budgerigar breeding in a flat . spare room converted to a well-laid-out birdroom . by H Hough . when first I decided to take up budgerigar breeding I was in no particular hurry to start buying birds . the first thing I did was to glean every scrap of information on the subject , from every possible source . bookshops , both new and second-hand , began to recognize me on sight , the local librarian knew just what I was after , and quite a few fanciers must have begun to dread my approach in my insatiable quest for more and more facts to add to my growing store of knowledge . all the time I made notes on feeding problems , odd habits , minor complaints and their treatment , all the do&apos;s and don&apos;ts , etc , until I began to feel that I was in a position where I should certainly be able to cope with most of the difficulties which might reasonably fall to my lot . now was the time to exchange theory for practice , and I began to consider how and where I was going to house my stock . useful packing-cases . being a flat dweller an outside aviary , with or without controlled flights , was out of the question , but I did possess a small spare room , and this , I decided , should become my birdroom . from a local warehouse I was lucky enough to obtain a number of excellent packing-cases each measuring 3 ft x 18 in x 18 in . after laying the lids on one side , I lined the top , back and sides with hardboard , and drilled a 1 1/2 in hole high up at one end of each to furnish an entrance to the nest-boxes . to give a better finish to the nest-box end of the cage , I screwed on some natural cork bark , cutting an irregular hole to correspond with the nest-box entrance hole . natural knothole . this was to represent the natural knothole through which wild budgies enter their nest , and I must say that this addition has proved its worth in many ways . when I later introduced my birds to their new quarters , it was amazing how quickly the pairs rounded and smoothed off the holes to suit their own requirements . the bark also gave the birds something on which they could satisfy their penchant for gnawing , without causing any material damage to the structure of the cages themselves . it also , I should add , formed an easy means of re-entry , when the chicks made their first tentative exit from the nests . it is amazing how quickly and well a young chick can scuttle up a piece of bark , and the constant fluttering of their wings during this operation must certainly help to strengthen them in preparation for early flight . the next job was to fit a 1 1/2 in shelf at the back of the cage , with a series of carefully spaced holes in which I could hook the seed , grit and water vessels . a clock-spring clip was screwed below the shelf to hold a piece of cuttlefish bone , and I made a bottom tray from hardboard and beading . a narrow rail , under which the tray slid smoothly , also served as the bottom fixing for the cage fronts , which I bought ready made . all I had to do now was to attach the nest-boxes , which I fastened by means of carefully measured nuts and bolts , taken right through the end of the cage and the cork bark . the other essential was a good-sized flight cage , and this I made from multiple plyboard to my own design . it stands at eye-level ( on two strong brackets ) and is 4 ft long , 2 ft high and 14 in wide . the roof is covered with 1/2 in mesh netting , and the upper 20 in of the front is composed of two sliding glass panels . this cage is capable of being divided into two halves , by means of a sliding hardboard partition . I can recommend this type of cage , as it is impossible for the birds to throw out any seed husks , and I found that they very quickly get used to the idea of a glass front . working table and desk . the cages were arranged on tables and shelves opposite the flight cage , and right in front of the window I placed a table which was to serve as both a working table and office desk . a fitted cupboard in the room acts as repository for food and accessories so that the whole place can be kept neat and tidy . all cages are cleaned out daily , and I do think that this is a must when a number of birds are kept indoors , especially during the breeding season , when the hens &apos; droppings are loose and copious , and , if neglected , will soon give grounds for complaint . before obtaining my birds , I gave careful consideration to the problems of diet , not only for adult birds but for the future chicks which I hoped to raise . I started my food list with best Spanish canary seed , to which I added 25 per cent of white millet . this was to act as the basic diet , to which I would add natural greenfoods as and when obtainable . among these I carefully listed chickweed , seeding grasses , lettuce , carrot , apple and groundsel . all these items which I still offer when obtainable contain most of the essential vitamins , and together with the basic seed and grit seem to satisfy all the nutritional needs of the adult budgerigar . for feeding mothers , I decided to add a mixture of soaked groats and canary seed , with the addition of a little wheat germ , which I found was easily obtainable in the form of a wheat germ baby food . I have maintained this diet since with excellent results . the only addition I have made is an occasional slice of orange , of which my birds seem passionately fond . care and study . at last the time had arrived to purchase my first stock of birds , and this involved a great deal of study and care . there could be no slip up here , or all my preparations and hopes would have been in