I have at time had many inquiries for birds. I know many people don't understand a show breeders motives for breeding birds. I have had some people question why I don't want to sell as they think, or appear so, that I breed to sell.

I don't. I breed to show. If I had my way, I wouldn't sell any birds. But keeping them all is not possible.

 

Budgerigars go through changes in there development. A promising chick can have set backs. I have put a young chick in the culling (selling) cage thinking it would not develop well only to take it out a few months later to have it win best of.

 

I have had promising young birds not develop at all past a stage. i have won many trophies, as many know, and have a great love for my birds. They are treated better than many treat their children. They need time to mature and show their full potential. This can take months and so by the time I decide that they are for sale they can be 6 months old.

I do have chicks in the nersary that are up for sale because they are not to standard. Recessive pieds can only have between 15 to 20% markings on their wings. So dirty marked Recessive pieds are straight out.

 

My Birds are not hand tame, but many that have been in my aviary know that I have a connection with them. Some do believe that I hand train them. This is not the case. Chicks are handled daily to see how they are developing. This does calm them down considerably. I do have problems with the young birds constantly coming to me as I go into their flights.

 

My birds are full show birds with some of the normals and dominant varieties reaching 250mm to 260mm (10 - 10 1/2 inches) from tip of tail to crown.

 

If you are interested in having a show bird as a pet and can pick up in Brisbane, Let me know. I might be able to help.

Many a show breeder has let chicks go too young to find they win on the bench for someone else or they turn out really special. Thats why show breeders tend to hang onto their babies until well past the first moult at least. I have had some ordinary chicks fledge and some really small too, that later on have turned out to be really nice. I remember an olive chick that was a nothing special kind of fledgling...really quite small in fact. I saw a bird in the aviary the other day that was a nice olive boy. I caught him up thinking he was one of my olive adults. Took a look at his ring and realised I had bred him and he turned out to be that small and ordinary chick I had thought nothing of months ago. It's really satisfying to now find myself seeing nice birds in the flights and realising that I have bred them. :yellowhead:

Daz, I've had similiar happen to me lately. I regularly sell my smaller pet quality budgies which are tame from regular handling which helps fund my show birds. However I do get inquiries on my show birds (there are only a couple of show breeders within about 500 miles of me) often and have to reply with they aren't for sale yet. They don't seem to understand why we breed them for show and don't usually sell them until after their first molt for the very reason you said above.

 

Especially when you are still beginning building your show stock like I am, I can't afford to sell off my future breeders or show winners until I reach a point of needing to sell off the ones that aren't good quality for show or breeding the next generation. It seems to take a few years to really get the right stock built for your showing team and from what I've heard of other show breeders that the worst thing you can do is sell off your future winners too early. And some of us love our budgies so much we would keep them all if space permitted.

I think we should be very very appreciative for people wanting to buy our birds.

For without them we could not move forward! What would we do with the birds that don't make the grade?

Wring there necks?!?

 

If your selling the unwanted birds to pet people, put them in cages in the garage or somewhere else away from the aviary. Then they won't see the birds that are not for sale.

 

A budgie is really still only a baby 6 to 12 mths, able to be trained to talk and do tricks and whatever. I have promised my first budgie to a mates mum, her one died a few months ago after a happy 10+ years. So she will be the owner of my first probably dominant pied cock. Sire: Green dom pied 100% Chidel. The dam is a Green cinn opaline 100% Gazzard.

I better tell her she is going to need a bigger cage!

Arrrr ! it's just a hobby.

Throwback, it's not that we are unappreciative of people wanting to buy our birds is that at times they take the attitude that we breed to sell. I have had people question why I don't want to sell my birds.

 

I have sold a pair of birds for the best price of all. Nothing but a kind smile from a happy old lady. That is worth more then money. I have given away quite a few birds to people here in the forum.

 

What I am trying to put forward is that we don't breed to sell. But it is the unfortunate part of the hobbie.

i agree with you Daz.... I've had people ask for my show size chicks ( which i'm just starting out breeding) Over my pet types... but i also prefer to hold onto the bigger birds and feel... almost.. harassed at the want of the birds you yourself want to keep...

We now do as throwback has suggested and put birds being sold in another cage before a buyer comes, or else we get alot of "what about that one" comments when pointing out the birds for sale in the aviary :hap:

Throwback, it's not that we are unappreciative of people wanting to buy our birds is that at times they take the attitude that we breed to sell. I have had people question why I don't want to sell my birds.

 

I have sold a pair of birds for the best price of all. Nothing but a kind smile from a happy old lady. That is worth more then money. I have given away quite a few birds to people here in the forum.

 

What I am trying to put forward is that we don't breed to sell. But it is the unfortunate part of the hobbie.

 

I thought I must have been missing something ??

I mustn't have read it through properly Daz. Sorry mate. :hap:

I should have realised in the last sentence that you weren't having a go at the people buying our birds.

I suppose the general public still hasn't been exposed to the show budgie.

You know how it goes when you tell someone you breed budgies. "Oh those little cute birds!!" NO ! these are show budgies, What's a show budgie??

Edited March 7, 200817 yr by throwback

I sold some birds last week to a friend and his first response was "Wow they are big birds..."

 

They were small ones that really didn't make the grade.

 

The wild bird is 4 1/2 inches from tip of tail to crown on head. The standard says 8 1/2 inches. We are now breeding 10 1/2 inch birds. It is a stuggle to keep up with the demand on the Show Bench. I came second to the Champion of Show 2 weeks ago. My next show is Sunday. I hope to do better.

I sold some birds last week to a friend and his first response was "Wow they are big birds..."

 

They were small ones that really didn't make the grade.

 

The wild bird is 4 1/2 inches from tip of tail to crown on head. The standard says 8 1/2 inches. We are now breeding 10 1/2 inch birds. It is a stuggle to keep up with the demand on the Show Bench. I came second to the Champion of Show 2 weeks ago. My next show is Sunday. I hope to do better.

 

Good luck for Sunday!!