Hills District Branch BSNSW inc. Established 1974

Transcription

1 Hills District Branch BSNSW inc. Established 1974 NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2011

2 Position Name Address P/Code Phone Address Chairman Vice Chair Show Manager Events CoOrd Alt Delegate Vice Chair Ass t Show Sec Secretary Mgmt Delegate Treasurer Show Manager Show Secretary Ass't Show Sec Ring Registrar Ass't Show Sec Publicity Officer Ass't Show Sec Ass't Show Sec Editor Events CoOrd Librarian Catering Officer Mgmt Delegate Trophy Steward Peter Dodd Craig Buckingham Harry Charalambous Kathy Manton Ian Manton Mark Chidel Cliff Spare Graeme Gordon Ross Selig Mark Valvason Jeff Mansfield Santo Calabrese Andre Ozoux Paul Brett Jo Zammit Ray Galbraith Brian Findlay 7 Rocca St Denistone East 44 Barellan Ave Carlingford PO Box 990 Wahroonga 44 Clifton Rd Marsden Park 44 Clifton Rd Marsden Park 27 Avondale Rd Pitt Town 10 Olive Lee St Quakers Hill 35 Watkins Rd Baulkham Hills 617 East Kurrajong Rd East Kurrajong 130 Chapel Lane Baulkham Hills 59 Broughton Rd Strathfield 65 Tallowwood Ave Cherrybrook 79 Morrison Rd Gladesville 3 Spring St Kellyville 7 Grevillea Drive St Clair 5 Gardiner Rd Galston 14 Brabyn St Windsor peter_dodd@iprimus.com.au ultexp@bigpond.net.au harry@planassist.com.au hillsbranchsecretary@bigpond.com iankathymanton@bigpond.com mchidel@tpg.com.au clicky.bill@optusnet.com.au sangra@bigpond.net.au rosshon@tpg.com.au pomeroy@excelbm.com.au jeff@ascon.com.au santoc@bigpond.net.au idandre@iprimus.com.au paulandval@bigpond.com dav_jo@bigpond.net.au boxer73@bigpond.net.au Auditor H& H Charalambous Member CoOrd Lloyd Mullens 23 Flinders Rd North Ryde M'ship Registrar Peter Dodd Webmaster Daniel Child 11/105 Hammers Rd Old Toongabbie fordano@hotmail.com Floor member Andre Ozoux Floor Member Floor member Floor Member Laurie Cauchi Richard Abraham Ken Mitchell 311 South St Marsden Park 3 Edwards Rd Middle Dural 22 Salter Court Harrington Park ken.denise.mitchell@gmail.com Return'g Officer Paul Brett Trustee Craig Buckingham Trustee Daniel Child Services Mgr Stuart Williams 7 Kerry Rd Schofields birdboxesgalore2@bigpond.com Front Cover Young grey chick bred by Giorgio Perugini Rome

3 FROM THE EDITOR Cadet Reporter Kathy Manton reports from the 2011 St George Annual Show: Hills members had a good day at St George yesterday. Ross Selig won Champion Intermediate with his outstanding Normal Greygreen Cock. This bird won Best Young Greygreen in Show, plus Ross also won at least one other BOV awards too. Jeff Mansfield s Spangle won in the Novice section not sure if it was Reserve Champ Novice? Ian and Kathy Manton won Champion Open Young Opposite Sex with a Spangle Hen, plus 5 x BOV awards. We also won both the Derby (Normal Grey) and Oaks (Opaline Grey), so we scored a couple of meat trays too. Despite having our two best Clearwings wrong classed (for being Greywings????), we still won Best Old Clearwing, Best Young Clearwing, Best Juvenile Clearwing & Best Unbroken Cap Clearwing, beating the Wilsons, Wallis s, Morgans, D Costa, Bourke and Wackwitz I believe that there were about 480 birds exhibited. Grand Champion went to Jim L Estrange with one of his Young Cinnamonwing Greys. Coded Ring Orders for 2012 are required by 15 th March so you MUST order by the February Meeting. Hills Annual Show is on 6 th March, so be prepared to turn up and help. As usual this Friday we will going through the pre- show preparation so we will need names for the various roles on the day WHATS ON AT HILLS BRANCH MONTH GUEST SPEAKER JUDGE FEBRUARY 2011 Craig Buckingham explains Einstein s Theory of Relativity followed by Open Judging and members participation Judging special class. MARCH 2011 BRUCE AND NOLA WARREN BRADFORD (SLIDES) WILSON APRIL 2011 ROB MARSHALL JOHN (VET) CARTER MAY 2011 JUNE 2011 NATIONAL WEEKEND CANBERRA For those not going interstate for the NSW hosting of the National, Hills will probably put on a beer and prawn night. To be confirmed. CRAIG BUCKINGHAM (OPEN JUDGING) JULY 2011 SALE OF BIRDS NIGHT AGM

