Can anything else be told about yellow Magpies?
Is not everything already known about them? A description of the standard can be avoided, since every breeder may already have knowledge of it. What remains to write about the Magpie are details and the big 'How', the requirements for the standard can be achieved.
Germany's, Britain's and Holland's Magpies originated from Denmark. Today's Magpies have their form from the breeding team Bracey and Cooke, who crossed French Bagdettes with their Magpies right after the turn of the century. The animals which originated from them formed the basis for today's modern Magpie breeding.
The question would be: How can top birds be bred? There is no basic answer I could give, but I can provide you with appropriate steps from my own experience which you could consider on your way to success. Who decides to breed yellow Magpies, should be advised that first of all the breeding as line breeding at the beginning should take place with two to three pairs. This does not mean that the breeding should start with average birds and to hope for good birds by coincidence, but to acquire birds only from successful, long-time specialized breeding. In order to consolidate the desired consistency of the breed systematically, an exact and diligent record should be taken. Only this way a targeted line breeding programme can be conducted. Of course, only healthy animals should be taken into consideration. Many Magpie breeders believe in the wrong assumption, that the more breeding pairs are used, the more offspring. That might be true in individual cases, but assumes spacious breeding places with several partitions.
What damage has been caused by crowded breeding places? Bad breeding results are connected to crowded breeding places. That is why quantity should not be set above quality. Every Magpie breeder should only consider using the best of all birds for breeding. This way one can easily breed with four to six pairs. The breeder should appoint himself/herself as judge and should exclude all blemished birds from breeding. In the following are a couple of hints for the compilation of breeding pairs: firstly get the best two birds together, then the next two and continue with this method. In order to prevent a fading colour of the yellow Magpies, one likes to breed with red animals. From my experience I can tell that red female pigeons would qualify ideally for that.
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Uwe Held's article continues in June and July 2010 issues of Feathered World.
