FIFE SHOWS 2008>SHROPSHIRE&;SALOP 12 OCTOBER>HULL CANARY SHOW 12 OCTOBER WEST OF SCOTLAND 19 OCTOBER">NORTH WEST 26 OCTOBER>SOUTHERN ENGLAND 2 NOVEMBER ">INTERNATIONAL FFCA 9 NOVEMBER NORTH WALES 9 NOVEMBER NORTH OF ENGLAND 16 NOVEMBER  MIDLANDS (NEW SHOW) 30 NOVEMBER DURHAM 14 DEC WE HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH A SPARROW HAWK AGAIN SWOOPING AT THE BIRDS IN THE OUTSIDE FLIGHT THIS TIME IT WENT ONE BETTER I HAD LEFT THE BIRDROOM DOOR OPEN TO GET SOME FRESH WATER WHEN I CAME BACK THE HAWK WAS HANGING ON TO A TRAINING CAGE IT HAD CAUGHT ONE OF OUR YOUNG GREEN COCKS JUST ABOVE THE EYE THERE WAS BLOOD EVERY WHERE WE THOUGHT HE HAD LOST AN EYE AT FIRST, HOWEVER MARLENE BATHED ITS EYE AND LUCKILY IT WAS A BIT SWOLLEN BUT THE EYE WAS OK! THERE WAS FEATHERS ALL OVER ABOUT A DOZEN HAD DROPPED TAIL AND FLIGHT FEATHERS AND WHERE TOTALLY STRESSED OUT IT TOOK ABOUT TWO DAYS FOR THEM TO SETTLE DOWN ! THERE IS A LESSON TO BE LEARNT NEVER LEAVE YOUR BIRDROOM DOOR OPEN EVEN FOR A FEW MINUTES THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTERUS IF IT HAD BEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOW SEASON!                                  

THE GREEN COCK THAT THE HAWK ATTACKED WON HIS CLASS AT SHROPSHIRE AND HIS SISTER WHO HAD DROPPED HER TAIL FEATHERS AT THE SAME TIME WON HER CLASS. ALL IN ALL A GOOD RESULT!    CRAZY WEATHER WE ARE HAVING, WE HAVE OUR FLIGHTED COCKS AND HENS IN THE OUTSIDE FLIGHT FIVE OF THE HENS SEEM TO THINK ITS TIME TO BREED THEY ARE  TRYING TO BUILD NESTS IN ANY CORNER WE ARE CONSTANTLY MOVING THE NESTS!! DURING THE COLD SNAP WE ARE RESTRICTING THEM TO THE INSIDE FLIGHT, ONE MORE SHOW TO GO WE WILL  THEN START TO PAINT AND FUMIGATE THE BREEDING ROOM! WE HAVE MORE OR LESS DECIDED ON OUR  PAIRINGS FOR THE FIRST ROUND THEN SOME OF THE PAIRING WILL BE SWITCHED FOR THE SECOND ROUND   FEB 2009  TROUBLE  WITH THE  HAWK  AGAIN WE HAVE DECIDED TO CLAD THE FLIGHT FROM THE TOP TO HALFWAY DOWN  WITH PERSPECT SHEETING  WHEN THE WEATHER IMPROVES! MAYBE IF THE HAWK CANNOT SEE THEM IT MIGHT GO AWAY! SUNDAY 15 FEB WE VISITED NEWARK SALES BUYING SOFT FOOD AND MORE NESTING MATERIAL ANYONE WHO LIKES A GOOD  DAY OUT THIS IS A FANTASTIC VENUE FOR EQUIPMENT AND BIRDS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS THIS SALE IS HELD TWICE A YEAR IN NOVEMBER AND FEBRUARY AND THE PRICES SEEM REASONABLE MIXED CANARY WITH VAM PELLETS THREE POUNDS A BAG CHEAPER THAN OUR LOCAL DEALER MARLENE STOCKED UP WITH FOOD FOR HER PET GALAH COCKATOO!! WITH THE FIFES THIS YEAR SHE WILL SHOW THE CLEAR BIRDS AND I CAN HAVE THE REST AND THE BILLS I HAVE BEEN FOR MY PRE -ADDMISSION AT THE HOSPITAL HOPEFULLY I SHALL NOT BE LONG HAVING SURGERY TO MY  SPINE  AND GETTING FIT AGAIN. MAY 2009 STILL WAITING TO GO INTO HOSPITAL,BUT THINGS HAVE GONE REALY WELL IN THE BREEDING ROOM AND WE