Breeding budgerigars this year reminded me of the racy days of the 1960s, when you put down a pair of birds and got 5 or 6 fertile eggs from each nest, and reared 6 or 8 from each cage over the two rounds.

In those days heads were the most important feature as it still is today.

For many years, our advertisement in the year book claimed the bold statement:

“Bred for Head, Winning with Type”

Type was important and you were advised not to breed buff to buff.

Fanciers of that era would be blown away by what is the norm on the show bench today.

2010

This last season, we started pairing birds the earliest ever, because there was so much scrapping in the flights particularly amongst the hens.

Five hens were chosen primarily for their fitness and in 2 cases their poor breeding results in 2009.

They were put in the breeding cages on the 20th July with open nest boxes. 3 days later the cocks were introduced. Four of these 5 hens went to nest and laid.

The Earthquake

On the 26th August, we paired up another 6 pairs and the first of these laid on the 4th September, the day of the earthquake.

On the night of the big “rock and roll”, my wife got up at 4 a.m. and woke me to look at the sky.

It was a brilliant clear blue with a bright quarter moon lighting our back lawn.

Half an hour later all hell broke loose as we leapt out of bed. The noise of breaking glass and falling crockery was horrendous.

When that subsided, we could hear the birds in a frenzy of uncontrolled flying just crashing madly about in the breeding cages and flights.

I turned to Fay and said:

“That is the end of our budgie hobby”

We had 6 show cages in a line at the back of a shelf 50 mm wider than the cages and at shoulder height.

They fell to the ground, but only received minor damage to the cages although the fronts were badly damaged and needed straightening.

The mess in our lounge and kitchen was a mix of liquids, glass, vases, china, and pantry solids.

No power for 24 hours.

The street corner was cordoned off as a power pole was down. We checked on our neighbours and went back to bed.

Daylight Breaks

Come daylight we were up and taking stock.

4 retail shopping areas within a radius of 2-3 km, had severe damage and in one case the whole complex has been bulldozed.

At about 8 a.m. I went out to the birds.

The first 4 pair had young and the hens were in the nest.

The results were:

• 23 eggs
• 14 fertile
• 12 young
• 1 dead in shell
• …and a feather-duster

There was very little chirping.

I turned the radio on, gave them their daily silver beet and the birds soon returned to song. I think they were glad to see me!

Post Earthquake

Between the 4th and 12th of September the second six pairings started to lay.

The results were:

• 35 eggs
• 32 fertile
• 16 young
• 10 dead in shell
• 6 died

By early October the first 4 pairs were laying their second round, one cock with a new mate.

The results were:

• 26 eggs
• 24 fertile
• 14 young
• 5 dead in shell
• 1 died
• …and a nest of 4 scuttled

Then early in November the six pair of August pairings started laying again and other replacement pairs for cages that produced nothing and a replacement for a lovely large sky hen that must be barren.

The results were:

• 33 eggs
• 32 fertile
• 18 young
• 14 dead in shell

A high percentage of dead in shell we attribute to the December aftershocks culminating in the big one on Boxing Day (26th December). During December we had another 4 pairs laying.

The results were:

• 28 eggs
• 24 fertile
• 18 young
• 6 dead in shell

2010

Total results for 2010:

• 145 eggs
• 126 fertile
• 78 young
• 36 dead in shell
• …and 12 deaths

5 nests have had 7 or 8 eggs each and 2 other nests 9.

We have had extremely good fertility this season.

The high percentage of dead in shell we attribute to the aftershocks – 36 dead in shell and another 12 young dying is a very high percentage (33%).

On one occasion I was out in the garden beyond the flights, facing the aviary and actually saw the aviary house area lift as the quake rolled through and under me, quite spectacular!

I went into the breeding room immediately. Not a sound from them. The hens with chicks were out of the nests, but those with eggs were still in the nest boxes.

How Did This Happen?

So, what was happening at night when some of the worst aftershocks took place?

What has contributed to the high percentage (87%) of fertile eggs?

