Selling not fully coloured Gouldians

[Myzomela]

Tiaris, you are so old-school!
Keeping birds back until they are fully coloured, then picking the best birds for your own breeding program and selling off the rest- Are you kidding??

Now that I've taken my tongue out of my cheek, Tiaris makes a great point. We often dispose of our best young and forget about improving our flock in the long term. One of my avicultural laments is that fewer and fewer breeders these days seem to be keen to establish their own lines of species in which they continuously attempt to improve their strain. Where do we think the best birds come from? Breeders who have done just that.

Something worth thinking about, anyway.

[flap]

I agree with Tiaris, although the reality is sometimes different for those of us who get carried away buying and breeding birds but with limited capacity for holding aviaries (especially for species like gouldians who take a long time to colour up). We learned from that during the last breeding season, and aim to contain our numbers more and keep them till coloured. The proof will be in the pudding.

[djb78]

I'm a bit like tiaris myself and keep most of my young till they colour up and canaries till next breeding season so I can tell male from female, but there have been times when selling young of unknown sex or colour has to be done as space can be a factor as well as feeding some many mouths, 1 season canaries alone had produced over a hundred young plus adults 9 pairs plus finches and there young. Well kept young painteds from last year and had some well coloured young cocks so might be on my way to getting some full fronteds soon I hope.

[budgiebreeder]

I wont sell a gouldian until fully coloured.[a few pin feathers still to go in the head are ok] Not fair to the buyer, uncoloureds have a tough time going through the moult and"home" is the best place to do it.

[E Orix]

You think Gouldian breeders have to have patients
What about me,I have to keep my Weavers for TWO seasons before they colour to their adult colour.
Also it would be interesting to know how many people have built a holding aviary only to fall to temptation
and use it as another breeding aviary.

[flap]

Guilty as charged your honour! Wow, two seasons.... that is patient!

[djb78]

Also guilty, have plans on a new holding aviery slowly getting materials and cleaning up space in my shed.

[finchbreeder]

Due to lack of avairys and a refusal by me to sell uncolured birds I may loose half a breeding season. But would I rather keep the young and be sure they have coped with the moult or breed more. No contest. If I breed them I owe it to them to see them safely through the moult.
LML

[Pete Sara]

I have a holding aviary , its actually in the middle of my flight cages, I need to have at least one if and when I get back in wrens I will need a couple , until then it is ONLY a holding cage. A new aviary which is on the plans to be started shortly will have the 2 that I require, so that the current one can be a breeding flight.

Now my quarentine cage is another matter all together, its housing barbary doves , but I do have a couple of breeding cabinets if needed for that purpose... pete