Keeping Records: Pen and Paper

One of the easiest ways to keep breeding records is with old fashioned pen and paper. Many breeders utilize notebooks, whether spiral or three-ring, to keep their records. In fact, most breeders who keep computer records also keep paper records, just in case the "computer gremlins" visit, that or your favorite fid knocks over a glass of soda on your keyboard.

When keeping paper records there should be three distinct types of records kept: individual birds, pairs, and chick records. The article at http://www.cockatiels.org/records.html discusses the way one cockatiel breeder keeps records and contains links for a pair record and a chick record.

Each bird should receive an individual record in your database. The bird should first be assigned a number, for example, your first cockatiel would be C1, while your first Senegal might be S1. By numbering individual birds, you will be able to make multiple pairings should the first not work out, or if you want to breed for specific mutations. The individual record should contain the bird's number, name, if its name, band number, a recent, clear photo (for identification purposes), where and when purchased, where and when born, and any medical notes.

The pair record should contain a pair number, for example, the first pair of 2001 can be 1-01, the names/numbers of both the cock and the hen, when they were placed together, a record of clutches, and any notes.

Finally, the chick record should be a numerical listing of all babies born. This list should contain the band number, family band (if used), chick's name/number, and when sold and to whom.

Keeping all of this in a notebook or binder is the easiest way, or if you're computer savvy, you can keep these records on computer, which will be the topic of our next article.

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