4 AUGUST 2011 BRUCE & NOLA BRADFORD WARREN (NATIONAL SLIDES) WILSON WHATS ON AROUND THE FANCY February 25 Hills Branch Meeting North Rocks February 27.Newcastle Budgerigar Club Annual Show March, March 6. Hills District Branch Annual Show March 13.Central Coast Branch Annual Show March 20.BSNSW Annual Show March 27.ALL PIED SHOW - Revesby YMCA&BRASEA Auction - Revesby April, April 3.Tamworth Budgerigar Society Annual Show April 10.Northside Branch Annual Show April Royal Easter Show. April 16.Manly/Northside Doug Fox Award Show May,2011. May 1. Macarthur Branch Annual Show May 21.STCC May 27 - June 2.NATIONAL CANBERRA (hosted by NSW) No I don t know why it s in Canberra either. June, 2011 June 4. International Speaker Forum - Sydney June 5. K.K. Auction June 12.South Sydney/ BRASEA Show - Mascot. June 13.BRASEA Auction - Mascot. June 19.South Western NSW Budgerigar Society Junee Ex- Services Club June 26.B.I.S Annual Show &Canary & Cage Birds/ BRASEA Annual Show

5 This month we hear from Giorgio Perugini who you may recall I visited during my trip to Italy last year. Here he tells us how the last six months or so have gone. How have you been since I saw you last? I have done a lot of work to fix my breeding room, I made a new flight and prepared the space for a new one where to let free the youngsters. When did you pair up after June 2010? I started my breeding season at the end of September after the show season where I got a Best in Show with an Opaline Cinnamon Grey Hen and Best Group of Hens and Best Place for Beginners and Best Cinnamon Green Cock in show at Campogalliano (RE) for the National Budgerigars Show. Then First Place for Young Cinnamon Sky Blue Pied Cock, Cinnamon Light Green Cock, Cinnamon Opaline Grey Hen, Cinnamon Sky Blue Cock and Spangle Sky Blue Yellow Faced Cock. I'm really happy for this Exhibition Season specially because it is my second exhibition season!! How many pairs did you put up? I made 14 pairs but the breeding season since now is not so good, just 45 chicks, my best pairs had problems, clear eggs or no eggs! How would you describe the quality of the chicks? I'm really happy anyway because a lot of chicks are better than last season and I hope to continue to breed until June.I'm pairing the youngsters from 2010 and they seem to breed good.

6 What were your best chicks? In this season the best chicks bred are Normal Grey or Grey Spangle. Have you brought in any new blood into your stud? I bought two cocks from Switzerland but they didn't fill. I'm keeping them in the flight at the moment. I won t name the breeder because it can happen sometimes and in the next few months I'll try them again. Who do you think has the top birds in Europe? In Europe I love the Daniel Lutholf blood line, I love that type of feather. I like very much too the power of Jo Mannes birds. Then I'm seeing there are a lot of very interesting Breeders in Europe who have really really nice birds, powerfull and with wonderful feather direction! What are the prices for good birds from well known breeders? The price depends on the quality of the birds but my budget is not more than 200 or 300 euro... more of this I think is not too good for a fun like me! Generally I buy some good blood line birds to work with them... this is the real objective in breeding budgerigars: to be able to breed birds giving a personal style!

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9 HARRY S MOUSAKA RECIPE Here at Editorial Headquarters we get many requests from our readers. A lot of you have asked for a more Hellenic flavour in our Newsletter. Well actually it was only one person, but we aim to please. So this month we feature Harry Charawhatsit s favourite Mousaka recipe. Of course Harry doesn t cook, he has people to do that.. Ingredients: 3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total 1 lb. potatoes 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb) 2 large onions, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup red wine 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 1 cup tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes) 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp. sugar Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups plain breadcrumbs 8 egg whites, lightly beaten (reserve yolks for bechamel) 1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese Bechamel Sauce: 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks) 1 cup flour 4 cups milk, warmed 8 egg yolks, lightly beaten Pinch of ground nutmeg Prep the Vegetables: Using a sharp peeler, partially peel the eggplants, leaving strips of peel about 1 inch wide around the eggplant. Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally. Cover them with an inverted plate that is weighted down by a heavy can or jar. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out. They will need to sit for at least minutes, preferably an hour. The salt also helps to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

