I dont know if its because I have put my very best birds down to breed and currently filled 50 breeding cabinets, or what...

 

But I look in the flights and I see

 

the babies looking at their gangly weedy growing stage

 

the birds moulting....pin feathers all over

 

the older adult birds

 

some reirees

 

and a mix of others.....

 

 

and I think to myself

 

"They are all cr*p" !!

 

Maybe its because the best are in breeding cages right now so it leaves the dregs and second stringers etc.

 

Maybe its because my ideal of the perfect show budgie in my head has changed and now I look at things differently.

 

But either way I figure until I see good results come on from the nestboxes, I am looking at the dregs in the flights and feeling very disillusioned.

 

Others tell me you do reach such a stage and its normal.

 

If I had a petshop nearby right now I could easily catch up more than half of them and sell them off. I will resist that urge to a degree.

 

BUT........

 

is this a normal way of thinking ?

 

Do we all think this way ??

 

I know I have reached a point where there is very little I feel I need such as buying in anything. I am pretty happy to work with what I have. The only thing I would consider buying in now is a special one or two that are of certain bloodlines I currently work with and am happy with.

 

I have figured out what bloodlines work with the ones I have.

 

Thoughts from any of you show breeders out there ? Do you also look at whats left in the flights after pairing up and think all thats left is cr*p ? Or are they really still good birds but our expectations have become higher ?

 

Cheers kaz

Edited September 14, 201014 yr by KAZ

That is correct Kaz,for every 100 you breed,there is a big % that are,only good for the pet trade.

You will need to tee up a few pets shops, or you will flood the market & the price will go down.

The going price over here to the bird dealer is.Greens $1.80 Blue's & Greys $2.50 Inos $5.00 Fellows/clearwings &bodys $6.00 Pieds $7.00.

We should consider ourselves lucky then Macka that we dont have to sell at such low prices

 

YET

That is correct Kaz,for every 100 you breed,there is a big % that are,only good for the pet trade.

You will need to tee up a few pets shops, or you will flood the market & the price will go down.

The going price over here to the bird dealer is.Greens $1.80 Blue's & Greys $2.50 Inos $5.00 Fellows/clearwings &bodys $6.00 Pieds $7.00.

YOU GET RIPPED MACKA OUR SIDE OF TOWN THE LEAST YOU WILL GET FOR A BIRD IS 10.00 ANY COLOUR OR MUTATION

i do kaz all the time but i need what i got i just can not let any go you go and get new birds but you dont have your birds there to see the size off them i have about 30 breeding cages and i put a pair in and a few week lader i say what did i put them in thay dont do it for me

 

i am trying to get my blood line going off a 4 to 5 breeder's but you get the birds off them and you just keep get more and more and more

My aviaries are basicly empty to, But my baby avairy is looking quite promising .

We get $8.00 a bird here at the petshops and one pet shop gives $7.00 . These prices are for any colour and variety, thye do prefer a varity of colours though, not all green.

Hi Kaz,

 

It happens - you look at the aviary, before breeding, and there is so much promise, and then you fill the cabinets, and you wonder what is left. When I did an interview with Bob Smith about 3 or 4 years ago, he made comment to me, that rings very true - if in doubt, its out. The greater number of lesser quality birds that you keep, the more the average birds of the stud come down, as you get tempted to use them when a hen fails, or something of the like. The people who seem to have the greatest success tend to be the hardest cullers', irrespective of numbers.

that is ture thay are not breeding the small pin head birds that thay breed so if you sell them you got a few $$ to go out and get a top bird and it just keeps going

Edited September 15, 201014 yr by shannon bird breeder

Hi Kaz,

 

It happens - you look at the aviary, before breeding, and there is so much promise, and then you fill the cabinets, and you wonder what is left. When I did an interview with Bob Smith about 3 or 4 years ago, he made comment to me, that rings very true - if in doubt, its out. The greater number of lesser quality birds that you keep, the more the average birds of the stud come down, as you get tempted to use them when a hen fails, or something of the like. The people who seem to have the greatest success tend to be the hardest cullers', irrespective of numbers.

 

Very good advice Troy........Thanks for that

 

You confirm my thoughts and my need to do a hard cull.

Hi Kaz,

 

It happens - you look at the aviary, before breeding, and there is so much promise, and then you fill the cabinets, and you wonder what is left. When I did an interview with Bob Smith about 3 or 4 years ago, he made comment to me, that rings very true - if in doubt, its out. The greater number of lesser quality birds that you keep, the more the average birds of the stud come down, as you get tempted to use them when a hen fails, or something of the like. The people who seem to have the greatest success tend to be the hardest cullers', irrespective of numbers.

 

Very good advice Troy........Thanks for that

 

You confirm my thoughts and my need to do a hard cull.

 

 

Yep that's the way of it Kaz. Babies look fantastic and not all of them fulfill their promise. They go through that fugly stage, the oldies and hangers on and the majority of your good birds in breeding all contribute to the low ebb! It happens to us all.

 

And I'd agree with Troy to a point! Culling hard is great but not leaving yourself with enough to go on with is not great. Seen Cec do it, seen Jan do it seen, Carl do it, seen lots of people do it - not leave themselves enough birds (particularly hens) to work with, then you only need 1 or 2 failures (and who doesn't have them over the season) and hey presto you have gone backwards. Work out your requirements, your safety level and THEN cull hard!

 

Unless you are willing to spend the big $ that some are to re-establish quality birds in your stud, then as long as you remove the tail of your birds each time assuming small increases in quality each year on average, then the quality of your stud SHOULD by rights improve.

Edited September 15, 201014 yr by nubbly5

Yeah, I have heard that those that do a hard cull or get others to cull for them, struggle to regain a good footing when some things go pear shaped. I will be sensible about it and keep my reserve birds too.