What have we done differently?

Some Possible Theories…

• Firstly

  Our matings also coincided with the majority of hatchings occurring just on or after full moon (i.e. pairing about 3 days before full moon).

  This is what pigeon breeders, who, after extensive studies, found gave the best results.

  In the case of pigeons, it was a question of speed and reduced their losses with their racing stock.

• Secondly

  Although we had used the Massey Pigeon Complementary Feeding Oil spasmodically last breeding season, this season we started using it early in July.

  Although directions were given on the bottle for rearing young pigeons through to racing pigeons, I decided that, as pigeons eat whole grain, putting oil on seed was sufficient for them to get the oil – but not so for budgerigars.

  We decided to allow the oil to soak through the husk to the kernel where it would be more likely eaten by our birds.

  With this in mind I already had an aluminium container 250 mm high and 150 mm diameter with a lid. It holds approximately 3.5 litres of seed when full – ideal for the flight birds and sufficient for the 15 pairs in the breeding cages.

  We poured in 40 mm of plain canary seed and adding a teaspoon of oil on top in a circle and repeated until we had 4 layers of oil plus a cover of seed over the last one.

  Approximately 3 litres of canary seed in total.

  We left this for 24 hours to get high concentration of oil into some of the seed.

  We then stirred it with a flat paddle to mix it thoroughly and left it for another 2 days.

  This treated seed was darker than untreated seed and could be seen to have absorbed the oil. To use this oiled seed we mixed 1 part treated to 4 parts untreated seed mixture. This meant that theoretically 1 in every 5 seeds the birds eat is rich in oil.

  Those of you who have used it will know it is not tacky like most oils and penetrates readily if allowed to stand. We keep a lid on it and it does not appear to deteriorate over the time it takes to be used. The manufacturers say to keep the bottle refrigerated.

• Thirdly

  It is widely accepted that trees and bushes coming to the end of their life will often produce an abundance of flower or fruit in a last ditch effort for the species to survive.

  Could this be the case with our budgies with over 4,000 aftershocks?

  We don’t think so, because other Christchurch breeders would also be having a good season.

  Unfortunately that is not the case and I have not heard of anyone having anything like the fertility we have experienced this year.

Perhaps none of these three reasons have anything to do with the pleasing results we had this breeding season and it is the result of a number of coincidences just chipping in to give us a season to be thankful for.

Postscript

On 22nd February 2011 at one in the afternoon, a third earthquake (of 6.3 magnitude) hits Christchurch, New Zealand.

The depth is a “shallow” 5 km and it is centred near Lyttelton.

The surrounding rock structure of the hills sends shock waves equivalent to an estimated 1.25 times the strength of the September 4th quake – hence the destruction of the entire city centre!

Others, and that includes champions, cannot achieve that level for a variety of reasons, so that their “super” birds have obviously not had the attention so necessary – and even occasionally, such fanciers have taken their entries straight from the breeding cage, de-spotted and that is that!

That is no way to proceed – and the chances of being rejected by the judges on the day is heightened greatly, if for no other excuse, for appearing in poor condition.

So, how does the professional approach the task of preparing the team, often for many consecutive weeks?

Should hens be shown and how many times should they be benched – for instance, on an annual basis?

These and other suggestions are discussed below….

Catching The Team

This is not the time to discuss the “Ideal Budgerigar”, which is anyway different in all countries by and large.

The breeder knows which are his/her best birds and it is up to him/her to make decisions reading which cocks and hens he/she selects will be included in the possibles and probables that could, for the show season, be hooked out of the flights, including current year birds.

You will ask “How many days before the first show should the team be re-sited in the stock cages?” The answer is three weeks and they should be fed additionally on lots of soaked oats to put on weight in that time. “A big one will always beat a little one” is a common saying.

Hens should be very carefully considered for show – in a typical season we do not advise that they are shown more than three times each for reasons of their importance for breeding.