vain . I wanted good birds in every way - in head , type , body shape , spots and stance . and I knew full well that I had to stand or fall by my own judgment . well , I paid my money and made my choice and time alone will tell what errors of judgment I have made . so far , I am reasonably satisfied with the results . I have always been fascinated by red-eyes , so I suppose it was only natural that my first birds consisted of two pairs of Lutinos and a beautiful albino cock . ( at least I would have no worries about spots . ) the Lutinos were of good size and colour , while the albino had just a faint suffusion of blue on the breast . well-spotted pairs . in a strong light , his body and head have a definite pinkish glow , which makes it a most attractive bird . from another source I obtained a well-balanced pair of grey greens and a pair of light greens , all of good type and well spotted . my next was a young , untried cock , sired by a light green cock out of a whitewing cobalt hen . he has an ideal stance on the perch , and , with his yellow face , white wings and peacock blue back and tail , he certainly caught the eye . visually he makes the grade . after some consideration I also bought his parents , with a view to breeding back to stabilize the strain . a nicely matched pair of cobalts , and a pair of greys , together with a well-coloured violet cock were my next buy , and , last of all , I purchased a large greywing &amp;sol; normal white hen . how these birds were eventually paired , and the many snags that arose during the first breeding session , will form the basis of my next article . this , I hope , will prove that there is sometimes more to be learned from a mistake than one at first realizes . junior bird league . do n&apos;t be disappointed - when your promising winners are beaten , says R F Warlow . may I retract from my promise to follow up on other subjects to deal with a matter which I know to be of interest to readers of this page ? I am going to write about border canaries , but part of the lesson may be applied to other varieties . the subject is show birds and , in particular , those that have been amongst the winners . now some fanciers , both young and old , seem to think that once a bird has beaten a number of other birds , providing that it meets the same company again it should go on winning . indeed , good judges have been criticized , without just cause , when past form has been upset . and it is true that the opinions of judges sometimes differ , but it is not surprising that some exhibits which are very close together in merit , sometimes change places as the show season progresses . sound judgment . many fanciers are not good judges of their own birds , although they may show sound judgment when assessing the merits of those of other people . that , after all , is a human trait which most of you will understand . I know , because I have passed through the phase when all the birds in my birdroom appeared to have all the virtues of great winners . apart from looking good in a stock cage , a show bird has to pass an exacting test in which its virtues and its temperament are well and truly tried . a bird which has all the necessary physical attributes may fail , either because it has been proven that it can not be trained to show itself off properly , or may be because it does not like shows . when I was a young enthusiast I liked nothing better than to listen to more experienced fanciers talking , and I sometimes found it good fun . not only did I find that birds are admired when on show , I also found out that they come in for some searching criticism . I was always interested , and I still am today , to note how the opinions of experienced fanciers differ when they are assessing the merits of a bird . a really excellent bird usually meets with approval , but there are a few who can not be convinced even by the best . maybe they lack knowledge of what is required or perhaps they are just prejudiced , and , of course , that is a fault that everyone has to guard against . let us look at the standard of excellence for the border canary which is laid down by the specialist clubs . the standard says that the position of the bird should be semi-erect , standing at an angle of 60 degrees , and that the bird should move in a gay and jaunty manner with full poise of the head . out of a total of 100 marks which are to be allocated , 15 are awarded for these attributes , and it has to be remembered that a bird has to earn each one of them when on the judging bench . suffice to say that many birds which have appeared under me have earned very poor markings for carriage and position . how about the future ? I wonder whether you have heard it said of a popular winner : it is good today , but I doubt whether it will win in five or six weeks &apos; time . an experienced fancier can often make such a prophesy , simply because he has noticed something which is in the course of going wrong . returning to the standard again , it stipulates that the plumage should be close , firm , fine in quality , presenting a smooth , glossy , silken appearance free from frills and toughness . in a single word , we refer to these virtues as quality . early in the show season quite a number of birds win which appear to have excellent quality , but the discerning eye can already see that some of the winners are already carrying too much feather . birds continue to add feathers for some time after they appear to have completed the moult , and these additional feathers can change the appearance of what appeared once as a good show bird . 