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I am well on my way to being a keet owner. I got a great cage today for $15 from someone! Nice big cage.......now to get the bird......

That's great. If your in the area why don't you attend the FL 2 day budgie show/exhibition? That way you can meet breeders from the FL area. I hear there will be some TX exhibitors there as well. This should be a fun event and you will get to see many beautiful budgies on the show bench.

Treasure Coast Budgie Club & South Florida Budgie Society

>>>>2 Day Budgie Show<<<<<
August 11th & 12th, 2007

Port St. Lucie Community Center
2195 SE Airoso Blvd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34984
(772) 878-2277

Contact Person: Joe joe6L@comcast.net

Divisions: Champion, Intermediate, Novice, Junior

Judge:
Chris Snell - BS (from England)
Bill Mitton - BAA & WBO

This event is free and open to the public. If you are in the area come out to see beautiful budgies on the show bench and meet local breeders.

Thanks for the info. Wish it were closer! Do they actually sell birds there? I am so hard pressed to know where is a good place to buy a bird and what is not a good place.......I mean how do you differentiate a breeder from a bird mill?
Before I started on these forums, I would've just bought one from whereever......but now I am trying to do right and have no idea how!

Angela

Mercy4Free wrote: Do they actually sell birds there?

I am so hard pressed to know where is a good place to buy a bird and what is not a good place.......I mean how do you differentiate a breeder from a bird mill?

Before I started on these forums, I would've just bought one from whereever......but now I am trying to do right and have no idea how!

Angela

Selling birds at a bird show/exhibition is not the purpose of the event. However, some breeders will bring excess stock to the event to sell.

Exhibition breeders are NOT bird mill breeders. Bird mill breeders are interested in quantity not quality at the least cost. White millet and water are all bird mill bred birds are fed. These birds are never given an off season from breeding. These birds are bred to exhustion/death. The results are inferior quality offspring.

Many exhibition breeders do produce 100 or more chicks a year, though these birds are individually cage bred. This is the ONLY way to keep accurate pedigrees on budgies since they are opportunistic breeders. Size is the major factor when exhibiting. Controlled and limited breeding is critical. Over breeding produces small/poorer quality birds. Exhibition birds are on a VERY healthy diet- fresh fruits, veggies, whole wheat bread, pellets, seed, egg food, etc. All of this is in hope of producing the next Grand National winner.

Some exhibitors are real "road warriors." They go home and change out their birds for a fresh show team and head back out on the road to the next show across the U.S. They take care so as not to over show their birds - over exhibited birds don't breed. What’s the point of having a winning bird if it can not pass these traits on to the next generation?

To find a good "local" breeder join a bird club and net work. You go to bird show/exhibition and meet the breeders. You can try checking with your avian vet he/she might know of local breeders in the area that use his/her service. You can check out your local bird mart/bird fair/bird sale and look at the stock that is offered for sale. You can tell by looking what is quality and what is dinky junk. In all honesty, going to this show would be the best way to meet FL English budgie breeders.

The next best opportunity to buy great budgies from all over the U.S. in one place will be at Long Beach, CA at the 2007 Grand National Budgie Show on the Queen Mary October 5,6,7. This is the end of the year - big blow out show. Breeders all over the U.S. show against each other. Saturday night awards for the show are presented as well the the top 10 people who have won Challenge Certificates are announced and presented with awards. The budgie auction is held after the awards. This is a special group of budgies donated by champion breeders. (apart from all the budgies offered for sale) All of these to be auction are to be current year birds (young birds). The revenue from the auction goes to help the next club hold next year's Grand National in a different state.

For more info on this show go to the Budgerigar Association of America’s web site and click on Show then click on the current year’s listing. http://www.budgerigarassociation.com

Kerry