The Hallams

In UK in the 1980′s, a Lancashire couple, Sylvia and Gordon Hallam and their son Peter Hallam, had the “knack” in bucket loads. Their show teams were prepared so well, that their birds, which even if slightly inferior to better birds, were still placed ahead of such superior exhibits. Not necessarily winning the class, but you take the point being made. So what exactly were their techniques? We will itemise them.

The Hallams owned a printing works. So both with their adults and especially their young possibles, they were taken in show cages, by car, on a regular basis to their firm, where they were left for a few hours before another car journey home. Obviously, this process accustomed them swiftly to avoiding travel nerves – often seen as a green discharge from the vent which is not enteritis, but plain nerves on a first outing. It tells you that before, say, a national show, this should be the practice to follow and perhaps common sense if your potential “Best in Show” is to have a great chance.

Young birds are often highly fractious and scatty. They need special attention. “With what?”, you ask?

The answer is hot water and glycerine!

Fill your sprayer with very hot water and add 5mls of plain glycerine to it. Adjust the nozzle to a fine spray and test it is not too hot on your hand — we are not responsible if you scald yourself ! Better you than your birds! Then, fully armed, spray the birds really heavily the first time in a morning to the point they look like drowned rats. They have the day to recover their normal look as well as having their underdown feathers dry by the evening.

By then you will see the first results. Calmer birds, better feathers on their bodies – any tails still ragged and spots need attention later. Nevertheless a big change — but a few will still be scatty. This process is then continued, but a bit less dense each day until you see a sheen appearing on them. As the days progress, the birds become calm and you can always add a clip on show cage for them to receive extra steadiness, if not placed there permanently.

Other ideas include a lot of handling with the young birds. Place them in a “dummy” show cage – two per cage — overnight. That helps, and when it comes to the big day they are accustomed to change and familiar with the show cage restrictions and perches.

Two Weeks Later

Now come the tricky parts.

Some will not be fully feathered for this first event of the season. Examine the flights and tails and see their growth situation. Short primaries or missing ones and only one tail fully down, and he /she is left for a later event. Broken shafts should have been pulled earlier, bearing in mind that a primary flight takes four weeks to re-grow and a tail eight weeks. Spots also take four weeks to re-appear, but can be quicker if you spray the spot shafts regularly and keep them soft.

Cracked Shafts and De-spotting

Suddenly you spot a cracked tail feather on a top bird.

Catch it up and examine the shaft carefully. Is it actually bent, chewed a bit or cracked right through?

If it’s the last item — pull out the stump, but if the other tail feather is intact – still show the bird.

Many judges miss spotting there is only one tail!

If both are cracked only, get a lighted cigarette and hold it very close to the damage. You will see the tail straighten fast and all is back to normal. The same happens if you dip the shaft(s) in boiling water.

Whatever you do – do not use glue! That will result in a ban on showing, as bad as painting spots and finally losing permanent credibility. Such actions result in another species of bird involvement. The “albatross around the neck syndrome”! Same with plucking out flecking. It is banned and if spotted you will be in trouble.

De–Spotting

This is an art that needs good eyesight and practice – but is dead easy in experienced hands.

In short, you are aiming to reveal the six main spots clearly without the myriad of the, sometimes, masses of minor small spots and underspots which are paler than the majors.

A quality pair of bull-nosed, flat-faced tweezers have to be bought for this purpose. Pointed tweezers, as used by the “fairer sex”, are useless as you often take out the centre of the offending feather instead of taking it out completely in one movement. No harm is done, unless you are too fast and out comes a major spot — then you are dead for the show.

Now a word of warning on this subject. When de-spotting, do not leave it to the last minute and attack the complete job in one go. Close to the skin of each major spot are the empty feather follicles of the surplus spots you have removed. The area directly around that big important spot gets bruised. You then spray the bird and the water makes that big spot heavy – and out it falls within minutes or hours. Spread the process over several days and this will not happen.