10 Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are just done. They should not get too soft, just cooked enough so that they no longer crunch. Drain, cool and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Add a splash of water to the egg whites and beat them lightly with a fork. Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate. Rinse the eggplant slices and dry with paper towels. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg whites and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place breaded eggplant slices on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour, turning them over once during cooking. When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Make the Meat Filling: In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, parsley, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and sugar. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. It should be a drier, chunkier, tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Make the Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown. Add warmed milk to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously. Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil. Remove from heat, and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens. Assemble the Moussaka: Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Sprinkle the bottom of pan with breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant slices. Add meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for minutes before slicing and serving. You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.

11 MINUTES OF THE MONTHLY MEETING HILLS BRANCH - B.S.N.S.W. (Inc.) Meeting held at Don Moore Community Centre on Friday 28th January 2011 MEETING OPENED: 8.33pm Peter Dodd presided. PRESENT: As per attendance sheet. VISITORS: Nil APOLOGIES: Judy Clark, Brian Findlay Moved that the apologies be accepted. Moved: M. Hill Seconded: P. Brett PREVIOUS MINUTES: Moved that minutes are a true and accurate record. Moved: L. Mullins Seconded: R. Galbraith BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES: Nil NEW MEMBERS: Peter Dodd welcomed new members Peter & Melissa Galea TREASURER S REPORT: All accounts approved at previous General / Committee meetings have been paid. Income since last General / Committee meeting: Nil Accounts paid since last General / Committee meeting: - North Rocks Recreation Centre (Jan rent) $78.00 Accounts received for payment: - J. Zammit Suppers $ P. Dodd Stationery $ S. Calabrese Newsletters x 2 mths $ Moved that accounts be paid and Treasurer s Report be accepted. Moved: P. Brett Seconded: K. Nesbitt CORRESPONDENCE IN: Trailer rego Illawarra Show Schedules notification that the BSNSW Annual Show Schedule is available online on the Budgerigar website. Also reminder that the show is to be held at the Bernie Mullane Sports Complex, Marella Ave, Kellyville ANBC Standard amendments are available for download on the ANBC website. If anyone would like them ed, please contact Hills Secretary. 6 positive responses to s sent seeking birds for our auction CORRESPONDENCE OUT: 27 Auction invitations for July Auction Moved that the correspondence be accepted. Moved: M. Hill Seconded: I. Manton GENERAL BUSINESS: ANBC Standard amendments Daniel Lutoff birds on a DVD now in library. See Paul Brett Hills Schedule now with printer Mark Chidel to have Kris Wyld upload to our website Coded rings for 2012 need ordering by Feb 2011 meeting money with order. Discussion on the ring issue date and query why Juvenile & UBC birds are allowed at Shows and why Management seems to be supporting this. Thank you to Santo for his quality Newsletter MEETING CLOSED: 9.10 pm PETER DODD CHAIRMAN KATHY MANTON SECRETARY

12 MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING HILLS BRANCH - B.S.N.S.W. (Inc.) Meeting held at Dural Country Club, Dural on Tuesday 8 th February MEETING OPENED: 8.17 pm Peter Dodd presided. PRESENT: Ross Selig, Harry Charalambous, Santo Calabrese, Graeme Gordon, Craig Buckingham, Mark Chidel, Ray Galbraith, Ian Manton, Kathy Manton and Peter Dodd APOLOGIES: Brian Findlay, Ken Mitchell, Cliff Spare, Andre Ozoux, Richard Abraham Moved that the apologies be accepted. Moved: G. Gordon Seconded: S. Calabrese PREVIOUS MINUTES: Noted that Harry Charalambous was present at the last meeting, but his name had been omitted from the minutes. Following this amendment, moved that the minutes as read by Peter Dodd are a true and accurate record. Moved: H. Charalambous Seconded: R. Galbraith BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES: Nil TREASURER S REPORT: All accounts approved at previous meeting have been paid. Income from last General / Committee meeting: Show cage raffle $ Accounts paid since last General / Committee meeting: Westpac Merchant fee $ Australia Post show schedule postage $ BSNSW Memberships $ Moved that the Treasurer s report be accepted Moved: C. Buckingham Seconded: H. Charalambous CORRESPONDENCE OUT: 22 x show schedules to Branches & Clubs CORRESPONDENCE IN: 6 s to accept auction invites 2 via phone, 2 verbal Moved that the Correspondence be accepted- Moved: C. Buckingham Seconded: R. Galbraith GENERAL BUSINESS: Rosettes ordered for Annual Show Trophies organized 26 x BOV awards sorted they work $17 each BBQ meat ordered, drinks to be ordered Judges lunches Ray is organizing Judges Gary Gazzard advised he would not be available Reg Bohringer has accepted Albino Trophy held by Alan Druery Photo of Grand Champ to be done after the event 6.45am start for setting up staging Printing of Schedules check with Danny what the printer would like as payment Thank you to Pam Galbraith for her quilt (Grand Champion award) ANBC Amendments to be printed in Newsletter. If anyone would like a copy of the full Standard ed, please contact Kathy Manton Editor to the Budgerigar Magazine. Currently 750 copies printed each issue. Possibly ask Col Alison to consider producing Budgerigar. Hills could put to Management to have the Magazine online, rather than mailed. Coded rings to be ordered February meeting Memberships due 1 st July