SHOULD REACH OUR TARGET BY THE END OF MAY! -JUNE BREEDING SEASON IS OVER FOR US OUR TARGET IS FIFTY EACH YEAR WE ARE JUST OVER WITH FIFTY EIGHT THERE SEEMS TO BE  SOME PROMISING YOUNGSTERS  WE SHALL KNOW BETTER IN SEPTEMBER! THE MAJORITY ARE IN THE OUTSIDE FLIGHT BATHING EVERY DAY THEY ARE LOVING THE GOOD SPELL OF WEATHER WE ARE HAVING AND ARE GETTING REALLY  FIT,JUNE27 OUT OF HOSPITAL BACK SURGERY COMPLETE A ONE HOUR OPERATION TOOK THREE AND A HALF HOURS JUST MY LUCK!! MARLENE DID A GOOD JOB LOOKING AFTER THE BIRDS AND GERALD SPENCER CAME EVERY DAY TO CHECK TO SEE EVERY THING WAS OK I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE MANY WELL WISHERS AND EMAILS WE RECIEVED! 2009 FIFE SHOWS-SHROPSHIRE&SALOP110CT  -HULL CBS 11 OCT-WEST OF SCOTLAND 18OCT NORTH WEST25OCT-SOUTHERN ENGLAND1NOV-NORTH WALES 8NOV-N.OF ENG 15 NOV     ----MIDLAND FFCC 29 NOV-FIFE FANCY 6 DEC -  WEST WALES 13 /DURHAM13DEC  -------MID DECEMBER THE SHOW SEASON IS OVER FOR US ALL IN ALL A GOOD YEAR AS   CHAMPION EXHIBITORS   THIS IS OUR  FIRST YEAR SLOW START BUT QUITE GOOD AT THE FINISH THE RESULTS WILL BE ON OUR HISTORY PAGE.- FEB 2010 ALL THE BIRDS ARE IN FINE FORM AND ARE ABOUT THE SAME AS THIS STAGE LAST YEAR AND ARE RARING TO GO .WE ARE TRYING FINE SHAVINGS  FOR FLOOR COVERING THIS YEAR UP TO NOW IT SEEMS OK,THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE BIRDS ARE USEING SOME FOR NESTING! APRIL 1ST  THREE OF OUR FRIENDS HAVE SOLD UP TWO FROM THE LONDON AREA AND ONE LOCAL FOR SOME REASON THEY WILL BE SADLY MISSED HOWEVER THREE PEOPLE HAVE CONTACTED US TO SAY THEY ARE STARTING UP ONE IS A BRITISH BIRD MAN ONE IS EX BORDER AND THE THIRD IS A COMPLETE BEGINNER LETS HOPE THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL,WE HAD THUNDER AND LIGHTNING THE OTHER NIGHT  AND ONE OF OUR YOUNG HENS LEFT HER EGGS WHICH WERE DUE THE NEXT DAY IT WAS A BIT OF A PROBLEM AS ALL THE OTHER BIRDS WERE AT DIFFERENT STAGES  OF BREEDING! WE HAD A YOUNG HEN WHO HAD LAID HER THIRD EGG BUT WOULD NOT HAVE A COCK BIRD WITH HER SO WE PUT THEM UNDER HER THE EGGS WERE COLD SO WE HAD NOTHING TO LOOSE TO OUR SURPRISE THREE HATCHED AND UP TO NOW SHE IS FEEDING WELL IT JUST GOES TO SHOW WHAT ADAPTABLE LITTLE BIRDS THEY ARE. JULY 2010 THE BREEDING SEASON IS OVER FOR US  RATHER TRAUMATIC WE LOST THREE OF OUR BEST HENS AND TWO VERY GOOD COCKS ,MIDWAY THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH NORTHERN MITE HENS NOT FEEDING THE YOUNG AND DESERTING NESTS JUST BEFORE THEY HATCHED WE LOST FORTY CHICKS NOT COUNTING FERTILE EGGS THAT WHERE LOST WE FINISHED UP ABORTING THE BREEDING THREW EVERYTHING AWAY SEED GRIT E.T.C WASHED ALL THE CAGES  WITH BLEACH AND SPRAYED THE CAGES WITH  ARDAP  LEFT THEM FOR A WEEK THEN STARTED AGAIN BY THIS TIME THE SEASON WAS NEARLY OVER HOWEVER WHAT WE DID SEEMS TO HAVE DONE THE TRICK TOUCH WOOD NO