| Tom: | My father have always had birds so I am brought up with birds but when I was 7-8 years old my farher took me to a bird show and here I see my first show bird and I feel in love instantly. So we bought a pair after we breed with them I wonted to get really good breeding birds. I started to visited so many breeders I could and after a visiting many breeders I bought birds from a breeder wich bird I liked, my father bought from an other breeder. After two breeding season I showed for the first time and had best beginner and 2:e best in show. The seccond year I had best opp.sex in show. Since this show I have had with only two exeptions have had major wins at every show I have showed since. |
| Tom: | Its about 70m2 big with two big flights, I have 67 breeding cages and two flightcages for the youngsters, My bird room have 6 big windows so my birds get very much natural light. I have two big seedbins wich also are working area I have a zink with water. I have 10 tubes of flourseant light with two tubs in each this gives very much light during the winter. |
| Tom: | I have at the moment 150-250 birds but when my dad had to stop with birds due to bad health I had more then 800. I hope with in 2-3 years keep about 300 - 400. I have mostly hens 60-65% are hens I like to have two to three hens on each cock. I breed a lot of good hens so I tend to keep more hens and cock are much easier to buy. I hope to breed 150 to 200 each year. When my dad still was in the hobby we use to breed about 600 youngsters a year. |
| Tom: | I give my birds a good mixed of seed from natural. My mix is 36% canary ( many diffrent sorts) 20% senegal 11% algier 6% japanese 6% mohair 4% reed 4% white 2% niger 5% oat. The also get a good mix of grit and also vitamineral (a reed powder given separtly) also a product from natural. The also get twice a week baby powder done with water in a plasticbowl. The also get egg with carrot and an vitamin- powder. The get fresh water from our own water wel. I dont make any big changes before my breeding season they only get these thing more offen. When my bird are breeding the get egg and carrot with vitamins until the chicks are leaving the nest I only give them a mix of baby powder wich have every thing the need and the baby powder tend to get them to a better start when starting to eat them self. |
| Tom: | I start about August- september ,we get our ring in Oktober,if the birds are in condition. The most importent for me when pairing up is condition, if the birds isnt in condition I dont even try to pair up. It would be intresting one year to pair up in spring time I think one would get alot better results. |
| Tom: | I dont really change that much I give them more often baby powder and I give them also egg and carrot. Iam also using softfood and the recepy wich I got from Gerald Binks (one can read about this in Binks new book wich I really can recomend) Normaly I dont chang my recepy but this one sounds very intresting and isnt that diffrent from what I use to day. |
| Tom: | My breeding preperation starts just after I stopt last years breeding season I then go throw all youngsters and the aim I had with these pairings and then I start planing for next years breeding. Rest of the year I plan for the breeding season and when I am geting close to the season I start to look on the pairings visioly, most of the pair are all ready in my mind wich I been thinking on for the last year. When it comes to colour I dont really think about it, except when it comes to spangle and dominent pieds I dont pair cinnomes to spangle or pieds other views I dont really think about colour,only quality. |
| Tom: | I would say line breed my pairs are offen cousin to cousin and some times half brother to half sister. Closer pairing I havent had good experince with. So I dont do them, I try to builda family wich is a alike as possible and strong genetic. The better you know your birds the better result you will get. |
| Tom: | I wont give antibiotics on a regular basic sins bacteria tend to get resistent to antibiotic and the day you really need it it wont work. The only ting I do is taking droping and put them under microscop. There I can see if any thing is wrong |
| Tom: | I belive that only get out what you put in. I spend a lot of time with my birds. And I know exactly what kind of bird I would like to breed and I have a good Idea on how to get there. And Iam lucky to been traveling around the world to see and judge birds that way have I seen some of the best birds in the world wich made it easy to know exactly what kind of bird I would like to breed. And then I have been very lucky to get hold off very good outcrosses from Jo Mannes and Jac Cuyten (Holland). This have also help me very much. I must say Iam very impressed by Jo Mannes, he is a budgie genius. Probably the best breeder ever in our hobby. |
| Tom: | I think you as a beginner go around and visit as many breeders you can to learn how good birds look like, and then decide what kind of birds you would like to breed. When you know what you wont then you start buying from the breeder that have what YOU NEED. Dont buy from breeder just because every one else do, breed your own line and remember YOU WILL ONLY GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN |
| Tom: | Yes, when it comes to judging have have been very lucky to have judge in many countrys, very often twice or more. Some countrys I have judge in: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, England (inkluding the B.S Club show), Brazil,Israel, and South Africa. I have also judged the AZ - Bundesschau wich was a really great show. I would really like to judge the Europen show in Germany. There is many places I would like to judge in - Japan is one, Australia an other and Thailand is also a interesting budgerigar country. |
| Tom: | I wont give that judgment, but I have done my share of winning in scandinavia and visitors are impressed so there must be some quality in my birds |