Top bench win X Top Bench win = Great Tiels? Maybe....
The name of the game is to put complimentary features together, right? Thus, we should have a lot of different types of cockatiels in our aviary so we can play "Mr. Potato head" when we breed. A crest from this bird, some size from that... etc.. Yet, this doesn't always work. What we want to have is birds that consistantly throw nice traits.
I have a normal cockatiel. Not a big cockatiel, yet he has a tremendous gorgeous head. He's regal and he throws wonderful heads back to his babies. Yet, with his small size, I want to get a complimentary bird. Do I want to get the biggest most stylish bird for him? Well, maybe. But, maybe what I want is a hen who's genetic lines prove she can throw size too. I breed them together and lo and behold. Size and a head! Great! It worked.
Now, I throw the cinnamon hen with another normal cockatiel with a good head. Same outcome, right? Well, no, I get small birds with no heads. Why? Do I get rid of the male who threw me such awful babies. It must be him, right? Well, maybe, maybe not. For certain reasons two birds can do very well together and then if you pair them with others they do not match up correctly. Some has to do with linebreeding and sharing good genes. Incompatibility is fairly common when setting up show birds. Yet, its no reason to quickly get rid of one bird or another. It is a reason to try these birds with others to see if they are dominant for the unwanted trait. Small birds may throw size and large birds may not throw their size. It all depends on who they are bred to and how well the pairing works genetically. I've seen many a novice and advance exhibitor throw away great birds!
I keep a wide variety of cockatiels in my aviary yet I only have less than 10 (about 7 or so) dominant lines. Each of my cockatiels expresses one or more of these lines differently and I can mix and match them as I try to figure out what pairs work well together. This is the fun of mating. There is no fail safe pairings. We can only make pairings more predictable when we learn what our cockatiels throw consistantly.
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Showing Cockatiels Part 2
Showing Cockatiels
I have a normal cockatiel. Not a big cockatiel, yet he has a tremendous gorgeous head. He's regal and he throws wonderful heads back to his babies. Yet, with his small size, I want to get a complimentary bird. Do I want to get the biggest most stylish bird for him? Well, maybe. But, maybe what I want is a hen who's genetic lines prove she can throw size too. I breed them together and lo and behold. Size and a head! Great! It worked.
Now, I throw the cinnamon hen with another normal cockatiel with a good head. Same outcome, right? Well, no, I get small birds with no heads. Why? Do I get rid of the male who threw me such awful babies. It must be him, right? Well, maybe, maybe not. For certain reasons two birds can do very well together and then if you pair them with others they do not match up correctly. Some has to do with linebreeding and sharing good genes. Incompatibility is fairly common when setting up show birds. Yet, its no reason to quickly get rid of one bird or another. It is a reason to try these birds with others to see if they are dominant for the unwanted trait. Small birds may throw size and large birds may not throw their size. It all depends on who they are bred to and how well the pairing works genetically. I've seen many a novice and advance exhibitor throw away great birds!
I keep a wide variety of cockatiels in my aviary yet I only have less than 10 (about 7 or so) dominant lines. Each of my cockatiels expresses one or more of these lines differently and I can mix and match them as I try to figure out what pairs work well together. This is the fun of mating. There is no fail safe pairings. We can only make pairings more predictable when we learn what our cockatiels throw consistantly.
Related articles
Showing Cockatiels Part 2
Showing Cockatiels