Judging Sticks

Obviously all judges use judging sticks, or now becoming popular, a two inch (5cm) broad “paddle” which is placed through the middle bars to allow and encourage a nervous bird to perch for a second or two – so it can be assessed for placing. If not, then a judge risks the bird getting tired after a few hours and it perches and looks “out of this world”, with predictable comments from the exhibition viewers.

The Day of the Show

By this time, you should have stopped the last final fine spraying three days earlier and the final team look fabulous.

Cage up. Add the correct labels as supplied from the show secretary – please note the word “correct”. Do not reverse a young bird light green label entry, with an adult entry of the same colour. It is a trap that happens so often when in a hurry.

Now double check all is correct and then cross check each label corresponds to the entry form copy you have made.

Finally

Once the birds are taken and benched, it is up to the judges.

You have done all you can – your team is in sparkling white cages – or should be – and in a few hours you will nervously see how you have done.

In nearly all cases you do better than you think you would and have, in your early days, pushed out other birds further down the line because you have prepared yours so well.

You might not win the first time, but you may the next week.

Make a note of the judges – some very good, others have not a clue because they have not bred such a quality in their own aviaries and really do not know how to be decisive in their actions.

There are some brilliant judges around of course who know exactly what they are seeing “To the millimetre”.
They are up with the quality being bred and the times. They move fast initially and make swift judgements and then get them in a rough order before dealing with the finer points and minor place adjustments. A last check and it is “job done”.

Others can stand there, faced with, say, fifteen light green cocks and look bemused and start to sweat – especially at national level.

One actually, years ago, reached for the whisky hip flask at the UK Budgerigar Society World Championship.

Such judges are rare, but if, at national level, one of these “amateurs” is appointed from a national list of “qualified judges” – then I find that unforgivable to those exhibitors who have strived all year to win this or that class.

Make a note of those who have no ability.

Lastly, you will lose more than you win but whatever you do, if you have not won, make it your first job to congratulate the winner. Your personal prestige will then soar — even if you are not aware of it. We cannot all win!

Good luck and one day everyone will shake your hand. It’s a great feeling.

Personally I would prefer “looking after the hens” in the first place as being a far more positive way of looking at this problem.

Caring for Your Hens

In my opinion, it is a matter of caring for your hens really well if you want success in the nest boxes.

You have to allow them to develop properly after they leave the nest as young chicks. Wean them slowly and allow them to molt in small flights where they are not stressed. Be patient and let them grow and build up muscle and never keep them in the stock cages too long, thinking you are preparing them for shows.

Remember never, never over show hens! Always think about showing the cocks and have a reluctance to benching your valuable hens, which are the key birds for your coming breeding season.

Hen management is not easy –it does not just happen without effort. And it`s not entirely about feeding lots of additives, but rather giving natural foods, good lighting, exercise, and heat during cold periods when necessary. We all want to produce top quality budgerigars in good numbers, so forget showing week in week out.

Care for those hens and they will reward you well.

The Weaning Process – Part 1

I always think about weaning the chicks from the moment they are about to learn how to feed for themselves.

At three weeks of age, I start to put pieces of soaked millet sprays in the appropriate nest boxes. This allows them to learn to feed much earlier than usual and once they leave the nest box, they know immediately what a millet spray is and feed straight away.

A sure sign is that they do not lose that weight they have acquired in the nest box quickly – a big advantage. Fast self feeding retains their weight. If they lose weight, their development is checked and they are quite simply knocked back for a long time.

Care and management is everything from the start of weaning.

I take chicks away from their parents earlier than most other breeders. I do this to reduce the chances of them being attacked by either of the parents. I use double breeding cages as weaning cages with about 8-10 birds in each section.

It is here that they will stay until they are almost three months old when the “bars” on their heads are starting to disappear and break. The first molt is making its appearance. It is now that I transfer them into a small inside flight.

The Weaning Process – Part 2

As I transfer these young babies, I check their flights and tails, removing any broken ones. They then get sprayed early in the day and then dry off in their new small flight, placing them on the perches as I do so.