13 Discussion re the purchase of a new laptop computer to be used by the Branch to keep records of the membership lists, auction files and paperwork, annual show schedule, etc, etc. Moved that the Branch purchase a laptop computer, monitor and keyboard, which is to be held by the Chairman. Moved: K. Manton Seconded: C Buckingham MEETING CLOSED: PM. PETER DODD CHAIRMAN KATHY MANTON SECRETARY MOTORSPORT NEWS The International V8 Supercars Championship will not compete in Europe in the near future. As part of its new FIA international status, V8 Supercars has agreed not to send the world s leading touring car series anywhere west of Turkey. Instead of considering offers from European tracks, Executive Chairman Tony Cochrane says that he wants to see the series race add another race to its opening event trek to the Middle Eastern. Speedcafe understands that Qatar s Losail circuit, or India s new Formula One facility at the Jaypee Group Circuit are the leading contenders for a second event. It is also expected that Singapore will join the series in the future, possibly as early as Cochrane says that while there are plans to expand to more overseas races, Europe is out of the equation. Under the FIA ruling, we ve agreed not to go anywhere west of longitude 30, which basically is Turkey, he told Speedcafe.com.au. There s more than enough motorsport in Europe. It doesn t need any more motorsport. There s big chunks of the world where motorsport is developing and we want to play a huge say in how that develops and be a really important part of those emerging markets. Cochrane confirmed that two events in the Middle East, or a region close by, is on the cards. If we re going to come this far (to Abu Dhabi), it would be good to twin it with somewhere, Cochrane said. We don t have to do it, but it just seems a smart way of going. I hope by May we can make an announcement. I m not going to get into the favourites game on which track we could go to. There s a number of people that we are talking to. Certainly Qatar has a magnificent circuit, floodlit, really spectacular venue and a good fit for our category. There s no question that Qatar is up there as our favourite, but we are speaking to other people in this region, and we re looking in Asia as well. V8 Supercars CEO Martin Whitaker echoed Cochrane s thoughts

14 BUDGERIGAR FERTILITY CYCLES by Terry A Tuxford Budgerigar breeders allow their birds to reproduce at varying times of the year. Although there are those that practice continuous breeding, most will have defined breeding seasons. The timing of this season will be determined by a number of factors such as the climate in their part of the country, whether the birdroom is air conditioned and the use of the Spring environment for those people with outside aviaries. For fanciers who breed and show the exhibition Budgerigar the duration of the breeding season is considered to be November/December through to May/June each year. The two factors, neither of which have any scientific foundation, which account for this are the date on which the closed bands are issued and the timing of the show season. In the USA, breeder bands are issued by the American Budgerigar Society for the start of the year and so consequently there is an attempt to have young birds in the nest for this date. The show season runs from June until November and it is desirable to have current year babies as mature as possible for these shows. In addition, so that adult stock can also be exhibited, they need to have finished their time in the breeding cage and had time to recover. While these points are a valid explanation for breeders actions in terms of breeding season timing, it may also account for some of the problems that are encountered each year, specifically with regards to infertility and seasonal setbacks. In recognition of this it may be highly profitable to consider some of the scientific data that is available on many aspects of Budgerigar breeding. Seasonal And Continuous Breeders Among the bird populations of the World there is a division between "seasonal breeders" and "continuous breeders". It has been a long held belief that Budgerigars are continuous breeders whose reproductive urges are under constant stimulation, except when unfavourable environmental, maturity or health condition prevail. This now appear to be untrue, as research shows that in the wild Budgerigar there are definite breeding cycles. This can be confirmed by the facts in these wild flocks, breeding occurs in the Spring in the far South of Australia, an area which enjoys are very temperate climate, and in the tropical North it is during the winter. However, in central Australia, breeding takes place in spring, summer and autumn but not in winter. Also, research has discovered that in the domesticated cock Budgerigar there are four definite periods of sperm production each year, with the consequential near barren periods in between. It can be concluded that these cycles of sperm production are also true of the wild bird. In addition to the non-production of sperm, there are a number of other changes in appearance of the mature cock bird that include cere colour, plumage changes, song etc., which may be related to breeding or non-breeding condition. During the non-breeding phase for instance, the birds will moult and their ceres become less intense in colour. Conversely, during the fertile period the ceres are bright in colour. This would indicate that during the non-breeding periods the hormone "testosterone", which is responsible for a variety of secondary sex characteristics, has either considerably diminished or ceased in its production. In seasonal breeders, which Budgerigars appear to be, the production of the hormones that cause breeding condition are constantly in a state of inhibition. To free this, certain exterior factors, known as "release factors", come into play.

