Part
III: The Rules
by Doug Bedwell
Whenever I
encounter something new with my birds, whether it
is a problem, a question, or something exciting
and unexpected, I have two rules for myself that
I always strive to follow.
1. PAY
ATTENTION.
2. TRUST YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT.
At first glance,
these rules seem simple and obvious, and yet, I
am astonished at how often I catch myself failing
to follow them. Almost any time I have a serious
problem in my aviary, I can look back at what
happened and see where I’ve failed to follow
one or both of these two cardinal rules.
Rule #1: Pay
Attention.
As Yogi Berra once said: "you can observe a
lot just by watching." Take some time to
actually watch your birds interact with each
other. I’m not talking about checking them
out when you change their food and water.
Actually sit down from some inconspicuous vantage
point and watch your birds’ behavior. Given
a little time, the birds will eventually start to
ignore you, and start interacting with each
other, and chances are that you’ll learn a
lot about how birds are doing, whether your pairs
are getting along with each other, and what sort
of dynamic is running through your flock.
But even in your daily routine, you need to pay
attention to details. Is the seed cup on one cage
always totally empty when you check it? Chances
are good that the hen is kicking out all the
seeds to make a little nesting spot for herself.
I’ve not had many hens lay eggs in seed
cups, because the cup gets disturbed often enough
that only a really tenacious hen will feel
comfortable laying eggs there, but It is very
possible for a hen to starve herself or her mate
by throwing out all the seed so there is never
any to eat. Adding a second seed cup, one too
small for her to get into, can help prevent that
sort of tragedy.
This is just one example of the sort of thing
that you can notice "just by watching."
I could list other examples, but it would be
impossible for me to list them all, and useless
for me to try. The point is that if you take the
time to observe your own birds, you can learn
much more from them than you can from this
website or any book about lovebirds.
Rule #2: Trust
Your Own Judgement.
This is a hard rule to follow, especially when
you’re not confident in your own knowledge
or ability. Still, it is absolutely crucial that
you follow it. Remember that every lovebird is an
individual, and no one knows your birds better
than you do. This doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t seek the advice of books,
veterinarians, or more experienced breeders, but
it does mean that you should carefully consider
what advice seems right for you and your birds,
and what advice does not. It is a sad fact that
there is almost as much bad advice available as
good. Just because a book or another breeder has
told you something, it doesn’t mean it is
right for your birds. If you find yourself
questioning something someone has told you, make
the effort to find out more. If it still
doesn’t seem right to you, it probably
isn’t right for your birds.
Read and learn
from every book you can, but always remember that
what you learn from your own birds is more
important than what you learn from any other
source.
TOPICS:
Do
I Really Want To Do This?
The
Rules
Cages
& Cagewire
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