Just an opinion.

[Myzomela]

I totally agree E Orix.
It goes back to my thoughts that many birdkeepers these days have never been taught the basics. They just rush in and buy whatever.
The sexing thing is a no brainer.
If the birds are common species, buy more than you need, wait for them to pair up and sell off the excess.
If they are more expensive, then they should be DNA/surgically sexed. It is so cheap these days there is no excuse.

The only situations where buying uncoloured birds could be a disadvantage are:
1) Birds where the purity of what you are buying is uncertain eg nuns. Obviously it helps if you know the integrity and experience of the seller; and
2) Birds which exhibit high mortality when moulting from juvenile to adult plumage eg gouldians; crimsons/bloods- again if properly cared for these are less of a problem.

[djb78]

Eorix I agree that buying younger birds is a good idea where possible but some people don't know or understand the advantage of this. It was good of you to explain the problems to him and next time he may think differently when purchasing birds. When I was starting out i had the same ideas of buying birds but now i think more differently.

[garyh]

I was at geelong bird sale this year selling young diamonds ,they were in the process of finishing the moult ,and looked a little scruffy,alas to say didn't sell all of them but sold a few ,another person selling much older birds that looked the goods sold out ,i know for sure which ones i would have brought,but there is no educating some people,garyh

[gouldianpaul]

Totally agree with EOrix...at the Melbourne and Ballarat sales I sold Gouldians and it has always been the fully colored adults that have gone first. The 1/2 colored young always went last.

Unfortunately I think it comes back to the almight dollar...some people want a quick return from the birds they purchase. I was also at the Geelong sale and was amazed that Gary's young diamond's sold after the adult birds. Blind Freedy could see that Gary's birds were old enough to be ready for the next breeding season, yet buyers preference was still for the adult birds. Don't worry Gary those same buyers will be back next year buying your young birds when the old birds they bought wont breed.

It amazes me how people will buy fully colored birds with tell tale signs of old age; crusty feet, long toe nails, rough looking beaks, etc, etc.

cheers,
Paul

[garymc]

I can recall when getting seriously back in to birds and that whilst in Melbourne I dropped into Sergio Casagrande's bird dealership. He offered me five pairs of bluefaced parrotfinches for $200. I agreed to it and he brought me out (from the back room) 10 uncoloured bluefaces. There were other in his flights that were fully coloured but these were the 10 birds he wanted me to have. Well I knew they were young, but nowhere near as pretty as the coloured birds, and being five pair was ?? so I hummed it over and decided to take them.

Well they did indeed turn out to be 5pr and brought out over 200 young in the next two years. I was sold on the idea there and then of buying (where possible) definate young birds! In hindsight if I had of got three true pairs they still would have been the way to go.

Patience is the key!

[E Orix]

Gary you are really showing your age when referring to Sergio.
Any way it is pleasing to see so many agreeing with me about buying young birds.
Sadly there are many in our hobby that will not tell you all the birds history or its real status.
I took some Blue F/Parrot Finches to the last sale.They were 3 years old so I actually wrote near their price that they were that old.
They were the first to go and the person at least knows they are not young birds.
When talking to inexperienced stress to them the need to buy young birds,ideal age 3/4 coloured but less is better than buying old birds.

[TomDeGraaff]

Please enlighten me, everyone.
I always thought that buying uncoloured Gouldians was a bad idea. Do they no longer have troubles with their first moult?

[mattymeischke]

There is a variety of opinions about selling uncoloured Gouldians, if you search the phrase you will find many views.
As Myzo says above, bloods and Goulds have a reputation for high mortality with the first moult, and this is a reason some people won't buy them uncoloured. The Gouldian has been toughened up a lot over the years, they now breed in outdoor aviaries even in places with freezing winters. I understand that this was not always the case, hence the idea that it is a bad idea to buy them uncoloured.

The opinion expressed in this thread is essentially that the only guarantee of getting a young bird with maximal breeding ahead of it is to buy partially colored birds.

Hope that helps to clarify....

[E Orix]

Possibly to some the Gouldians maybe the exception. The Gouldians reputation of young not surviving through their first moult had merit in years gone.
In those days the Gouldians were very very soft especially in the colder states,the main reason was that most chicks were being bred from first ,second
or third generation wild birds.
Today the Gouldian is totally domesticated here in Aust. and it is far easier to breed and they are much tougher and survive the cooler climates.
In my opinion and experience the loses of young moulting into the first adult plumage is no more than other species now.
Gouldian that can be visually sexed shouldn't be a problem at all.
The point that is trying to be reached is buy young birds rather than older ones as you know how old they are.
Sorry Mat I should have read you post first as I have basically mirrored it.

[Pete Sara]

I have always been bought up to buy the youngest birds available , but some times thats not going to be the case especialy if some birds are hard to find you take what you can get and hope for the best,

To many people in a hurry these days to get results.....as it shows around winter with people looking for replacement hens because they have lost old birds in the cold let alone young ones not ready, I have done it , most of us have made mistakes I know I have made a truck load I the last few years but thats another matter, I didnt listen at first but since than I have saved myself some heart ache and dollars along the way.. Pete