I prefer inside flights and never longer than 8 feet (2.44 metres). Anything longer is too stressful for them.

They are then sprayed at least twice per week. Never a thorough soaking – just a light spray. This allows the water to assist the new feathering to grow through by keeping them soft and clean. It also encourages the birds to preen themselves by training them in this essential operation.

Obviously both hens and the cocks are treated identically at this point in their growth – it’s just good husbandry and aviary management.

It is the exception rather than the rule for me to run such young babies into show cages so early. I think it causes stress far too much and the only time I run a baby into a show cage is when I have a visitor in the birdroom and I want to show him something special.

My aviary is about producing breeding stock for the following season and not birds for the show bench.

Perhaps I have the emphasis wrong but showing never seems to improve my stud, but a successful breeding season, by contrast, takes me forward.

The Early Months

In the small inside flights the birds are molting steadily.

Keep up the spraying and never be reluctant to handle your birds at this time, running them through your hands so they are used to it. Check each bird as you do so for broken feathers and remove appropriately. This applies particularly to the tail feathers.

Massive flights tend to result in “wild” young birds that are unsteady when we do want to show a few or even start them breeding earlier than usual.

The modern post millennium budgerigars are bigger and more densely feathered than the birds of the past and are certainly more difficult to breed with – especially the hens of course.

Such big hens can be reluctant to fly from end to end in the big flights. It is not that they cannot fly at all, they just like to climb and perch rather than using their wings. I encourage such hens to perch by having perches closer to the floor area.

Many birdrooms have the lowest perches about 4 feet (1.2 metres) from the floor. Lower perches at least encourages these bigger hens to perch rather than gain too much weight on the floors.

Over Showing

Over showing seems to knock back your budgerigars.

It takes a lot out of a bird being out of its normal “home” and this is one reason that one-day shows in the UK have become more popular.

If the birds are really fit and well, the cocks can recover quickly, but the hens take far longer.

Show a hen several times in a show season, especially on consecutive weekends, and it is enough to jeopardise its breeding performance.

It is the experienced fanciers who show the cocks frequently. They protect their hens and only bench them at the top shows when necessary.

My Feeding Practices

This is really not the right place to discuss feeding, but its importance is obvious.

I do not believe that a simple mix of 50% canary and 50% millets is enough.

If you decide to feed what we call a 50 / 50 mix, it’s important to supplement it with a tonic seed containing a variety of other seeds including hemp and rapeseed, but I prefer a basic mixture that includes the seeds found in a tonic seed.

I am not a fan of feeding soaked oats, but I do feed them dry, or even unsoaked, as groats.

Softfood

I feed a quality commercial softfood throughout the year.

I use, what I believe to be the best that I can buy and then add hard boiled eggs and grated carrot.

Some breeders just feed this “extra” during the breeding season, but I feed it throughout the year on a daily basis.

Our heavier birds (and that of course includes the hens which are buff feathered) need more protein, and that begins with the eggs that are laid.

Hard boiled egg also improves the feather quality and colour of the finished articles.

Good sound feeding helps to build up the hens and combined with exercise, it gives muscle rather than just added weight which can be just fat.

Throughout the year, my birds also get an amount of spinach twice per week.

Part two of this article can be read here.

Many products come from ground-up pallets that come from trees that have been treated in all different ways – both when alive and subsequently in sawmills – and indeed sprayed with paints of different kinds. If used as flight flooring and cage floors, it is arguably a source of trouble for our birds.

In recent times I was helped by Les Martin – whose stud has proven itself to be one of the best in the UK – who recently won Best In Show at the London & Southern Counties Budgerigar Society Show.

At the time, he sent me several bags of super sawdust which I needed for the nest boxes and I found it perfect. That got my thoughts swinging towards the flights and cage floors. Was it suitable for these areas and how safe was it?

After contacting the suppliers, Lillico, I found that they supply a product called “Gold Chips” – where the sawdust is ultra clean and has been heat treated to remove contaminants. Added to that, it is great for us fanciers because it does not scatter as the birds fly – and furthermore, goes further than many other baled varieties and is far easier to lift each bag.

