variegated birds is best avoided as the result will usually be self birds with a few white feathers. It is difficult to remove the white feather from subsequent generations or increase the white to the level that makes the variegated birds attractive. It is also best to keep the darker coloured birds separate from the lighter birds. My parings are divided into three main groups with the occasional mixing between groups (I no longer breed significant numbers of selfs other than Self Whites):


• Chocolate & Whites • Fawn & Whites, Chestnut & Whites • Dilute Fawn & Whites, Silver & Whites, Pink-Eyed Whites, Dark-Eyed Whites (UK dilute strain), Grey & Whites (various grey colours), Dilute Chocolate & Whites.


I currently place most of my breeding pairs in cages in mid to late November, with the cock birds usually allowed to settle in the cage for about an hour before adding the hens. The early chicks can be rung with NBFA closed rings which an official ring issue date of January 1st. Hay is placed in the nest boxes and some hay is also placed on the cage floor, it encourages them to enter the nest box. As my main focus for


Half fronted nest box usually used for Bengalese


breeding is the show bench, I like to start with to start with my oldest birds, trying to get one more season out of them before they are retired. Proven birds are often better at raising chicks than first time


18 BIRD SCENE


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