April 2023 Meeting

IPSWICH B.S. APRIL MEETING

by Ghalib Al-Nasser & John Gibbens, joint Publicity Officers
There was a good attendance of nineteen members at the society’s April meeting. The society’s
chairman, Ghalib Al-Nasser, introduced the guest speaker Ian Standley, immediate past president of
the London & Southern Counties BS and current secretary of the Hastings BS. Ian joined the
London & SCBS in 1959 as a young boy and the B.S. in 1985; a main B.S. Panel Judge and a
successful breeder and exhibitor.
Ian gave a power point presentation about “infertility in budgerigars” and said that the purpose of
this presentation is to be thought provoking. It is not meant to scare you off keeping budgerigars or
suggest that budgerigars are impossible to breed. Ian hoped that it will encourage you to ask
yourself could one or some of the following influence the fertility of your stud and can you change
something to improve fertility?
Ian went on to say that there are numerous factors that contribute to infertility and listed below are
some of the causes.
1) Bad management: – Poor feeding, (softfood supplements needed) Cleanliness, Erratic routine,
Boredom, Selection of known low fertility birds, Birds out of condition, Stressful
surroundings.
2) Failure to mate, due to bad health, nutrition deficiencies, particularly Vitamin A, D, E and
calcium. Vitamin E for fertility, Calcium for good eggshell production. (Calcium should not
be given on a regular daily basis in water.)
3) Incorrect lighting and temperature, too bright/too dull, too hot/too cold, or too erratic.
4) The Weather, Climate Change, The Moon.
5) Disturbances: – Cats, Vermin, Outside lighting switching on and off.
6) Perches, loose or polished, or wrong size.
7) Tired birds: – After showing, Lack of food and vitamins.
8) Pairing birds out of condition, Birds not fit and ready to move into the breeding cycle due to
moulting.
How do we pair up for best pair bonding? When do you let them into the box?
9) Condition not synchronized, Budgies have a 10/11-day period when no or little sperm or
ovum is produced. Change the pairing, hit the right cycle and eggs are fertile.
10) Immature parents: – Underdeveloped, erratic mating.
11) Pairing at the wrong time for your stud, does your stud have a right time to pair up for
maximum fertility?
12) Aviary too quiet: – Colony birds need noise, a radio is often on in many aviaries for this
reason.
13) Male infertility, can be caused by physical problems, but very often the cause is stress.

14) Buff feathering: – larger feathering on our birds today gets in the way of mating, Trimming
may help. Guide feathers do not do anything; it is the hens sucking action that is important to
successful mating.
15) Genetic factors, i.e. Inbreeding, can cause weak sperm and low fertility.
16) Pairing two cocks, one that is giving the indication it is a hen by the colour of its cere.
17) Overweight hens and tumours cause infertility, fat or growths around the vent constrict the
oviduct.
18) Highly-strung hens tend to be temperamental and scatty, often not sitting regularly or
breaking eggs.
19) Box bound hens, once in the box, never come out to mate.
20) Internal layers, malfunction of the shell gland can cause internal laying of eggs, extra
calcium may help.
21) Old age, fertility reduces with age.
22) Deformities, damaged feet/wings can make it difficult to mate.
23) Infected eggs, eggs are porous, bacteria can get in, and droppings are a breeding ground.
24) Infections and illness: – Watch your birds, in particular hens, which often you cannot see
properly when they are in the breeding box.
25) Drug effects: drugs can cause infertility. i.e. Emtryl for Trichomoniasis causes temporary
infertility.

FINALLY

REDUCE STRESS, ENSURE YOUR BIRDS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION, PRACTICE GOOD

MANAGEMENT

AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BREEDING.