Hi,
What do the judges who judge budgies go by? Does anyone know anything about how to get started and what kind of birds you need to get to enter? Or do you breed the best ones and then show. How does this whole thing work?

Julie

Do you mean breeding to compete in Bird shows? I believe that only pure English Budgies qualify to compete.
I will let Daisy come and chime in as she used to do that, ha.

You have to look for the show in your area and register (check at the American Budgerigar Association site). There are different divisions: junior (for children under 17), then novice, beginner, intermediate and champion and you need to win three titles with three different birds to go to the next division but there is also the "rare" division where anybody can compete as long as they have a rare variety. Each division has classes which is nothing but the different color mutations plus a young bird one (for birds banded the same year). The judges usually choose ten birds that conform to the standards best (there is size, conformation -head size and shape, tail, body, plumage, etc- as well as posture -how the bird sits on the perch- temperament -bird should be calm and alert, etc) then they go to three birds and out of them, the champion for that class is selected.

It takes years of creating blood lines and perfecting the offspring before you win anything... unless you go to a champion breeder and buy one already 'made' or simply luck out with a pet store bird (but that is unlikely) -LOL

They have to be exhibition English birds, so no 'pet type' and no just ordinary English either. The birds are judged on their head shape, posture, location of the eyes, their blow (how big and puffed out it is), the depth of the mask, how they 'act' in the cage (sitting correctly) and a few other things similar to that. Oh, the positioning of their wings too, they cannot be crossed over

You can either buy champion birds, or breed your own. If you choose to buy, you will be paying a lot of money, but then breeding is also difficult and very time consuming. You may not get a winning bird for years and years and years

As Bibi said, you should join a society/club and try and go from there if you want to get into it. They can offer advice and help you get set up