Pearce Flint budgerigars

This is an interview/Breeder profile I did for another website. Enjoy.

Name - Pearce Flint
Contact - Ipswich, Queensland Australia.

Which club do you belong to? - I belong to the Ipswich Budgerigar Society

What are some of your accomplishments as a breeder? - I have bred some good quality birds these last few years. But mainly its the knowledge I've learnt. I've learnt so much about breeding, nutrition, genetics and much much more. The knowledge I have learnt so far in the hobby amazes me every day.

When did you get started in the fancy? In 2002

Where did you obtain your first budgerigars? - I obtained my first birds from a friend who breeds exhibition birds. They were excellent quality back then and to this day they still are. They were not the be all end all of my breeding program but they played a huge part in building it up. I have 2 left out of the 6 I bought in 2002, all birds sucessfully bred and raised chicks. I still have most of the chicks to this day.

What are your favourite varieties? - I breed alot of yellowfaces, spangles and opalines. These are my favourite varieties and if I get somewhere with any mutations, these will be it. I love spangle markings and spots, combined with a yellowface cobalt bird is pure excellence.

How many birds do you breed and house each year? - I have around 120 birds at the moment. I recently culled around 50. I hope to breed atleast 50 chicks per year, last year I had 65 and the year before that 59.

What are some of your breeding practices? - At the start of the season I choose 8-12 cocks and 8-12 hens. The hens are placed in one holding cage, the cocks are placed in another. The cages are placed side by side, so the birds can see and hear eachother, but not mate. They are separated like this for 2 weeks, this prevents any unexpected chicks and it helps boost the breeding process. After 2 weeks has passed, I choose the pairs, add the hen into the breeding cabinet first without a nest box. 3 days later the cock is added to the breeding cage aswell as the nest box. The birds are then left in the breeding cages, once 2 weeks have passed the birds should have laid an egg. I leave them in the breeding cage for 4 weeks, if they do not lay eggs, they are split up or released. I let the pairs do 2 clutches per year, straight after eachother. that way they get a big break in between seasons.

Tell us about your aviary - I have 3 aviaries.
1 Baby flight. This flight is for the babies 6 weeks to 4 months of age. Some are released earlier, some later, it depends how their first moult is going and how they are coping. The flight is around 1 meter depth by 1 meter width by 2 foot high. It is attached to my breeding room, it is insulated and rat/water proof.

1 Adult flight. This is around 3m by 3m by 2 m high. It is insulated, water and rat proofed, double wired with tiered perches. It also has 2 whirly birds for added insulation. The floor is cement, with a drainage pipe to wash away the mess.

1 Breeding shed. This shed is around 3m by 3m by 2m in height (same size as the adult flight). It is insulated with housing insulation bats and whirly birds. The floor is cement with a drainage system to wash away mess. Their are shelves for the breeding cages to sit on. Aswell as a sink, a bench and a hospital area. I currently have 6 breeding cages in here, 1 hospital cage, 3 show cages and 2 holding cages. I have other breeding cages that are not in use at the moment, if the time comes when I get more pairs, the breeding cages will be added accordingly.

Describe your breeding cages - My breeding cages are made from high strength industrial twilweld. It is basically a very strong wire that can be bent if needed. They have 2 perches, front to back, 1 square 1 round. The nest box attaches to the outside at the front, where a dropdown tray folds down for the birds to sit on. The cages contain feeders, finger draws, water gravity feeders, calcium and iodine bells, supplement dishes and many more.

What feeding tips do you suggest - I try to give my birds as much fruits, vegetables and eggs as possible. This means I need to use less supplements. I still however use calcivet, f vite and a few other supplements. I try to keep the calcium levels as high as possible, aswell as protein and vitamins. The best food makes the best budgerigars in my opinion.

How do you treat ill birds? - If I find a sick bird, it is immediatley put into the hospital cage. The hospital cage has a 40 watt light for heat, the bird can move closer or further away from the heat if needed. The hospital cage is all wood with 1 cage front, this keeps the heat in. The bird is then examined for symptons, IE - Dirty bottom, weeping eyes, breathing problems, fluffed up etc etc. I then determine if a vet trip is necessary or if I have the medication needed at home, I treat and leave the bird in the cage until it is better.

Any tips?
Yes. A slightly acidic water helps decrease fungi growth which in turns decrease disease and problems. Lets say your water is a level 8 ph, it is alkaline. By adding a few drops of apple cidar vinegar, the ph will go down to under 7 (neutral). This makes the water acidic, which decreases fungi growth. I find about 5 drops to the litre is very good, the water doesn't have a bad taste but it still has an excellent effect.
Raspberry cordial is also an excellent cleaner for birds, 10 ml to the litre.
Chamomile tea is excellent for respiratory infections with birds. Boil up some tea and let it cool down, add it to the cage and it will do its job.
The more you put in to your birds, the more you get out.

About me - I've been breeding birds for around 7 years. I am currently breeding exhibition birds and starting out showing. I've made alot of friends in this hobby, aswell as gained so much information in all aspects. I have a website with a few articles made by me for all to view. http://pf-budgerigars.webs.com/


Pictures have been added as links -
light green 07 recesive pied cock
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12947.jpg

09 cobalt hen
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12812.jpg

06 grey green cock
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12586.jpg
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12591.jpg

greywing skyblue 09
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12640.jpg
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12501.jpg

09 skyblue cinnamon
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12474.jpg

yellowface cobalt 09
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12492.jpg

06 dark green cinnamon spangle
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12419.jpg

08 texas clearbody
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12433.jpg

09 greywing skyblue
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq248/Pearce88/SDC12231.jpg