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My best advice is to buy from onE or 2 breeders only like other memebers have mentioned above. My first year Greg and I bought birds from 2 breeders and then went to another, so 3 different breeders in the first year and I set off for my first show with my pride and joy to discover my birds were tiny, but I did get a 1st placing. So I went home and culled all my birds from one breeder but I kept one spangle hen. It was like starting all over again. Greg went to the other 2 breeders and bought me 2 pair from each for my birthday. We put these birds together and with others I kept here from the same 2 breeders from the first year. So off I went to my second year show and wow I won best young bird in beginners and he was in the running for the diploma but he wouldn't perch. B ut that was where it all started from. This year is my fifth year and I outcrossed and I really wish I didn't because I went off to auctions and brought birds, so I really mixed the blood up. BVut hopefully it will pay off in the near future. I hope this made sense

We have one teenage boy Dustin who has just joined but hasn't got to a meeting yet because he lives In Moama but hopfully he will make it one day. We have a lot of beginners a few Intermediates and a lot of opens and 1 Champion breeder in our club we have about 20 members maybe a few more. Yes I suggested aviary tours last year which fell on deaf ears. And also meeting at different members places for barbeque and see how other members setups are but most are members were not in that because some members have small areas and think it would be to squashy with so many people there at one time, which is true. But now that Geoff is President we might get aviary tours up and runnig. We now have a trade table. We should order a pallet of seed through the club but we haven't yet. I wish they would. We have talks on on different things like 2 meetings ago Geoff showed members how to crop feed and there were open breeders there that have never done it so that was good and that was my idea. Keep your ideas flowing

OOOOPs sorry Dave, I did mean to write Dave but my fingers must of typed Dean I am in no control of what my fingers do, they seem to have a mind of their own

Yes Nubbly you are right, I have been in Dogs and Horses and you do get those people , I even noticed in the budgies that hardly anyone gave me the time of the day when I first started until I started winning then I got hellos etc. But that was a different club that I am in now. I know what you mean Nubbly about boring meetings, Geoff(clearwing) is a new President now and he is trying to get our meetings a fun night. We have already improved by bring supper and a cuppa and we have little bird shows with prizes. Geoff wants our meetings to be fun to go to and I think that is a great. I really don't hate auctions asl Chooky, I have fun when I there but it is having the money to by the bird you want. Plus I have been warn to be careful because some breeders get rid of troubled birds there so I am not keen to spend heaps on one bird. I have a couple of friends that spent huge amounts on 2 birds at auction a couple of months ago to get nothing from the cocks and nothings from the hens. That is what puts me off.

Pleased things have improved for you Dean, I hope all goes well for you now.

Good luck with your bidding Maddy, that is a nice aviary

Working on framing the ceiling yesterday and today, Boy was that hard drilling through that steel but hey I got there. So far I have done every little bit by myself except for the window. I know I will need help when it comes to the panels to fram the walls because it is heavy and I am little but I am very proud of myself so far. Tomorrow I have to by more wood for wall and heaps for ceiling. THEN I will be up to the insulation bats But they will probably have to wait until after the end of November because I have to pay my rego between now and then and still paying the rotten car repair bill off. BUT I might be able to afford to get one bag to get it started, we will see. Clearwing goes away again soon and I look after his birds because I am his aviary assistant so that is more money in my pocket That might pay for my bats . I have till next March to get it done but i am eager

Does he nip at them to get that name Phill, I wanted to call Jake "Bear" when we first got him but he is not my dog so I had to settle for Jake but he really looked like a bear.

OH I actually agree with you Chooky because my sons think I am geeky breeding and showing budgies lol. My mum just laughs at me when I tell her how well I have done at shows she starts to giggle and I say mum it is no different than racing greyhounds because that is what my family do they race grey hounds and I show budgies. When I told them last year the Martin T offered me 5 hundred for the white Df spangle she laughed again and I said I am serious and then she said did you sell him and I said of course not he is my best bird, but she couldn't believe a budgie is worth that much money

Keep posting Jimmy, you give some great advice anyway I missed you when you didn't post for a while.

Thankyou Phill, your dog is a beauty too

Pride that is when we first got him, he drove me nuts for the first few weeks but he is really good now. He Knows that i am the boss NOT him. As for the gate into my birdroom area Greg did that to make it easier for me. Before the gate went on he would follow me out there and stop at a certain spot and never went any further. AND when it comes to the aviaries which are out in the open yard he doesn't even bother with them and if he does even look at them side ways I yell out NO JAKE and he just walks away. He doesn't even bother with the washing on the clothes line. He is really a good boy.

I think auctions don't help. But I think the hobby is declining because of the price of birds, you need to have heaps of money to get any where in this hoppy. I have been lucky that a local breeder sold Greg my wow bird A 3 year old cock at the time and a violet hen for $15.00 dollars. The wow bird was kept by the breeder for 3 years and then I got him and he is what has gave me my winning birds. If it wasn't for that bird I would be still struggling.

I reckon it's a clearbody too, but I was talking about the clearflight pied here is a link http://www.budgieplace.com/c_clearflight.html

Thankyou Sunnie, I try. He has had his bad moments, Like for example Greg flowers. Over near the car shed Greg had a beautiful garden of yellow and red flowers and the just started to bloom, really beautiful but Jake thought it was better for a bed because everytime I went out to my birdroom he would jump on the flowers, Greg fenced it but he just jumped and squashed that too. You see my birdroom area is now closed off to the rest of the yard with a gate which I think is great Jake wants to be near me and the closest he can get is the flower bed He did get into trouble a few times but the poor old flowers got so squashed that they all died. Normally if you say NO JAKE he listens and stops and doesn't do it again but when he wants to be near mum he just doesn't care He is only a pup but he is a 100% better than what he was. Even his jumping is under control.

Yes one happy funny lol When we talk to Jake I say go to dad and Greg says go to mum lol

Yep he has grown on me, He is really one very handsome gorgeous little man He thinks I am his owner not Greg, and I am mum and Greg is Dad, SO Jake is our kid lol funny I always thought we would of had a beautiful baby if we had of had one but now we have a dog for a son.lol

Thanks Pride, it nearly stopped me but I am eager to get it done But hammering was hard couldn't get the nails in to my liking but I kept slugging away at it and they adventually went in

More work done to aviary todat with bloody thumb and all, knocked it a couple of times and I jumped up and down but at least I got another wall done, I wall to go. I am 1 piece of wood short for my next wall so tomorrow I am going to work on the roof framing, still not sure how I am going to do that. Any sugestions would be most appreciated

Thanks Macka, he is starting to get more red on his back but yes we like his colour. Jake is much better behaved these days. He loves his walks and he fetches his balls for us. I have just started teaching him to jump and catch the ball, he is a very quick learner and eager to please. He loves human company. Here are a few photos taken of him today and boy has he grown. Chasing his ball Returning with his ball Returning with is tennis ball Having a snooze under my chair Just cute

I have another window lined up Gb to go in the back or side at the back but Geoff reckons more windows more heat so I have decided not to but I have the whirly to suck out heat also. Plus anymore windows take up valuable space. If I have to I will put another whirly on the roof. It was not easy putting the window in.

He is adorable, when we got Jake who is a red healer, we put all shoes and boots inside and he has heaps of his own toys but his favorites are old plastic pot plants the ones the come from the nursery and you normally chuck away and his balls. He loves pig ears and pig trotters keeps his teeth occupied. Good luck with him Phill

Hi mum a dark green cinn and dad lutino