The upshot of this, is that I now have, as has Les Martin, only “Gold Chips” sawdust in use permanently.

From experience, no deaths at all from suspicious other forms of sawdust has occurred anywhere.

Lillico has now taken up advertisement space on Budgerigar.co.uk’s “Gold Pages”, and based upon my own personal experience, I can happily recommend the whole hobby to order this product, if they want to make certain there cannot be any deaths from this sawdust.

All details for contacting Lillico are on their “clickable” advertisement on this website.

His name? That will appear later! It makes a change from the alleged “gluing in of tails” incident a few years ago.

Our story starts in 1984. An aviary fire at the rear of the fancier’s property killed all but 3 birds out of 300! He left the hobby for a while to deal with the damage – both to his home and his hobby – and only three years ago, returned to building his new aviary with determination, and in his own words, “to do it properly”. Only this time he decided to install an automatic watering system.

The construction of this piped watering system required PVC pipes which had to be primed and glued – the former being a red priming fluid that apparently is highly toxic and required the pipes, after jointing, to be thoroughly flushed.

However, our unlucky fancier did not flush them thoroughly enough!

After full installation, in the following morning, he found 60 dead budgerigars on the cage floors and another 12 died in the days following.

Luckily, the rest survived, but it took another 6 months of dedicated care before breeding resumed. The outcome and success – or otherwise – of these breeding birds will be interesting to know at a later stage.

Our fancier has now returned to manual watering, although he has installed a one inch poly pipe that has compression fittings in one area – that, of course, does not use glue of any description!

This fancier has been kind enough to tell the hobby worldwide of the hazards associated with such piped watering systems. He and his family live in Roger River in the North of Tasmania. He wishes to pay tribute to his fellow fanciers and club members who have been totally supportive throughout. That has to be great and commendable or another good fancier would have been lost.

Comment from Gerald Binks

I have regrettably been around long enough to recall when these piped systems first arrived on the scene internationally. My personal opinion is unchanged on their use for the following reasons:

1. They are real dust traps and make maintaining cleanliness a nightmare
2. They have to be flushed ,but you cannot be sure that bacteria are still living in the system
3. It is easy to get lazy, or forgetting when you last flushed out the system
4. In a warm climate, bacteria will multiply rapidly, unseen of course by the fancier
5. You cannot administer vitamins in solution, particularly a vitamin that has syrup base within which bacteria can grow alarmingly without you realising it

In my opinion the disadvantages far outweigh any advantages and the risks to our sensitive birds makes the piping system an absolute non starter.

The name of our kind fancier who still “attacks” his hobby so admirably is somewhat bizarre.

His name is Christopher Slaughter and I admire his tenacity tremendously.

Thank you for telling the hobby at large Chris. Well done and every good wish for the future. Nevertheless, I am still concerned about the one inch compression system for the reasons just explained. My advice is to remove it immediately.

It just might avoid “third” time unlucky!

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!

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.

Quik Gel is a high energy emergency gel also containing vitamins and disinfecting agents. It is used to accelerate recovery from illness and temporarily prevent an infection from worsening while waiting for the results of culture tests. Very sick birds may need crop needle feeding.

Quik Gel is is also used during critical times when an immediate and sustained source of energy is required to maintain a healthy flock. Critical times when the entire flock would benefit from the administration of Quik Gel in the drinking water include: Cold, Hot or Wet Spells, Airsac mites, Egg Binding, Nestling Rejections, Air in the Crop, Outbreak of Disease, Weaning Youngsters and following a course of antibiotics.