15 Environmental Stimulation Photoperiodism Photoperiodism is the effect that the length of day has on the desire to reproduce. In some species of bird the length of day plays a great part in their reproductive cycle, however, for many periodic breeders, such as Budgerigars, this stimulation is not highly effective. In support of this, over a number of years a series of studies have been carried out in the attempt to ascertain exactly what effects daylight has on the Budgerigar. Three of these are quite notable but turn out to have contradictory results. These can be summarised as follows:- Vaugien, 1953 One group of fledgling Budgerigars were exposed to natural daylight conditions and another to continuous light. At day 84 the cock Budgerigars that had been exposed to the continuous light showed very little testicular development and their sperm production was non-existent. However, those birds subjected to the natural light had large sperm producing testes. Vaugien carried out further experiments to confirm this. Van Tienhoven, 1966 A comparison with the effect of natural daylight and a 14 hour light/10 hour darkness regime was set up. This concluded that hens kept in the natural light environment all produced eggs, while only 1 in 12 from the other group actually laid. There were however, differences between the two experiments as Vaugien housed only cock birds while Van Tienhoven had both sexes and these could also hear other birds. Nest boxes were also present. Putman and Hinde, 1973 These experimenters found no difference in egg laying between the effects of natural daylight compared to 2 hours of light and 22 hours of darkness and also 6 hours of light and 18 hours of darkness. These birds were housed in a cage with the nest box in position and the sound of male birds. It can be seen that from the results of these experiments that they were inconclusive, other than to indicate that the effects of light do not play a major part in the Budgerigars reproductive patterns. However, a conclusion can be reached. Vocalisation From these trials, as well as others, it became apparent that for the female, hearing the call of the male is more important than the effects that light may have on her breeding condition. Researcher Brockway in 1969 demonstrated that "male courtship vocalisations can induce ovarian development in female Budgerigars under short daylight conditions, without access to a nest box." Earlier, in around 1960, another investigator by the name of Ficken, concluded that pairs of Budgerigars isolated from other pairs rarely showed interest in a nest box but as soon as the sounds of other pairs were exposed to them, the nest box became the focus of attention. Finally, in 1960, Brockway further demonstrated that males that were played the sounds of other males producing a loud warbling call also made similar calls, there was testicular development and sperm was produced. This same sound produces nesting behaviour in hens but it was the soft warble of the cock bird that was necessary for the stimulation of egg production.

