Cutting Back
-
malibu_birdie
- ...............................
- Posts: 113
- Joined: 14 Apr 2011, 12:34
- Location: Nowra NSW
Hi all, from time to time after a successful breeding season there comes a time when we need to select which birds will be kept to be future breeding stock and which ones are to sold/given away. I have a number of nice young ones and am finding it difficult to choose. Mind you I have zebras so I don't want to be keeping too many, you know how they breed! I have been advised to keep all my good hens and only a couple of the very best cocks. Any suggestions on how others go about the selection process?
-
E Orix
- ...............................
- Posts: 2740
- Joined: 29 May 2009, 23:30
- Location: Howlong on NSW/Vic Border 30km from Albury
- Location: Howlong NSW
Firstly I ring my birds with a two coloured split plastic year ring.
Then after 3 years all breeding stock is sold off(except Nuns 4 years) and replaced with new young birds.
This is done for a couple of reasons, I know that the people buying them still have a couple years of breeding as the birds are far from worn out.
I get very very angry when I hear people say "OH I dumped them on a dealer"they forget that people are buying them in the hope of breeding from those birds.
And secondly by using young birds you have them breeding at their best also the birds are all the same age.
At times it maybe hard to dispose of a good pair but there others around the corner.
I might add this does not happen with the very rare species and possibly mutations
Then after 3 years all breeding stock is sold off(except Nuns 4 years) and replaced with new young birds.
This is done for a couple of reasons, I know that the people buying them still have a couple years of breeding as the birds are far from worn out.
I get very very angry when I hear people say "OH I dumped them on a dealer"they forget that people are buying them in the hope of breeding from those birds.
And secondly by using young birds you have them breeding at their best also the birds are all the same age.
At times it maybe hard to dispose of a good pair but there others around the corner.
I might add this does not happen with the very rare species and possibly mutations
-
Redwing
- ...............................
- Posts: 598
- Joined: 27 Jun 2010, 21:02
- Location: SOR Perth, WA
- Location: Perth, WA
E Orix how do you do selective breeding if you're selling off all your birds every 3 years? Or do you mean your breeding stock are from your ownbirds? Have been trying to work out how I can start to improve the colour of my painteds with only one aviary and small numbers of birds, so Malibu's question was really interesting to see how experienced breeders do things.