Ingredients

Complex polysaccharides, vitamins A,D,E,B complex & organic acid

Actions

By providing an immediate and sustained energy source, Quik Gel:

• Rejuvenates tired adult birds during the breeding season
• Protects weak youngsters during the weaning period and when entering the young bird flights
• Prevents diseases associated with the stress of cold, hot or wet weather
• Accelerates recovery following illness by providing easily digested high-energy nutrients swiftly and efficiently to damaged organs and other body tissues
• Enhances the overall health of an energy-depleted flock during and following disease outbreaks (e.g. mite infestations, coccidiosis etc.)
• Improves male mating success and egg fertility during the critical stages of the breeding cycle
• Reduces egg binding when cold spells and other stress factors cause tired breeding hens
• Used as part of an Emergency First Aid Treatment for sick individual birds
• Quik Gel is palatable and readily accepted by budgerigars

Dose

• Mix 2mls (ask for 2ml spoon) into 500ml of drinking water
• 1 drop mixed into 2-10ml of heated ER formula via crop needle

Indications

• In The Flights

• For Breeding Cabinets

• For Weaning Cage

• In Drinking Water

• Emergency First Aid Treatment

• Via Crop Needle

• Preparations Of Quik Gel & ER Formula

In The Flights

Quik Gel is mixed at a dose of 1ml into 500ml of drinking water for three consecutive days during a stress period, outbreak of disease and following a course of antibiotics.

Critical times when the entire flock would benefit from the administration of Quik Gel in the drinking water include:

• Cold & Heat Stress

  Administer Quik Gel for 2 days to maintain energy levels when temperatures fall below 10°C or rise above 35C

• Wet Spells

  Quik Gel is mixed with Megamix (10mls per litre) to help maintain health by establishing acidic conditions in the crop that help prevent stress and environment-related infections such as E.coli and coccidiosis from becoming established

• Megabacteria Infections

  Quik Gel is mixed with Megamix (10mls per litre) for 5 days when Megabacteria has been diagnosed in a flock to help maintain body heat and appetite of in-contact birds. Sick birds should receive a crop needle treatment

• Quill mites or itching birds

  Quik Gel is administered for 2 days following lice/mite treatment to rejuvenate an infested flock

• Quietness

  A drop in noise levels may be related to inclement weather or the onset of illness. A 2 day trial with Quik Gel may be used to determine whether the lack of noise is related to energy depletion or a disease process

• Recovery from illness

  Quik Gel administered for 2-5 days is used to promote a rapid recovery following antibiotic treatment

• Emergency First Aid Formula

  Quik Gel may also be administered by crop needle as part of an Emergency First Aid Formula or added to the drinking water to aid the recovery of individual birds or breeding pairs that are sick, tired, injured or following antibiotic treatments

For Breeding Cabinets

Dose: 2ml Quik Gel thoroughly into 500ml of drinking water, 500gm dry seed or soft food mix. Or 1 drop into 100mls of drinking water.

• As an immediate and sustained source of Energy

  Quik Gel is helpful in improving breeding outcomes during the breeding season, as energy requirements are nine times more than during a non-breeding period.

  To ensure your breeding birds receive a plentiful supply of energy, it is recommended that Quik Gel be incorporated into the breeding programme as follows: Quik Gel is added to seed, soft food mix or drinking water for 7 days after pairing occurs. Quik Gel remains fresh for two days after which time a fresh batch must be provided. The water containers must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected of sludge at this time.

  Energy is the most important nutritional factor in allowing exhibition budgerigars to feed their young and the best means to express the true genetic potential of their offspring. Critical times when breeding pairs would benefit from the administration of Quik Gel in the drinking water include:

• During the first week in the breeding cabinet

  Male budgerigars become easily tired following their energetic courtship activities. Quik Gel can be given each second day during this stressful courtship period to improve mating success and increase fertility. When provided at this time it also supports the energy needs of a hen during egg production and helps prevent sudden death syndrome and egg binding in breeding hens.

• Throughout Breeding

  Energy requirements are significantly higher during the breeding season when parents are feeding their young. Quik Gel provides breeding pairs with a plentiful supply of energy so that they remain vital throughout the entire breeding season. This ensures the babies are fed well and do no experience any physical setbacks.

