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Record Keeping For Your Birds

© Mary Wilson

This is the start of a series on record keeping for bird owners. Perhaps you have a single bird, or maybe you have a house full of birds. Either way, records should be kept on each bird in your flock.

There are several types of records to keep, and not all records are suitable to all bird owners. For the pet owner, a notebook or folder listing pertinent information, such as dates of last vet visits, hatch date, and purchase information may be sufficient. Those with multiple birds may wish to use a filing system or one of the computer programs available.

We should begin this series with the reasons why people should keep records on their birds. First, keeping records lets the bird owner keep track of her bird's health and major life milestones. For example, if the bird has a medical problem, knowing the last vet visit and the results thereof will help the owner and help the vet.

People who keep multiple birds will have records on each bird's purchase price, medical history, and breeding information. For those breeding birds to show, records become vital, as breeders will want to know the lineage of birds exhibited so as to plan a breeding program.

Records can be kept on paper or on computer programs. I hope through this series of articles to explore some of the different record keeping methods.

For the pet owner, however, there are some items that are essential to have recorded. First, the band number of your bird should be recorded, as well as pictures of both sides and possibly of front and back for identification. If the bird has a microchip, that information should be recorded as well. In addition, the bird owner should keep medical records of vet visits and illnesses, as well as purchase paperwork, if received.

Record keeping may not be the favorite pastime of bird breeders, but it is important to the hobby. I'm looking forward to further discussions on this topic with you.

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