Article about Breeding Quality Gouldians

[birdbrain]

Hi all

Here's a new article by a reputable Gouldian breeder that I know and follow. It's just been added to his website and can be found at: http://australiangouldian.com/articles- ... -standard/

Hope you find it helpful
cheers, b

[finchbreeder]

Interesting. But I am curious how come his ideal pic does not match the photos of Gouldians beside it? The real ones have bigger face masks than the pic, I am pleased to see.
LML

[birdbrain]

Hello again,

Not sure what you are saying... the bird's mask in Don's drawing is based on how Gouldians looked in the 1800's. The coloured mask was more rounded and closer to the back of the eye. After talking to Don about it, he thinks that perhaps the angle of the bird's head in the drawing has given the wrong impression of the location of the mask.

However, the main point of the drawing is to bring attention to the SHAPE of the bird's head. In Don's opinion, it is more correct than what we are breeding today.

cheers, b

[iaos]

the bird's mask in Don's drawing is based on how Gouldians looked in the 1800's.

I'm pretty sure that wild gouldians look the same as they did 200 years ago. What your saying is Don has based his drawing on how other artists depicted the bird in the past.

I have no problem with people trying to breed quality gouldians, I am trying to do it as I hope everyone is. However, using the example of zebs makes me cringe. Once a standard is adopted people strive for that and you end up with extreme birds like show zebs and budgies.

I'm surprised the tail didn't get a mention in the standard.

Cheers Ian

[gouldianpaul]

HI All
interesting article, but to me it read more like a list of individual feature the author liked in a bird, rather than describing the make up of the standard a gouldian should look like.

I agree with one of the earlier comments in that if a "standard" was set many breeders would aim for the same thing....all breeders have different preferences. For example i have a line of BH normals that have a beautiful big head with plenty of length in the head feathers, broad chest and generally a larger bird than normal. I call it my "Yourkshire" looking Gouldian. But other breeders may not like them as they are moving too far away from the wild type gouldian....so each to their own.

I feel breeder should continue with their own preferences, rather than have a sheep mentality and follow the "standard" set by a few "experts"

Cheers
Paul

[shnapper20]

Mike fiddlers the gouldian finch book has standards used in Europe in it