ARE YOU PREPARED?By Mick Freakley (Freakley & Ainley)With a new budgerigar show season fast approaching, our thoughts must now turn to show preparation. Most serious breeders will be now finishing off the breeding season, pairs will be split leaving the cages empty and after cleaning ready for the prospective show team. Our first task is to select the young birds (current year bred) we consider having potential for the show team. Any that look like they have the required attributes to make a show bird need to be caged up for a week or so in the stock cages, this will allow them to gain a little weight, and also become a little steadier. Do not worry about feather condition at this time, although it is a good idea to remove any broken flight or tail feathers, the reason being they will not moult out until later in the year, and if not removed the exhibit will be eliminated from showing for the whole year. These main feathers take approximately 6 to 8 weeks to regrow, so as you can see we need to act now. Leave the selected birds to settle for a week of so, and keep an eye on them to ensure that non are being bullied, a few treats will be welcome; millet sprays and tonic seed will help. It is important not to overcrowd, and it may be better to keep the sexes separate. Once they have settled it will be time to start the process of attempting to get them into show condition. The first step is to spray them regularly, the first spray needs to be with hot water with a little plume spray or similar added, this would remove the initial grime and dirt. A hand spray with a fine mist is ideal for this process. Really soak the birds so it is difficult to recognise their colour; it is beneficial to do this as early in the day as possible to ensure they have adequate time to dry properly before roosting. Spraying is carried out in an all wire cage, and old pet cage is ideal, this will allow all of the bird to be sprayed. Continue spraying on alternate days with just cold water from now, this will encourage the birds to preen and in time bring their feathers into pristine condition. Wash the head area with baby shampoo being careful to avoid contact with the eyes, any head feathers that are showing pink quills will need careful consideration, it is important to let nature take its course with these as any early intervention will result in them bleeding and staining the head. A soft toothbrush is ideal for the washing process, brush away from the sere, when completed replace them in the stock cage to dry naturally. Both processes of spraying and head washing need to be continued right up to show time, with the last spray taking place approximately 2/3 days before the show. All birds will not come into condition at the same time so it is best to leave the de-spotting exercise to the week of the show, if you are very new to the hobby it would be a good idea to seek advice from a more experienced fancier to show you the ropes with regard to de-spotting, one mistake will mean all your weeks of preparation will be wasted. Spot feathers can take up to four weeks to re-grow. Most exhibits are required to have six evenly spaced spots with the exception of the red eye varieties and recessive pieds. It is best by removing the flecks and smaller spots first; you will see the 4 main spots and 2 smaller cheek patch spots. All the others need to be removed; some people use their fingers for this but most prefer to use a good pair of tweezers. Time is important here, do not rush this exercise and if the bird shows signs of stress, place it back in the stock cage and complete later. The whole process of bringing the young birds into show condition can take up to six weeks, the adults take less time, three or four weeks but remember flights and tail feathers take the same time to grow in both young and adult birds. It is very important to keep the stock cages clean throughout, it would be counter productive to keep washing your show team, just to place them back in a dirty cage. Just prior to your first show you my find the exhibit is in perfect feather but with just a few quills in the head area, as long as these quills are not pink they can be opened by brushing with a dry tooth brush or by rubbing off the wax covering with your finger nail. As mentioned earlier be aware of the pink quills, they are best left alone. I can tell you from my experiences of judging many of the Countries top shows, that if your exhibits are not in condition they will be penalised by the judges, you may have the best budgie in the show hall, but without proper preparation it may as well stay at home. After the show place your exhibits back in their original cage and let them settle again, they will most likely be stressed from their efforts of the day, make sure they have fresh water and plenty of grit available. It is important to carry on with the spraying in the following weeks in an attempt to hold condition for future shows, do not put birds you intend to keep showing in the main flights, this will induce a moult. Inevitably nature will kick in somewhere along the line and your exhibits will go out of conditions, this is the time to give them a rest. Make sure your show cages are in tiptop condition, freshly painted if necessary, with just plain seed in the bottom. Only new style budgerigar cages are allowed on the show bench by the Budgerigar Society, so if you have any old style ones either convert them or use them in your bird room. Good luck for the coming show season, if you get beat, take it on the chin and congratulate those who have beat you, hopefully they will congratulate you when your turn come around. Ask the judges if you have any queries as to where your exhibit was placed, they will be only to pleased to explain their placings. Copyright © Mick Freakley http://www.fa1-stud.co.uk/. All Rights Reserved This article may not be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the express permission of Mick Freakley. |
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