16 So we can conclude that the sounds that the Budgerigar makes play a very important roll in their breeding results but this is not the end of it. There are other essential stimulants. The Nest Box It would appear that the presence of a nest box is equally important for the hen to commence her internal development which will lead to egg laying. In the first few days, it is the song of the cock bird that encourages nest box behaviour in the hen. After entering the nest box, the egg follicles on her ovaries start to enlarge and there is an increase in weight in the oviduct. Albumen begins to form ready to be collected by the egg as it travels along the oviduct and the feathers on the birds brood patch are discarded. These events do not occur until after the hen has been intensely occupied with the nest box for 3 or 4 days. Once begun, the sequential process of egg laying will continue automatically without further external stimulation, after the sixth day prior to egg laying has been passed. The first egg is usually laid after the eighteenth day of pairing and the rest follow at two day intervals. There are two types of egg layers in birds, those referred to as "determinate" layers and those as "indeterminate" layers. Determinate layers, the group in which Budgerigars fall, have a set number of eggs in a clutch based on the number of egg follicles that mature on the ovaries at the commencement of laying preparation. These numbers may vary in each clutch from 4 to 12 but lost, damaged or removed eggs cannot be replaced. However, there is a way in which a Budgerigar hen may be "milked" and that is to remove and foster her eggs as they are laid. By doing this it triggers the next egg laying cycle and consequently as one round finishes the next starts almost simultaneously, giving the impression that she is an indeterminate layer. Supreme examples of indeterminate layers are game birds and fowl, which will lay continually if their eggs are collected daily. Relative Darkness In studies carried out by Hinde and Putman in 1973, where they investigated the effects of the nest box and light on egg production, it was found that one of the features of the nest box that is important in inducing eggs laying, was the relative darkness that the box provides. Also, in 1962 Brockway demonstrated that the position of the hole in the nest box in respect to the perch location is of crucial importance to nest box entry. Females did not demonstrate early nest box oriented behaviour when the perch was 2 inches above or below the hole but did show immediate exploration of the box when it was placed 6 inches below the hole. Once the hen has entered the nest box her actions are aimed at the external cage environment, such as looking out through the nest box hole and preening, and gnawing or standing in the nest hollow. As egg laying approaches so her nest hollow activities increase and once the first egg is laid, 90% of her time is spent in incubation. Where nest boxes were provided with a soft pulped paper nest bottom rather than a wooden concave, hens showed two to three times more gnawing activity. This gnawing peaked at four to six days prior to egg laying but never occupied more than 30% of the time spent in the box. It was concluded however, that this gnawing activity is not essential to ovarian development and does not affect the duration before the first egg is laid. The cock bird will enter the nest box at an average of six days prior to the first egg being laid. They do not participate in the nesting behaviour of the hen, nor do they play any part in incubation of the eggs. Male nest box conduct initially centres on preening both himself and his mate, plus displays of courtship and feeding of the hen. Following the first egg being laid, the cock may position himself parallel to the hen on the edge of the nest box hollow.

17 Mate Selection and Pair Bonding There are two areas of interest under the heading of mate selection and pair bonding and these concern the behaviour of the birds that determine they are a bonded pair and how the bond occurs. This information is very important to the approach to the pairing of our own birds and can assist us in improving our breeding results. The first thing to consider is the fact that bonds made outside of the breeding season, in the flock, will remain intact throughout the year. In terms of mate specific behaviour (ref. Trilmich 1976), this can be identified as:- Mates sit together more often than with non-mates. All males preen more frequently beside their mates, while hens prefer to preen next to nonmates. Courtship singing is not mate specific behaviour, however, the courtship song of a cock is followed by courtship feeding significantly more often when the mate is addressed in song. Beak touching is the most common mate specific behaviour. Begging for food by hens is absolutely mate specific behaviour; all cocks feed their own mates more than non-mates. Note. The only time that a cock is fed by his mate is when he is sick. Hens are inhibited from showing aggression towards their mates but can be quite aggressive towards other males. Cock birds display a beak thrust inhibition towards mates. From the above it can be concluded that both partners can recognise their own mate. In supporting research it has been shown that when it comes to mate selection, it is the hen who ultimately makes the final choice of partner. It has also been shown that, given the choice, selection of a mate by the hen is based on three factors:- 1.Spot size. 2.Ability to distinguish between a normal and a courting voice of the cock bird. 3.An active matching temperament. The hen however, cannot tell the difference between the voice of two courting males. It was also discovered that the "pair bond" takes place on the first day of the cock and hen meeting and will remain intact so long as the pair are together. However, if they are separated for 4 to 5 days, the bond will be broken. Practical Pairing Armed with this knowledge concerning bonded pairs of Budgerigars, we can use it to our benefit. For many years breeders of exhibition Budgerigars who wished to select specific mates themselves, used to fly their birds with the sexes kept separate. The theory was that pair bonds would not develop and breeding results would be enhanced as a result. In reality, what happened was without the presence of cocks to keep them active and interested, the hens became fat and lazy and their performance in the breeding cage suffered as a consequence. As for the cock birds, they gained no sexual experience of the opposite sex during their early development. This also affected their libido and ability to mate. In addition, breeding condition was not always achieved simultaneously across the sexes as it would be in a mixed group. It was common to hear breeders say, "My cock birds are fit and ready to breed but my hens are in a moult." or vice versa. Today we always keep our Budgerigars in mixed groups for the main part of the year. As I said to a group of Australian fanciers, who still keep their birds segregated, on a visit to Adelaide recently, "If you can take me out into the bush and show me a cock tree and a hen tree I will agree with you but until then, the most natural way for Budgerigars to live is in a mixed flock." It has been suggested that in the wild, just prior to commencing to breed, the

