by Mrs. Ann
Hurst
Keep your first bird purchases simple with a few pairs of good
Novice quality birds to begin with. Learn to handle, mate, ring
and groom on these initial birds. You will always make mistakes
but it is better to make basic ones at this time rather than
down the line on the more expensive acquisitions.
I would advise against the inclusion of costly birds, rare
varieties and extremely buff feathered birds to start with. This
can be a recipe for disappointment and eventually a lost
fancier. Discouragement is the enemy of all Beginner breeders
and they do not need the problems inherent to buffs and the
genetic ramifications of rare breeding at this time. My earlist
attraction was to the Opaline Pied Sky Blue, and to my delight,
years later I won a Best in Show with one, but I could not have
done this in my first year or so with the experience gained from
handling the standard varieties and learning the basics of
genetics from them.
Comparison at shows
Once you have raised your first birds, enter them in a few shows
to see how they compare against the birds in their division. If
possible, ask the adjudicator of the day for his thoughts.
When the show season has ended, you may have birds to let go. If
so, ask a knowledgeable breeder to help you cull through your
birds, learn what to look for that makes one bird expendable and
another a "keeper". The main aim being the eradication of
faults! You will find that faults are very likely to be dominant
in nature, occurring lines and subsequent generations, while
virtues are very often elusive and hidden.
Once you have learned the basics, decide what style of bird is
attractive to you. Most breeders know what the Ideal looks like
in the photograph, but a trip through several aviaries will tell
you that it is indeed subject to interpretation. The Ideal, like
beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder. With this in mind,
decide on no more than two or three breeders from which to
acquire your stock. Perhaps you want the head and shoulders of
one stud but the longer body of another stud. This then should
be your goal. Buy the very best you can now afford. I would
suggest requesting the pedigrees of the birds purchased to rule
out the accidental acquisition of outcross birds, before you are
ready to introduce them into the lines you are trying to
establish. Breed these lines together looking forward three
years for the end results to prove out. Limit your outcrossing
during this time if it is at all possible.
Be judicious
Once you have the traits you deem most desirable fixed on your
birds then you may feel you need the advent of an outcross. Be
judicious in the use of an outcross and also the number. Massive
outcrossing can disrupt the lines you have worked so hard to
build and lead to the mongrelization of your stud to the point
that the birds will not have, nor can they produce a
pulled-together look.
Develop patience. There are very few overnight successes in the
fancy anymore. Don't be in a hurry to advance from one level of
competition to the next. Each level has its own unique
contribution to the learning experience of exhibiting. Absorb
all there is to know from each division and use this time to
work on your birds every year. Be tenacious in your goals. Keep
them firmly in place at all times. By the time you reach the
Champion level of competition you will have realized one thing;
that there are a lot of birds that stay on the back bench and
very few indeed reach the rarified air on the top. Consistency
is the name of the game to reach, to stay, at the top.
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