Article published September 2000

Stock selection is an ongoing process, with more experienced fanciers knowing instinctively how they will pair up, almost as soon as their current young birds leave their nests!

EXAMPLE PAIRINGS BEING CONSIDERED BY THE AUTHOR.

Shoulder, top end, legs and position - perhaps these two unflighted birds,(above) a clear buff cock, and green marked yellow hen would be compatible for next season.

(below) Unflighted green yellow cock and marked buff hen - the hen is a shorter bird, but with feathering which may help the yellow cock!

There are many ways to determine pairings, but each should be made with a specific objective in mind. It is no use mating two canaries together just because they are a yellow and a buff. They must possess compatible characteristics, be complementary to each other, and be capable of producing birds that excel as individuals. You need to plan for your future success.

Advantages

This is in complete contrast to the less experienced fancier, who may be pairing first and foremost to produce a choice of birds to select from for the following year. This fancier can be likened to an angler, casting bread on the water with no real idea of what he may land! As a hobbyist of course this approach is fine, but is most likely to lead to a gradual worsening of the stock, away from the ideal, over a period of time.

What is needed is a thorough knowledge of the pictorial model, so that pairings are made which will lead the fancier nearer and nearer to producing that ideal bird. Fanciers who exhibit regularly will have learned how successful each individual bird is, in comparison to its peers. These birds will have been judged competitively by established fanciers, and their knowledge can be used by Novices to help plan their pairings. The ideal we are all aiming for is a show bird which itself produces show birds, when paired correctly.

Too mANY BIRDS

If you have obtained you initial birds from a reliable source, the chances are that they are already related, and may have been selected as balanced pairs by the original breeder. This places you on the first step of the ladder to forming your own strain.

If starting from scratch, I would suggest that the new birdkeeper needs no more than two cocks and four hens. More established Novices need perhaps six cocks and eight or so hens. In each case the idea is the same, pairing the best cock bird with two suitable hens, with the intention of producing daughters to pair back into the line, next season. Ideally of course, the cocks should be related and the hens also, but this is not always possible. Using two hens allows for a greater choice of young females the next season, with the best hens from cock no 1 paired back into cock no 2, and vice verca. Establishing two lines means that you are setting up a stud which will be capable of continuing without the introduction of fresh blood for several seasons, whilst ultimately each individual bird will become closer linked, genetically. Breeding results will be more predictable, as each season progresses.

This method is fine if based on sound stock initially, but remember that line breeding fixes bad points as well as good points - the better the initial stock, the quicker will be the progress in your search for the ideal bird. If the initial birds are not good enough, progress will be that much slower.

Different approach

In the foregoing, I have not mentioned the birds' markings or any specific exhibition points of the ideal Yorkie. Best advice is to study the model, interpret it through your exhibition results, and select your pairings accordingly. Whatever colour comes out in the nest, rest assured there is a show class waiting - with no consideration given to markings anywhere in the ideal standard!

If you have chosen wisely, the effects of your pairings will be far more reliable than merely fishing - or using the face value method of pairing. You will have begun to establish your own line of birds, which over several generations may develop into one of our leading studs. The birds fitness, conditioning for breeding and your own individual management methods will all impact upon your breeding results, but the major consideration is in your choice of pairings. If progress is slower than you would like, then you may need to make a purchase - either going back to your original source, or approaching others whose birds you admire, and which display the points lacking in your own stock. Procedure with your purchases follows exactly the same patterns as above, with you remaining the master of your own destiny, through careful selection.