18 hens leave the flock on their own and proceed to the nesting grounds ahead of the cocks. Whether or not this is true, my pairing technique allows for this and at the same time breaks any bonds that may have occurred in the flight. The Technique Prior to the start of my breeding season, which is usually at the end of November each year, I prepare the breeding room by cleaning the cages and nest boxes and generally making ready. I have already selected my breeding pairs based on a strategy for quality improvement and variety production. The hens that are to be a part of the breeding team are caught up and placed into their respective breeding cage. Nest boxes are in position and each contain a good handful of wood chippings. As we have already discovered, the gnawing action of the hen does not affect her ability to lay eggs but I prefer them to gnaw on the chippings. that I provide rather than an expensive nest box. Many hens will eject all of the chippings as if they were cleaning out last years nesting hollows but at the very least they get the opportunity to customise, what is to be their homes for the next few months. Once the hens are installed any spare hens are also caught up and placed in stock cages leaving just cock birds in the flights. I usually do this on a Tuesday evening. Cock birds are at their most active first thing in the morning and so these are introduced to their selected mates on the following Sunday morning. With the lapse of 4 days any pair bonds will have been broken and it is most unusual to have rejections. When the cock is introduced, because the hen had become confident in her surroundings she will be pleased to meet him and select him as her mate and she will often stand immediately for mating. As for the cock bird, he can t believe his luck and readily accepts his chosen partner. Although mating may be seen to take place this still does not guarantee full eggs as the cock could be at the low ebb of his fertility cycle. Equally, there will be many pairs that will you never actually see mate, although clearly they must at some time, but still full eggs are produced. The Effects Of Rainfall It can be concluded that distinct recognition and an enduring pair bond are two factors that favour the individuals learning to predict a partners reaction and readiness to act, so as to adjust their own actions accordingly. Also, supporting this is the notion that permanent cohesion of the pairs inside the flock, outside of the breeding season, has probably developed by selective pressures because of the unpredictability of rainfall, which in turn produces favourable breeding conditions. When rainfall does occur, permanently bonded pairs can start breeding immediately and it has been concluded that there is a link between breeding in the wild and rainfall. It was first thought that as Budgerigars do not require drinking water and use metabolic water, they may have needed drinking water for reproduction. However, research by Wyndham in 1980 demonstrated that even without water, Budgerigars in a dry climate area of Australia, still had testicular activity and produced sperm. Further research was carried out to discover that Budgerigars go to nest 3 to 5 weeks after rainfall and this was concluded to be as a direct result of future food supplies. Due to the natural cycle of Budgerigars, giving them periods of sexual inactivity, but also being quick to respond to external stimuli, this would account for the 3 to 5 weeks delay after rain before nesting takes place. Unfortunately, we still do not know what it is about the rainfall that affects Budgerigars but we can be relatively sure that it is not the need for drinking water that is the sexual stimulant. Whatever the cause, which could be brought about by visual, audible or tactile effects, rainfall does stimulate hormone release. In say this, we also know quite positively that Budgerigars breed well in captivity without exposure to either

