VISITING RICHARD VAN DER WESTEN IN MADE (NL)

Transcription

1 VISITING RICHARD VAN DER WESTEN IN MADE (NL) By: Piet Steeman, Belgium. In January 2014, at the Champion Show in Nieuwegein, I met with Richard van der Westen. This young man of 21 years is from the village of Made (NL). He stood by his own large information desk with transport containers. (Beautiful wooden boxes in all sizes and types). You could instantly see that this concept of transport containers was carefully designed. They are sturdy carriers that are easily stackable and have adequate ventilation. This is the type of pigeon carrier I had been looking for. When a pigeon turns in an ordinary wicker or aluminum basket there is a risk of damaging the feathers during transport to exhibitions. Especially damaging flight and tail feathers. So, I ordered from Richard two wooden containers, each with six compartments. Today, a beautiful spring day in Mid April, I am on my way to pickup the pigeon carriers... The Van der Westen family lives in Made. Surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Brabant, a stone's throw from the Biesbosch, which is a wonderful fishing area. Richard had announced that the entire family is engaged in the rearing and care of chickens, ducks and songbirds. That's why I took my camera to give

2 the Aviculture Europe readers an idea of extensive collection of animals of the Van der Westen family. The garden is spatially divided into two main parts. There is a large covered shed on the left behind the house where the chickens stay. There are three different chicken breeds: the Onagadori, which in good living conditions may obtain a tail up to eight feet long; German bantams in white and black, and Old English Game bantams in various colours. Left: Cream partridge Onagadori rooster with hens in various colours. Below: Partridge Onagadori roosters. Right: White German Bantams. Above: Black German Bantams. Right: Old English bantam rooster.

3 You do not see Onagadori chickens often in the Netherlands. Richard told me he got the Onagadori from his grandfather, Mr. van Geloof. About 10 years ago, his Grandfather had purchased them at the Onagadori Centre in Germany and sometimes they are taken to an exhibition in Germany. These Onagadori are a pure breed; you should never crossbreed them with a Phoenix, because then they will lose the breed-specific characteristics, including not moulting of the tail feathers. The tail grows about 75 cm to 1 meter per year. Above: The longest tail they ever bred on an Onagadori rooster. Right and below: White Onagadori rooster. It is said that you should never put the 'show roosters' in the breeding pen; otherwise their tail feathers will moult. But it is more specific the hens will stand on the tail and then damage the tail. So, if they are allowed to enjoy their lives together with some hens, the tails will not grow super long. The breeding and rearing is just the same as with other chickens. The Onagadori is actually a very nice and calm chicken. Those Richard has are

4 not bantams, but the large variety fowl. The hens lay quite a lot of eggs, but not all will hatched. They actually breed only a few new chicks each year, just enough to maintain the breed for themselves. Sometimes when they hatch too many they are sold, but that will be a rare occasion. Unfortunately the Onagadori are not recognized in the Netherlands, so they cannot be in an exhibition here. The Songbirds The right side of the garden consists of three separate aviaries where the ducks and songbirds stay. The bird groups consist of valuable collections of song thrushes, black chest thrushes, grey-backed thrushes, goldfinches, green finches, ordinary finches, hawfinches, keep finches, European starlings, siskins and redpolls. Above: A part of the aviaries. Right: Goldfinch (l), Hawfinch (r) Below: A nest.

5 Richard says the feeding is a secure job when the young birds are born, because according to a strict feeding schedule, the young birds need earthworms, pinkies and/or starter crumbs. Right: A thrush and a finch. Below: Crested Mynas. The Ducks The duck groups consist of various collections of teals: ringed teal, Garganey, green winged teal, Chilean teal, marbled duck, cinnamon teal, Baikal teal, bluewinged teal, hooded merganser and white-cheeked pintail. There is an automatic water supply and circulation for the swimming canal. Beautiful plants provide green vegetation throughout the year.

6 Below, left: Hottentot teal with their ducklings. Also there was another space for the quails: European, Japanese and Chinese quails. And next to the quail aviary was a spacious birdhouse with a Eurasian jay, well known for its mimicry. This one was even able to imitate the barking of the dog!

7 All these birds are taken care of by the two brothers Nick (to the left) and Richard (to the right), and also their parents make a significant contribution to the hobby as the whole family is involved. A remarkably object was shown to me; a green metal cage on a high pole that was formerly used by their grandfather. Before going to a show, the Onagadori rooster was put in the cage, so the tail could dry expertly after washing and grooming. Right: The cage, formerly used for expertly drying the long tail of the rooster. Now we will return to the opening lines of this short story. Richard van der Westen has studied interior construction and is now employed in that sector. All free time is spent making transport containers, especially for rabbits, and also for raptors, pigeons and chickens.

8 Also, nest boxes in all sizes and types are constructed. Even quarantine cages for sick animals are available. Lately Richard also has begun designing garden furniture in wood of the best quality. Left: A very practical wooden box with plastic inlay to store hatching eggs. They can be turned with one simple movement. Richard is building his own future and is very motivated to start his own business. As I got to know this young man, I am convinced that he will succeed. I have been working for thirty years now in education, and such a strong motivation and enthusiasm I've never seen before in a youngster. Hence, we wish Richard every success in his business. Anyone who is interested, be sure to take a look at the website of Richard van der Westen, which is Everything can be made and, if necessary, delivered. Copyright 2014 All rights reserved by the Aviculture-Europe Foundation. This is a publication by the online magazine English edition ISSN: You are not allowed to copy, distribute, send or publish these texts or photos without our prior permission in writing.