SIGN OF THE MITE!!.WE HAVE ENDED THE SEASON WITH FORTY CHICKS!! DECEMBER 2010 WHAT A START TO THE WINTER SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW DURHAM SHOW HAS BEEN CALLED OFF WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR LAST SHOW  ALL THE SHOW CAGES WILL BE WASHED AND PACKED AWAY FOR NEXT YEAR TIME SEEMS TO FLY FROM ONE SEASON TO THE NEXT! THE BIRDS DONT SEEM TO MIND THE COLD WEATHER WHEN WE LET THEM OUT INTO THE OUTSIDE FLIGHT  ITS COMICAL TO SEE THEM SKIDING ON ICE THAT HAD FORMED ON THE BATH TROUGH THEY SEEM A LITTLE FORWARD THIS YEAR FIVE OR SIX OF THE HENS ARE CARRYING SHAVINGS BUT WE ARE HAVING A LITTLE LATER START NEXT YEAR SO WE WILL SWITCH THEM ABOUT IN THE STOCK CAGES TO SLOW THEM DOWN ,WE WOULD LIKE TO WISH OUR FRIENDS AND FELLOW FANCIERS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AND MAY ALL YOUR EGGS BE FULL! FEB 2011 WE ARE TRYING MORE PAIRS TOGETHER THIS YEAR LEAVING THE COCK BIRDS WITH THE HENS TO HELP BRING UP THE CHICKS AS WE NORMALY TAKE THE COCK OUT WHEN HE HAS MATED. WE WILL MONITOR BOTH SYSTEMS AND PUBLISH THE RESULTS AFTER THE BREEDING SEASON!! MID MARCH 2011- THESE BIRDS NEVER FAIL TO ASTOUND ME WE HAD ONE HEN MATED 18 TIMES LAID FIVE EGGS ALL CLEAR ANOTHER HEN FOUGHT THE COCK BIRD LIKE A TIGER HE MANAGED TO MATE IT ONCE! SHE STARTED LAYING 12 DAYS AFTER THAT MATING FOUR EGGS RESULTING IN FOUR CHICKS !! WE ARE HAVING SOME GOOD WEATHER FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR SO WE ARE RE-PAINTING THE OUTSIDE FLIGHT READY FOR THIS YEARS YOUNGSTERS. JUNE 2011 THE BREEDING SEASON IS OVER FOR US,EVERYTHING WENT WELL! NO PROBLEMS  WITH MITE THE PRECAUSIONS WE TOOK  SEEMS TO HAVE DONE THE TRICK (PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE) AND WE HAVE SOME VERY PROMISING YOUNGSTERS  BOTH GREENS AND CLEAR BIRDS WE HAVE FINISHED WITH SIXTY NOT BAD AS OUR TARGET IS FIFTY THE EXPERIMENT WE DID ON FERTILITY THE RESULTS WERE--95% LEAVING THE COCK BIRD IN TO HELP REAR AND A SMOOTH TAKE OVER INTO THE NEXT ROUND AND NOT HAVING TO KEEP TRYING THE COCK AS THE HEN FIGHTS THE COCK IF SHE IS NOT QUITE READY!! THE OTHER METHOD USEING THE COCK AS A STUD --75%  FERTILE SO WE WILL BE USEING MORE PAIRS AND LEAVING THEM FOR THE SEASON NEXT YEAR!! END OF SEPTEMBER 2011 HOW TIMES FLY  THE SHOW SEASON DUE TO START SHORTLY TIME TO FIND OUT IF YOUR SELECTED PAIRING HAVE COME TO FRUITION ALL THE TRAINING HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED ONE OR TWO PROMISING YOUNGSTERS SEEMS TO BE AN IMPROVEMENT ON LAST YEAR ONLY TIME WILL TELL!! JANUARY 2012 WE HAVE SELECTED MORE PAIRS THIS YEAR AS THE RESULTS FOR 2011 WERE MORE FAVOURABLE THAN THE STUD SYSTEM MOVING THE COCKS WITH THREE OR MORE HENS !! THIS YEAR WE HAVE MORE QUALITY COCKS THAT WE HAVE RETAINED, WE HOPE TO GO WITH ABOUT TWELVE PAIR  TO ACHIEVE A TARGET OF FIFTY