19 sight, hearing or the feel of rainfall. Finally, an unexplored avenue is the effect of barometric pressure on hormonal stimulation. Physical Activity In his study, The Effects Of Exercise On Reproduction In Budgerigars, Kenneth R Welle addressed the statement, "Budgerigars need to fly if they are to get their needed exercise and be in condition to breed". Although the basis of the experiments carried out left much to be desired, it was concluded that exercised groups as a whole had a much higher hatching rate and substantially improved total weight of young produced than non-exercised groups. In a later experiment it was shown that Budgerigars confined to a breeding cage measuring 16" x 13" x 8" showed only a 40% hatching rate whereas the groups allowed free flight prior to and during the breeding cycle had a 90% hatching rate. Some families of Budgerigars, like people, put on weight far more easily than others. As we have already discussed, housing mixed groups of the sexes together keeps activity as its highest and consequently the exercise rate is high. Whether you keep your birds flighted or caged there is little disputing the fact that fat Budgerigars will not reproduce successfully. Both sexes will suffer from a poor sex drive, mating will be difficult, strain on the heart could be fatal and egg binding amongst fat hens is not uncommon. Bird Room Environment Many breeders appear to be obsessed with the idea that an increased humidity level in the breeding room will improve chick production rates. Experiments carried out at the University of Liverpool in England proved that the environment under sitting hens is ideal for hatchability and developing chicks and is almost entirely unaffected by the surrounding air. Modifying the birdroom temperature and humidity will have no effect on the environment under the hen as she will make any necessary adjustments herself. Also, if the breeder introduces moisture directly into the nesting area this can prove to be detrimental as eggs may chill following evaporation of the water, and moisture is a medium for bacterial growth. In the wild, small amounts of wood chippings are found in the nest hollows of Budgerigars and as already explained, I also placed wood chippings into my bird s nest boxes. If these are used directly from a sealed container they can in fact have a drying effect on the atmosphere in the nest box, which in turn can affect the developing eggs and chicks. To minimise this, any wood chippings that are to be used within nest boxes should be left to breath in exposed air for a week before use. We continue our study with perhaps a subject that is very much taken for granted by the majority of Budgerigar breeders but one, if overlooked, can have serious consequences on the overall success not only in the breeding season but during the rest of the year as well. Nutrition Although a great deal is continually written on the subject of Budgerigar nutrition based on both fact and opinion, there is no doubt that diet does affect egg laying, hatching and the viability of the resulting young. The important aspect is that different items react with each other and may inhibit or be needed as a catalyst. As an example of this, we provide our birds with cuttle fish bone, shell or grit and milk on softfood. Each of these contain Calcium, yet Calcium deficiency is one of the most common mineral deficiencies found in cage birds today. There are two major reasons for this. The first concerns the feeding of tonic seed mixes that contain a high level of oil seeds. The fats in these seeds combine with the available Calcium intake in the gut and then form substances

20 known as insoluble soaps. These cannot be absorbed and wash straight through the bird, Calcium and all. The second of these is brought about from indoor aviaries. Many breeders keep their Budgerigars in the basement, spare room or garage and they never become exposed to the outdoors. The only way in which living creatures can manufacture Vitamin D is through exposure to sunshine. Vitamin D is essential for Calcium absorption. The eventual Calcium deficiency leads directly to a reduction in the number of eggs being laid. If your birds lay soft shelled eggs then nutritional deficiencies should be suspected and Calcium plus Vitamins A and D need to be supplemented. Vitamin A is the most commonly deficient vitamin in cage birds and this leads to decreased hatchability and high chick mortality. It s deficiency has also been linked to reproductive disease. Vitamin D, as mentioned, is required for intestinal absorption of Calcium used in bone structure and egg shell. Improvements in bone synthesis appear to be directly related to an increase in the conversion of Vitamin D to active Calcium absorption through the influence of supplemented Vitamin C in the diet. Also, a possible reduction in early mortality in chicks can be achieved through supplemental Vitamin C during the first 4 weeks of life. Other Deficiencies In addition to Calcium, other mineral deficiencies are common in Budgerigars. These include Zinc, the absence of which produces slow growth and reduced egg hatchability; Manganese, which reduces egg production, decreases hatchability and produces thin shelled eggs. On the other hand, due to all seed diets Phosphorous can affect the ratio between Calcium, Vitamin D and Phosphorus. The correct ratio of these substances is essential in maintaining normal skeletal metabolic and reproductive functions. In a survey of diseases causing death in Budgerigars, it was found that a very high incidence of thyroid hyperplasis (goitre), due to deficiency in Iodine existed. Iodine deficiency stops the production of the hormone Thyroxin which is essential for good breeding results. Deficiencies in Pantothenic Acid in adult birds causes reduced hatchability, as does deficient Folic Acid. It is also important to note that Niacin in cereal grains such as oats, corn and Soya bean cannot be utilised by birds. Deficiencies in these B Vitamins result in poor egg production and poor hatchability. Again in adult birds, Biotin deficiency will result in normal egg production but reduced hatching. As with Vitamin and Mineral deficiency, protein deficiency as in Amino Acids has a dramatic effect on reproduction success. Severe shortage will result in the re-absorption of the ova and termination of egg laying. So there we have it. Hopefully this article will serve it s purpose by helping Budgerigars breeders understand some of the otherwise overlooked aspects of their management that can and will affect the breeding season. It is hoped that you are now sufficiently stimulated to try and incorporate some of these factors into your regime in an attempt to improve breeding results. In closing I would like to thank James Bratt from Florida whose contributory material made this article possible.

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