One of the regular questions posed, is, "How do you manage to achieve such good results year in year out?" We believe the answer lies in the overall technique developed in my early years and once achieved, I stuck to it no matter what. Its basis was founded on the principal that if anything went wrong - it was my fault - not the fault of the birds.
In the early days I had nest boxes on the back of the cages or on the side. Results were only moderate, so I took up a quiet position in the aviary and watched for hours. Slowly it dawned on me there was a great deal of restless activity. The hens were never incubating for lengthy periods as I would have expected. They were "on the move" all the time. My mind then thought about nature. What would the wild budgerigar do to achieve security? The word 'security' then struck me - none of the hens felt secure! Why not? What was the difference in my aviary to nature? The answer eventually came to me - light! There was too much of it gaining access to the nesting area. So, by the next season, I changed the box design and position so that the entrance hole faced away from the light. The boxes being sited on the front of each cage. RESULT - just short of double the number of chicks per pair over the season.
The other principal factor in producing consistently good results lies of course in the feeding. Other fanciers have said, "Yes, but you aren't the only one who works hard on the feeding you know. I work damned hard, but I get very mediocre numbers". The conversation then usually turns to seed. "The seed isn't as good as it used to be," says our friend. "Years ago we could get Spanish mammoth canary seed and breeding birds in those times was much easier." The fact we were all breeding small and lower quality birds at that time he has forgotten. It has always been easy to breed "mice" - the "rats" are the problem
I recall a visit to Joachim Schwarzberg's home in W. Germany. The seed in use at that period was from Argentina and the smallest I have seen to date, but the supplementary feeding was fantastic and the breeding results supported it. I recall the special "kitchen" which the Schwarzbergs possessed alongside their aviary. This was specifically for preparing the supplementary foods for the birds and at approximately 10 feet x 8 feet was bigger than many domestic kitchens.
I am a great believer in cod liver oil in moderation, which is in contrast to some fanciers. We give small quantities all the year round and do not just give it for a month prior to the first pairings being made and then drop it again. This is a sure recipe for disaster, because any change in the condition of the seed meets initially with rejection, or near rejection, for 2-3 days by all the birds in one's stud. The birds barely eat during this period until they are used to it and then once used to it undergo another "change" after a month has elapsed when it is stopped. If you keep up the C.L.O. in the non-breeding season with very small quantities, the seed doesn't appear to the birds to be any different.
Unless the diet of budgerigars contains an adequate vitamin A and D content, breeding large championship show birds in quantity and without french moult is near impossible.
In addition to the vitamins mentioned, there are insufficient quantities of the vitamin B group available from seed alone. Extras. again in moderation, have to be administered regularly. "Abidec" which is available in the United Kingdom is a solution given to expectant mothers and contains as the name suggests, vitamins A, B, D, E and C. The difficulty comes in knowing how much or how little to give relative to the A and D vitamins already being given. Finding that balance takes years of practice by trial and error. An excessive amount can lead to a condition referred to as "hypervitaminosis" when certain elements, such as calcium and phosphorous, which in themselves are finely balanced, can be totally blocked with disastrous results.
Lastly, I have always been a firm believer in softfood in the form of 4cm cubes of brown bread soaked in a 50/50 milk and water solution. Given every night throughout the breeding season it saves countless tiny day old chicks. The adults are keenly disappointed if their daily ration is withheld for any reason. Some fanciers say they can never get their stock used to it. If you have this problem, then sprinkle the softfood with glucose to begin with - you won't have much problem after that. The quick "energy" released from the glucose will also help with adults and chicks alike, especially the latter.
The build up to the next season has begun as soon as the previous season has finished. Do not fall back to plain seed and water once the last pair has returned to the flight. This is the time to start work again for next year and in this way good results will be your reward.
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