• At the beginning of each breeding cycle

  Quik Gel aids the cock during courtship and prepares the hen for the energy consuming process of egg-laying. It is again provided when the first youngster becomes fully feathered when the hen is preparing to lay her next clutch of eggs.

• For later Breeding Rounds

  Quik Gel is also particularly useful for one day a week during the second and third round when energy levels of parents begin to wane.

• At Conclusion of Breeding

  Quik Gel should be administered for 3 days as breeding pairs are moved from the breeding cabinet to the holding cage (prior to their return to the aviary) in order to prevent their deaths when entering the flights.

• During Cold Spells

  Quik Gel is used as a rich source of energy and vitamins when cold temperatures may interrupt breeding and result in a high degree off infertile and dead in shell eggs.

• For Air in the Crop

  Quik Gel should be provided when air is observed in a baby’s crop. This finding indicates the energy levels of the parents are depleted.

For Weaning Cage

• Quik Gel should be given in the drinking water to support the weaning process for 2-5 days when the youngsters are moved from their parents across into the weaning cage. The high-energy content of Quik Gel stimulates appetite, which promotes a rapid weaning process. Its stress relieving and disinfectant properties protect the youngsters from disease.

In Drinking Water

• Rejuvenates tired breeding pairs and birds recovering from illness. An increased activity will be visible by the afternoon following Quik Gel treatment.
• Restores energy levels and normal gut flora following a course of antibiotics. Quik Gel mixed into the drinking water with Megamix (10mls/litre) for 2 days restores energy levels and promotes a more rapid return to activity following an illness and antibiotic treatment.
• Stimulates appetite and initiates recovery following any physical stress. For example, with cold stress, Quik Gel mixed into the drinking water with Megamix (10mls/litre) is used to maintain health when temperatures fall below 10°C. Under these circumstances, Quik Gel / Megamix cocktail is given fresh for the first day in the drinking water then topped up the following day.

Emergency First Aid Treatment

• In emergency situations, providing heat and administering Quik Gel directly by mouth or via crop needle mixed with ER formula should save most birds. An emergency is recognised when a budgerigar remains listless or is found fluffed up on the floor.

   
  Quik Gel can be administered in a number of ways. When birds are critically ill, it is best given with ER Formula via a crop needle (see below). Feeding using a crop needle is a process that must be learnt. Once this skill has been developed and when administered at the first signs of illness many sick birds can be saved. If a crop needle is unavailable, Quik Gel may also be given by mouth directly from a syringe.

Via Crop Needle

• Quik Gel is given by crop needle (gauge 16; 2inch long crop needle is best) together with ER formula and any medicines as part of an emergency treatment for individual budgerigars for the following conditions: Serious life threatening diseases caused by coccidiosis, round worm infestations, Megabacteria, streptococcal infections, dehydration, sour crop or blocked gizzards.

  As very sick birds are unable to produce their own body heat, an additional source of heat such as a hot water bottle or heat lamp must also be provided.

  As the bird recovers and is no longer in a critical state, it is important to determine the exact cause of illness and begin with an appropriate treatment.

  Once the sick bird is eating and drinking by itself, Quik Gel should continue to be given in the drinking water for 5 days to complete a full recovery.

Preparations Of Quik-gel & ER Formula

• Place a teaspoon of ER Powder in a cup then whilst adding 10ml of hot water (35C) in small amounts mix it continuously until a smooth cream-like solution is created. Maintain the heat of this liquid formula by using a hot water bath.

   
  Then mix one drop of Quik Gel into the formula and immediately draw up 3mls into a crop needle and warmed syringe then administer to the sick bird. This 10ml solution is enough to treat 3 birds.

  Repeat this process 2-3 x each day until the sick birds are active and again eating.

  For crop and gizzard blockages continue this treatment twice daily for 3 days.

  For egg binding add 1ml Hical to this mixture and continue this treatment twice daily for 3 days.

Dr Rob’s Products

To order the products mentioned in this article, please use the links on the Dr Robert Marshall page.