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INTRODUCTION: This article is
based on my own experiences and knowledge. I have kept many different
species of birds, visited hundreds of different types of aviary set
ups, lectured at many avian societies, as well as have been involved in
depth with club societies, spending many years on committees, so over
the years I have absorb many different ideas, seen many talents,
successes, and of course the many heartbreaks that are associated with
the keeping of birds in general. Being involved with birds in the way I
have, has definitely given me a very good insight into many peoples
different challenges, whether they have been highs or lows.In my
opinion, there are a few important factors that should be thought about
carefully before you venture into bird keeping, breeding, or showing,
or whatever the case may be. Things such as family or work commitments,
these things can have a huge impact on the time you can spend with your
birds. Of course having a dedicated partner involved with you, a
partner who will help with the work load is a great advantage to some,
but to the unlucky ones who’s partner is not in the slightest
interested in birds, then this is not such a luxury. These people need
more time to do the chores necessary to keep their birds in top
physical condition; losing birds can become very costly and
heartbreaking, therefore making things even more difficult to handle.
People need to try and find a good formula, the right formula for them,
this is not always easy, but it should be well thought of first before
starting the long haul involved in the correct keeping of aviary birds.
Again, this is my opinion, I believe there are four noticeable types of
bird categories, this doesn’t include conservationists or
bird dealers, so the four types I am referring to are as follows, 1)
bird keepers or collects, 2) bird breeders or farmers, 3) bird
showers’, and 4) aviculturists. People may be thinking that
all those categories I have mentioned are indeed all aviculturists, but
I believe that this is not the case. Let me explain my theory, A bird
keeper or collector, is some one who simply does that, keeps or
collects species of birds they either wish to keep or can afford to
keep, just to admire their beauty or value, no matter what the cost. A
bird breeder or farmer, breeds birds to sell for a profit,
it’s a business, he sells to anyone no matter what, if some
of the stock doesn’t breed in a certain time frame, then they
too are sold off to anyone. People that show their birds, either buy or
breed particular bird species just for the simple fact to show them off
against others to compete for glory and some kind of rewards, whether
it be money or trophies. I am not implying that those types of bird
categories are doing any wrong, but I do believe that the aviculturists
in my opinion are the true bird enthusiasts, the true bird lovers, the
true bird fanciers, the ones that spend the most time with their birds,
maintaining them, seeing it through when times get tough, trying new
methods, they can understand that some birds take longer to settle in,
bond and breed then other birds of the same species do.
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