversize windows, so that in hot weather the birds suffer and do not breed well.

Aviaries should be about ten feet / three metres wide, minimum, all through. This allows for external nest boxes and seed store benches and yet allows space for you and visitors to be comfortable.

Make sure your aviary is on a very sound concrete base with a solid foundation underneath. Are you having water laid on as well as electricity? It is cheaper in the long run to do this at the start.

Consider skylights above the internal flight areas, but not in the breeding area as other indigenous birds can cause disturbance at the wrong times, plus budgerigars like to breed in shade.

If you can afford it, double glazing is also greatly beneficial and avoids the dreaded painting and rot replacement as with wooden frames. You might trace some second hand double glazing to save money. It is certianly worth the effort.

Stage #6

Fitting out is a pleasure. Keep your eyes open for anybody stopping their hobby, if money is tight. Their cages may suit you and you can get them at a low price. If cost is not a problem, this website has a list of reliable suppliers and these should be approached first.

Your initial early visits to aviaries will have told you what you require. Once complete and you have obtained all the seed and foodstuffs that you require, not forgetting a heated platform and antibiotics for the odd sick bird – you are ready to start buying your birds.

Just one last word. When buying what will be your Foundation Group to build your stud, use your eye for quality to the full that you have learned along the way. There are all sorts of great people in the hobby who treat you fairly but there are a few “rogues” (as there are in all walks of life) who will sell you poor or problem birds that have little or no use.

The test for any fancier is to travel, say, 250 miles or more and have the courage to walk away and go back home if they have any doubts at all. Then you are a true fancier. Treat everyone, in time, who comes to you when you are a champion, totally fairly and then you will have great credibility and respect from everyone.

Enjoy your new found hobby and remember your friends are more important than the birds – not the other way round!

They had many alterations and additions to their property and now have a quality home. However, a problem arose due to a new security light situated on the rear face of their house. To say it was bright with its halogen lamp was perhaps the understatement of 2010!

When it is on, triggered by foxes (which abound round here), it illuminates our bedroom – such that you wake up frequently! On one occasion in the dead of night, I ventured out and looked at the back of our home. When the security light came on, not only did it illuminate the back of the house, but I seriously thought about cutting the lawn while I was out there!

Luckily, the aviary faces away from that light source, but the garden is nevertheless lit really well and I am now certain that some hens come off the nest and cannot see their way back when the light eventually goes out.

So, my thoughts went back to my own security light that I had installed some years ago on my seed store, which is halfway down our plot. This was to assist visitors who came in an evening to see their way to and from the aviary.

As it turned out, the same triggering of the light by foxes took place and I was losing chicks in some numbers – all dead in this or that nest – until I realised the problem was a change in their environment. So out came the plug and it has never been on since.

Visitors now grope their way again through the garden if they come late in the evening. I don’t mind waking up periodically, nor do I mind feeling my way to and back from the aviary, but really it is a question of priorities – so out went my light – permanently!

We all recall the advice about car lights flashing on aviaries at night, but this Halogen security light factor, while not new in themselves, is certainly worth remembering for all members of the hobby.

It may be anything that causes the lights to trigger – foxes, the local cat on patrol, your dog having a stroll from his kennel and so on. You may be totally unaware that a series of unaccountable tragedies in the birdroom could be the result of a security light. Be warned!

I have now had a polite chat to my new neighbours. Problem solved.

Second Birdroom Fails To Perform

The story was highly significant as the reader will quickly understand. It concerned a completely baffled fancier who had built a second birdroom alongside his highly successful existing structure.

The earlier birdroom had 16 cages and was breeding winners which were in high demand – hence the need to expand. The breeder decided to duplicate matters. The new structure also faced in the same direction. Some birds, upon completion of aviary number two, were transferred to the new room with a great deal of optimism.

After a few weeks it became obvious that breeding was poor and the question was “Why?”. The old birdroom was breeding at the same time and producing good numbers of chicks as usual. In the new room, infertility abounded and what chicks there were, were not being fed properly. Dead tiny chicks appeared regularly.

Possible Solutions

The situation was baffling. Heaps of thought went into determining the cause of the problem. Feeding was identical as were the night lights, heating and so on. There was also plenty of budgerigar noise so attention turned to the fitness of the stock in both birdrooms, but could a virus be affecting matters? Thoughts turned to a discussion with an Avian Veterinary Surgeon.

The vet pointed out that a new room would possess a colony of bacteria and viruses that would build up naturally after the “new” stock was transferred. However, it was feasible that a group of “bugs” had intervened and it was this factor that was the underlying cause of infertility and hatchability.

“Perhaps the aviary needs fumigating?”, was his suggestion.

It was at this point that I was approached. Our intrepid fancier called me. He went through the whole matter in great depth, with me, as I always do, making notes throughout.

