I think that one of the most annoying problems one encounters in the birdroom is that of dust.
Immaterial what one does dust never seems to clear away. You enter the birdroom and it’s always there waiting you. If you overlook it then it just piles up to be cleaned up another day.
I have entered my bird-room in the morning, swept up and dusted all the surfaces. I have then washed the floor and started attending to the birds. Once that chore has been completed I step back to admire and inspect the birds. I can guarantee you that by the afternoon the invisible dust has settled down and the work surfaces have a film of dust, which not apparent to the eye, shows clearly when in contact with say, dark clothes.
My birdroom is quite spacious with more than adequate ventilation. I have two extractor fans, one the big German ceiling mounted type and the other a Vent-Axia fitted in the wall above one of the breeding cage units. These are of course in addition to the open windows and entry doors (security protected) which I leave open at all times when I am in the room.
Before brushing the floor I always spray the whole area with a mixture of Dynamite (an insect repellent), one day, and a spray made up with Genie (a disinfectant) the next day. I find this system not only prevents dust rising when I brush up, but also has evidently prevented contamination problems.
I know that the dust is generated by the birds and also comes from the seed, but it is only evident if you either don’t clean up or if you brush against something when wearing dark clothes.
I have been very lucky where health is concerned. The dust, so far, has not affected me. I realise many fanciers have had terrible problems with dust and have had to give the hobby up as a result. Some wear masks not only in their birdrooms, but also at shows and this obviously helps to alleviate the problem.
I am really at a loss to know whether there is a final solution to dust problems and have come to the conclusion that all we can do is keep the place as clean as possible and ensure there is a continuous flow of fresh air.
I would welcome reader’s views on this problem.
I was looking through some old records the other day. They were going back to the late 50Ős. Yes, 40 years ago! And one change in budgerigar breeding habits stood out like a sore finger! It’s the life span of today’s breeding stock when compared to the 1950’s.
In the 50’s I was carrying out quite a lengthy breeding programme simply because I had available families going back to great grand parents. Today, you will be lucky if you can keep a budgerigar long enough to be a grandparent, let alone be involved in a programme of inbreeding like it was practised in those days.
If you have a three-year old cock bird these days it is looked upon as an oldster and in general has just a short time to spend amongst its friends in your birdroom. That is far less than half the lifespan of the birds of the 50’s when it would have been playing a most important part in forming a strain by being paired up to it’s grand-daughter.
I know there are exceptions and that people do have birds breeding which are three years old (maybe even an year or two older) but those are rare exceptions. To-day three year old birds are looked upon as being unreliable breeders by keen fanciers.
But why the change? Today, people live far longer than they have ever done. We claim it is the food. It could be. Our living conditions have improved. We have access to super medical facilities. But on the other hand the budgerigar’s life span has dropped considerably. What ever is the reason? Will someone come up with the answer, please.
Possibly someone will say its all due to buff feathering. Others will blame inbreeding (but inbreeding was carried out years ago and possibly far more intensively). Could it be the shape of the exhibition bird we aim for those big birds with wide heads. The birds are fed something similar as far as I can recall. Probably feed was more basic in the 50’s, but there were fewer additives around. Maybe you can believe it goes back to the land where the seed is grown.
But whatever the cause, one thing is certain: our birds don’t produce as they used to and certainly don’t live as long as in the 1950’s. Why? Send in your ideas to Budgerigar World so that we can share views world-wide.
© Gwyn Evans 1999
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