Showing Cockatiels
Showing Cockatiels
Building a better species
In the early 1990's most pet stores started pulling dogs out of kennels and stopped selling dogs in their shops. Horror stories of puppy mills and the over population of dogs became evident. Yet, birds still line the shelves of pet stores. I went to a local pet shop and was very dismayed at the quality of cockatiels still being bred today. Small cockatiels with disappointing attributes. There really isn't any reason to still be producing these types of birds. Good stock is plentiful and many good breeders are taking the time to produce better stock.
Showing cockatiels is a great way to gauge how well your breeding cockatiels are doing as far as production. Keeping back the best babies and the most sweetest babies is the way to go. A judges opinion is just that, an opinion. But, stretched over a couple of shows, you will see that judges will have the same opinions on many of your birds. If your bird consistantly places, for instance, 5th-7th in show, that is far better of a bird than a bird that gets a best in show and then only places every other show and its lower on the bench (say 9th or 10th). The first bird may never be a champion, but it is a consistantly good bird. The second bird may, over time, earn a grandchampion status with its best in show, but it not as consistant and should not be looked at with better eyes than the first bird because of its grand title. You want to produce consistant birds with dominant features. Showing your birds gives your breeding program a "Second eye".
Last year, I bought a plane ticket for a friend of mine to come down and look at my aviary. This person gave me a second opinion as to what my birds were producing and where I was headed. It wasn't an opinion I took as gospel. It was a second opinion. I sold some of my birds that were of lesser stock to some folks who needed the genetics and this year, I did consistantly better in my breedings. My birds are sold to the pet community and I have heard so many good things about their looks and attitudes. This gives me encouragement and helps me further my breedings to be even better. Showing gives me some competition so I can constructively look at my birds. Other exhibitors will comment on birds that may have not been in the best condition but are outstanding in genetics and breeding. This helps also.
Showing is competitive but I have found the folks to be regular "bird people". We love talking about breedings and we support each other for the common goal of producing better stock. Its a place to network, to gain friends and support, and a place to gather information about breeding. I have learned everything I know from two sources. The first is trial and error. Breeding is not an exact science and there is no special formula to producing quality stock in superior health. The second is from the exhibition folks who have been there and done that... They are just looking to foster other exhibitors so that we do not make the same mistakes that other folks do. It is this reason that I began writing these series of papers.
Come to a show. Whether you breed just a few or a lot, you will learn alot. Get up and ask folks questions. We are a big group of friends just waiting for another friend to come through the doors. Our enthusiasm is contagious, so watch out!
Building a better species
In the early 1990's most pet stores started pulling dogs out of kennels and stopped selling dogs in their shops. Horror stories of puppy mills and the over population of dogs became evident. Yet, birds still line the shelves of pet stores. I went to a local pet shop and was very dismayed at the quality of cockatiels still being bred today. Small cockatiels with disappointing attributes. There really isn't any reason to still be producing these types of birds. Good stock is plentiful and many good breeders are taking the time to produce better stock.
Showing cockatiels is a great way to gauge how well your breeding cockatiels are doing as far as production. Keeping back the best babies and the most sweetest babies is the way to go. A judges opinion is just that, an opinion. But, stretched over a couple of shows, you will see that judges will have the same opinions on many of your birds. If your bird consistantly places, for instance, 5th-7th in show, that is far better of a bird than a bird that gets a best in show and then only places every other show and its lower on the bench (say 9th or 10th). The first bird may never be a champion, but it is a consistantly good bird. The second bird may, over time, earn a grandchampion status with its best in show, but it not as consistant and should not be looked at with better eyes than the first bird because of its grand title. You want to produce consistant birds with dominant features. Showing your birds gives your breeding program a "Second eye".
Last year, I bought a plane ticket for a friend of mine to come down and look at my aviary. This person gave me a second opinion as to what my birds were producing and where I was headed. It wasn't an opinion I took as gospel. It was a second opinion. I sold some of my birds that were of lesser stock to some folks who needed the genetics and this year, I did consistantly better in my breedings. My birds are sold to the pet community and I have heard so many good things about their looks and attitudes. This gives me encouragement and helps me further my breedings to be even better. Showing gives me some competition so I can constructively look at my birds. Other exhibitors will comment on birds that may have not been in the best condition but are outstanding in genetics and breeding. This helps also.
Showing is competitive but I have found the folks to be regular "bird people". We love talking about breedings and we support each other for the common goal of producing better stock. Its a place to network, to gain friends and support, and a place to gather information about breeding. I have learned everything I know from two sources. The first is trial and error. Breeding is not an exact science and there is no special formula to producing quality stock in superior health. The second is from the exhibition folks who have been there and done that... They are just looking to foster other exhibitors so that we do not make the same mistakes that other folks do. It is this reason that I began writing these series of papers.
Come to a show. Whether you breed just a few or a lot, you will learn alot. Get up and ask folks questions. We are a big group of friends just waiting for another friend to come through the doors. Our enthusiasm is contagious, so watch out!
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