What Do You Look For In Feather Quality?

[melbournebudgies 0]

I have heard people speak about feather quality in show birds a few times, what does this mean? I have baby bird that has nice markings and is a small show type that I want to breed to a boofy show type when she is old enough to hopefully get some bigger chicks. I'm trying to understand what I need to look for in a male to improve her...

She is only about 12 weeks old at the moment.

 

This is her:

 

This is mum:............................................. And aunty on dad's side:

 

On another note does anyone have a PHOTO of a good dutch pied? I've looked at the standard but sometimes it's nice to look at a real bird to compare.

Edited May 4, 2008 by Daz

[Daz 0]

Feather quality is made up of the amount of down on the feather, the length of the feather and the width. It is also to do with the neatness. If you have good amount of down, length and width. The bird is said to be buff or double buff. If the bird is lacking in this quality it is said to be Yellow (a term from the canary breeders).

 

 

 

[melbournebudgies 0]

Thanks Daz, I was beginning to despare that no-one would answer

Do you think she is worth holding onto to put to a large male in the future, I'm obviously not very experienced but her markings seem pretty good to me. She is only 12 weeks and is already larger than all of my pet type adults so I'm hoping she'll boof up a bit more as she develops.

Here is a back view:

[Daz 0]

That's where a confusion lies. There are show birds and there are Stock birds. Stock birds may not win on the Show bench but they can breed you the winners. Also those that win on the show bench may not always breed well for you.

 

I have paired up a hen that by all facts was not very good and have breed chicks that have gone on to win. I have also had a hen in the culling (sale) cage to get rid of and for some strange reason I kept her. She has gone on to breed some very good chicks.

 

I always try to keep some good brothers and sisters from the winning birds. These are the ones that might breed the best in show.

[Ikon 0]

Strange that you get birds that breed better than themselves consistently. I have one grey hen who is one of my worst and I have tried to sell previously. I paired her up and she is producing some really good birds (stock).

[melbournebudgies 0]

If it wasn't for the fact that I don't think she'll be boofy enough(and she's not rung) I felt she was alright from a marking point of view. I have her mother and her aunty but not her dad and she was an only chick. So I have three females from her line.

 

I was planning to hold onto her at this stage for future breeding . but with space at a premium it's a tough call with all my birds at the moment. It's like budgie survivor, "It's time to go, grey-green cinnamon spangle

[**KAZ** 0]

One of the hardest things when breeding show types and breeding for size...one of the hardest things to wrap your head around is. You need those bigger show types to begin with. Breeding up to them will take you forever to acchieve anything that will do well as a show bird. Might be a good idea to enjoy your lovely pied for what she is and buy a pair of show types and start breeding them to see what you can get and see the difference between chicks from them..... and chicks you get from your exisitng pairs. Its a very different feeling seeing alarge show type chick develop in anest to seeing the pet types.....large head and spiky bushy feathers right from the beginning. In other words if you have interest in show types, try to get some and breed them seperately from your others.

[melbournebudgies 0]

Do show breeders use smaller type birds with their show types sometimes to increase other attributes that the smaller might have but the show type is lacking?(just curious) I guess what I am saying is that she essentially comes from boofy stock (she is a much larger bird than my pet types) but they have been bred out to pet types for a generation or two so they have lost the boofy heads a little. As you can see her mum is a bit closer to the show type with the fluff brain going on

[**KAZ** 0]

Do show breeders use smaller type birds with their show types sometimes to increase other attributes that the smaller might have but the show type is lacking?(just curious) I guess what I am saying is that she essentially comes from boofy stock (she is a much larger bird than my pet types) but they have been bred out to pet types for a generation or two so they have lost the boofy heads a little. As you can see her mum is a bit closer to the show type with the fluff brain going on

Show breeder generally dont breed backwards or down. They breed their best to their best. Some hens are smaller looking but if their breeder bloodlines run true they produce the right chicks when paired with a good cock.

Wait and see how she turns out after 7 months or so. You seem interested in show types, so I would suggest you start looking for a good pair or two and give it a try.

[*libby* 0]

Agree with Kaz

I've started "medelling" with show types now and what i considered a "good" pet type wasn't anywhere near what a show type was like... I invested in a few good show birds and have bred some nice chicks who're getting better by the day

[melbournebudgies 0]

What a shame, seems like such a waste of great symmetrical markings. Ah well I still love her

[**KAZ** 0]

What a shame, seems like such a waste of great symmetrical markings. Ah well I still love her

No reason why you cant keep both pet and show types. I do. BUT I keep their breeding to same type...pet to pet and show to show

Edited May 5, 2008 by KAZ

[melbournebudgies 0]

She is quite large (like I say she is bigger than my adult pet types even as a baby) so she will probably get bred to larger birds anyway as I'd like to increase the size of my pet types a bit(she is from a show line and a pet line). If a few generation down the track I end up with something that is of use all well and good but otherwise she is gorgeous and I am happy to just get pet babies out of her.

[*libby* 0]

By the looks of her mum and aunt i'd say they're only large pet types, like Zeuss who you gave me Kaz

[melbournebudgies 0]

Mum is a cross between a show type and a pet type according to the original breeder, dad is a large pet type almost identical to aunty. So I guess you could say my girl is 1/4 show type if that makes it easier to understand

Edited May 5, 2008 by melbournebudgies

[Guest lonebudgie]

The other problem with dominent pieds is that the continue to breed down in size, you must in my opinion breed back to an outstanding Normal bird , this keeps the size in the pieds.

I agree though it is a lovely clearflighted pied .

[melbournebudgies 0]

LB does it matter what colour normal? I have a couple of show type normals floating around in the aviary although they are unfortunately mostly females.

[Daz 0]

Pair her to a good Opaline. This will give Opaline Hens and split cocks. Keep the cocks and pair back to the normals. if the opaline cock bird is a large bird this will help increase the birds. If the chicks are Dominant pied split Oplaine and you air back to an opaline hen you will get Dominant pieds in Hens and Cocks. These are what you want.

 

Breeding can be like playing pool or billiards. It might take a few shots to get what you want.

[SCG810 0]

Some very good advice on the show birds.To get a pet shop,no I hate the name pet shop bird a nice Avairy Budgie to breed to the standard will take years from that bird.I think that bird pretty but in the show world pretty don't win.What you need is a couple of pair of Normals,Opaline or Cinnamons and start with show birds.If you breed 1/2 dozen chicks you can enter in a couple of different class and remember your in the novice class so are a lot of other in the same boat.

 

Steve