Ron Payne's Budgerigars - The Moonraker Stud - Exhibiting
Exhibiting Budgerigars
I only show at a few shows these days due to pressure on my time from work, judging and grandchildren! I like to exhibit at the shows whose members support my own show in Swindon. My normal show team would average about ten birds, I see no point in taking birds just to fill the classes. The bird has to have a chance of winning its class, therefore birds with flight feathers or tails missing would not go.
Mostly I exhibit cocks only, perhaps an odd young hen, rarely adult hens. The only exception to this is Swindon show where I will bench about 30 birds regardless of condition to boost numbers. I am never happy about this but the Budgerigar Society dictate it that way - it is a numbers game when it comes to your local society.
Because of the pressures on my time I do not like exhibiting at Saturday shows, I really wish that clubs would consider Sunday shows where they are on a Saturday or even think about going back to two day shows, although from my own experience I know that the cost of hiring halls would prohibit that for most clubs.
Before I leave for a show I always ensure that there is a clean cage for the show team to return to with fresh seed, water and grit. Additionally I like to include a millet spray that has been soaked in water to enable the bird to rehydrate itself quickly.
In my almost thirty years with budgies I have been lucky enough to have won many awards through the sections, ccs and special prizes. I have won best in show at Norwich, Newmarket, Somerset (twice) and Swindon. The win at Norwich was very satisfying as it was my home club for ten years during my time spent living in East Anglia. The twist in the tail was that I had moved back to Swindon and had to travel back there for three years before I did it! I was also felt pleased to be asked to judge at both Norwich and Waveney Valley shows after I qualified as a full panel judge. Although a long way to travel they were both very gratifying days. I have to say that I always feel honoured to judge at any show to which I am invited, whether it be a full championship show or a local cage bird society.
Perhaps my favourite time of the year is when I get around to sorting my breeding team for the following year. This is usually completed immediately after the main show season and always throws up a surprise in that you may find a bird that has changed out of all recognition. At this stage I put every current year bird into a show cage to assess its worth for the forthcoming breeding season. You have to be ruthless if you are to progress but the numbers retained can vary with the success of the previous breeding season. I will not keep any bird, regardless of its parentage, that shows obvious faults such as nipped neck, dropped tail or is narrow in the face. A short-masked bird is often moved on during the breeding season as I have no use for those, and they will not improve on that particular feature.
I have two inside flights (one connects with the outside flight) which I used to keep cocks and hens separately. Nowadays I keep the adults in one flight and the current year's crop in the other. Only just before I pair up at the end of November do I separate the cocks and hens now. The reason for this is to get a better view of the individual sexes prior to pairing them. Upon completion of the pairing up process, usually by mid to late December, I put the remaining birds in one flight together to enable me to thoroughly wash down and repair, if necessary, their living quarters. I also then make a decision about which birds will stay in reserve and the remaining birds are sold.