Copyright 2007 Cockatiel Foundation, Inc.
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ARTICLE
| REWARDING GENES ON THE SHOW BENCH © 1990-2003 LINDA S. RUBIN Adapted from an original article appearing in the American Federation of Aviculture, AFA Watchbird magazine "All Rights Reserved" |
| Introduction Why are some exhibitors more successful on the show bench while others are not? Are they luckier than most or do these breeders know special techniques or elusive secrets for continually breeding the top birds in show? Over the past several decades, prizewinning cockatiel breeders have learned what other successful livestock breeders have come to know. If they wish their birds and future offspring to win at shows they must follow a prescribed breeding plan. Champions are not made by accident or wishful thinking. A commitment to a sound breeding program is essential for continued success. Selective Breeding True, there are those who may have an occasional win with a magnificently groomed cockatiel, but what about the offspring, why would they fall short under the same panel judges? After all, these chicks were reared from an award winner. The reason may be a simple matter of breeding technique and the establishment of a family line. As breeders of exhibition stock, livestock breeding offers us two choices. Do we wish to produce offspring that retain the superior traits of their parents, or would we gamble with unrelated birds and continually take a chance on a game of genetic roulette? There is only one way to guarantee the uniform resemblance of individuals and that is through selective breeding, which includes properly used linebreeding techniques. Agreeably, the practice of inbreeding, used haphazardly, has created disasters and should be discouraged for use by the novice and those not well versed in these techniques. However, there is a clear difference between careless, or uninformed, inbreeding attempts and the techniques of responsible linebreeding, and every professional aviculturist and hobbyist should make the effort to learn how they differ. Linebreeding Briefly defined, linebreeding is the planned breeding of pre-selected related birds, which excel in identifiable superior traits with the intent of breeding, or “setting,” these chosen traits into a family line. The aviculturist skillfully applies methods of linebreeding in order to form an exhibition stud composed of related family members. These family members retain their excellent qualities and show uniform family characteristics that are recognizable from generation to generation. However, just as crucial to this plan is the continuous culling procedure (selling off) of any bird exhibiting or inheriting an undesirable trait, or fault, which will adversely affect the line and its future progeny. Systematic Breeding It is generally held that it is necessary to breed as wide or divergent a gene pool as possible in most species of parrots, because many parrots are more difficult to rear in large numbers in captivity. It is therefore necessary to breed less similar, unrelated individuals in most parrots, finches and softbills, or any threatened or endangered species, because the goal is to assemble as large a gene pool as possible to stock all a species available genes in its future bank of survival. However, divergence of genes in cockatiels is not as crucial, because at this point in time we raise such vast numbers of cockatiels that we have a very large gene pool of unrelated stock. In fact, when utilizing the rules of genetics for cockatiels on the show bench, divergence of type may not even be appropriate. This is why it is generally advised not to purchase birds from too many sources for foundation stock - no matter how excellent such birds may appear. By using too many birds that are unrelated to one another, only dissimilar birds will be produced. Eventually, by continually breeding unrelated stock, or outcrossing, the original qualities you are trying to set into your exhibition line will be lost. Yet, producing a divergence of type or unrelated birds may, in fact, be useful when first breeding in order to produce a few exceptional individuals on which to base a family line. Strict culling will become necessary to guarantee that such traits remain dominant in their inheritance. Another more commonly used option is to simply purchase superior breeding stock from a linebred stud to use as foundation stock from which to begin. The production of such excellent traits from generation to generation, therefore, will only be accomplished through linebreeding techniques (i.e., the systematic breeding of relatives). Rather than divergence of type, here, the object is to produce uniformity within the stud. And, it is here, through the planned, systematic breeding of relatives that show winners are consistently produced, decade after decade. Record Keeping Record keeping is critical to successful linebreeding techniques and it is here that the breeder’s own studbook comes in handy. The qualities and faults of individual birds may be written down in the records and assessed. A formidable wealth of information, custom-tailored to one’s own aviary and future breeding program is there for the taking! Cockatiels should be banded with aluminum, seamless, closed bands for accurate identification. Meticulous record keeping, review and assessment of your own studbook will provide you with the information you need to know for future breeding seasons. Setting Dominant Traits Dominant traits are qualities, or faults, that are inherited by the young from their parents and identifiably passed down in each generation. For example, desirable exhibition cockatiels have such notable characteristics as: large size, good substance (width and breadth), equal proportions, clean masks, dense crests, large round cheek patches, clear white wing bars and other attributes that may all be recorded. Examples of inherited faults might include: dropped wing carriage or crossed wings (sometimes this is behavioral), a bald spot behind the crest, an undershot beak, or a poorly colored or scantily patterned mutation, etc. |
| "Providing Resources to the Cockatiel Community" The Cockatiel Foundation, founded in June 2007, began out of a growing need in the avicultural community to offer its members programs for pet owners, breeders and exhibitors, in addition to services never before addressed in the cockatiel community. CF is establishing a Cockatiel Adoption & Placement Program to hrlp in the placement and rehoming of cockatiels to new, permanent "forever" homes. CF offers a wealth of information on color genetics, mutations, and breeding research. CF is addressing the needs of our Youth Members in the CF Youth & Education Program developed for tomorrows' next generation of cockatiel afficionados. Please visit our unique LOST & FOUND Center to report and reunite birds with their owners! Joining the Foundation When you join the Foundation as a Member, you will receive many benefits, including the Cockatiel Chronicle and have access to the Members' Only Yahoo Group for chat, PHOTO CONTEST, Members' Articles & more! Please read about our Membership benefits and peruse the website. COME JOIN US! |
Cockatiel Foundation, Inc.
c. 2006 Alyssandra Young
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