He was thinking in terms of using a sulphur fumigation process, but I know this turns everything in sight a dirty yellow, as well as killing off most bacteria and fungi. (You cannot kill a virus!!)

I knew also, from experience, that because you are so committed to your problem, there will be blind spots that you miss, so you need to come at the problem from a different angle.

I rang down and thought about it for a few days. Everything was duplicated and I could not work it out which annoyed me.

We Saw The Light!

I rang him back.

We went through it all again, with me looking for a new clue in his chat with me. I then asked about his night lighting. His answer was fine – it wasn’t the night lighting.

Then he said, “the new birdroom main lights are on from 07.45 hours until 22.00 hours, non stop”. Suddenly I saw it. “Why are they on so long?” I asked. “Oh, it’s because the new room is in a darker area under some trees” was the reply. “And the old aviary lighting hours, what are they?”, I asked. “They are different because that aviary is unaffected by trees, so the lights come on at at 07.45 hours, off again at 10.30 hours until 16.00 hours, when they come on again until 22.00 hours and off for the night.”

There was his problem. His birds in the new birdroom were not getting any rest at all in daylight hours. They were hyperactive, but this did not mean that they were sufficiently rested to effect good breeding results.

All breeders of experience know that approaching midday, any aviary in standard timed lighting conditions as this breeder’s old aviary was timed, have a good two to four hours rest.

The aviary goes quiet for this period. Then once rested and the 16.00 hours lighting returns, the birds are active again. The hens come out of the boxes and excrete and are mated immediately.

Lessons Learned

There was the problem and in about 8 weeks both aviaries were churning out chicks as a result of this fancier’s good husbandry which was only spoilt by a small error.

Both of us had learned something in the process. It just illustrates how something small and innocent affects good breeding results.

Obviously I cannot guarantee this applies to sunnier climates – compared to those that we have in the UK, but the fact that birds have a requirement for rest periods should not be lost.

Grits

I begin with grits.

So many fanciers do not pay sufficient attention to the supply of grits to their breeding pairs while they are involved in the very important process of rearing their families. Whatever the “clever” writers about our hobby say (i.e. that grit is not necessary), they are absolutely misguided in their views.

Nature has provided birds with a very hard and tough muscle in the zone below the crop – the gizzard. This holds the grit when it is present and it has the capability of movement. As a result, the grits that the bird consumes (and there has to be grit in an insoluble form and soluble form) act in a “mechanical” way to grind up the seed grains – in a similar way that wheat is ground up in a mill for bread.

Without those grits, the bird will live but will not be able to function properly in a metabolic way. Therefore the chicks that the pair is feeding will in turn lose out and will appear scrawny in some cases or may look satisfactory but never attain full growth.

One has to remember that today we strive to breed bigger and better birds. General feeding apart, you must always provide grits which possess granite like particles (insoluble) and shell particles (soluble). Not only should it be given but it must be changed every week to every pair.

Budgerigars will always take off the top layer of grits. They rarely dig down when the particles on the top of the bowls have been reduced to “dust”. Budgerigars are very selective where grit sizes are concerned and require 1-2 mm grains (at least) in front of them.

Ever noticed that when your birds have been out at show, the first action they take is to head for the grit bowl? That should tell you something.

Soft Foods

I now turn to the feeding of soft foods to the breeding birds.

There are countless systems and mixtures that breeders put together or buy in a proprietry form from suppliers. Common ones are Deli Nature Biovit and CéDé Budgie Egg Food to name but two.

Fanciers will work away hard at providing such protein-rich soft foods while breeding is in process, but then tiredness cuts in when the chicks are in the flights approaching their major moulting period. The soft food is then dropped at a time when the developing birds need every nutritional support if they are to attain size in the long term. I work at this all year round – each day and every day! If you went to the aviaries of Reinhard Molkentin and his son Holger, you would see exactly the same principle being injected on a daily basis.

What is the other major advantage, I hear you say? Well it’s very simple. Not only will your original “chicks” have attained size but they will be very healthy, strong boned and with plenty of muscle around them. They will also be in a perfect metabolic state to breed super chicks themselves – that is the benefit of all the work you have sustained throughout the year.

Lastly, your birds, when they are sold, will in turn breed well for your fellow fanciers and if they do well they will be back next year for more. The question they have to ask is do they do what the Molkentin’s and myself do every day thereafter?

Cage Cleaning

A common question I’m asked is how often do I clean the breeding cages?

I am known for always having a smart appearance to the aviary when people walk in, but I like to keep fanciers away from the aviary when I am breeding since I will not disturb them at this time.

So I use the “deep litter system” which really is a convenient term for doing nothing about cleaning out except for the large female droppings. Its benefit is that nothing is disturbed when birds are sitting on eggs or chicks.

It is very common for me to allow some visitors in to the birdroom towards the end of the season, only to find one or two chicks that have been crushed by the sitting hens getting agitated by strange noises. Keep visitors out. They can always come later.