THE AMERICAN BUDGERIGAR SOCIETY

Abstract

The American Budgerigar Society (ABS) is one of the oldest small livestock societies in the United States. ABS was founded in Indianapolis,

· Indiana, in August 1941, by four individuals with a common interest, the budgerigar.

It is a hobby that offers opportunity to all individuals including the very old, the very young, the disabled, and many other people who are excluded from other animal husbandry hobbies. Fellow breeders and exhibitors represent a unique group of people who are friendly, helpful, and genuinely interested in promoting the objectives of the society.

The members of The American Budgerigar Society are people who enjoy keeping, raising, and promoting the popular cage-bird known as the Budgie (Parakeet). We are ordinary, everyday people from a variety of walks of life, who have a common hobby.

ABS is dedicated to helping people to successfully feed, care for, breed, exhibit and generally enjoy their budgerigars. We promote all aspects of the budgie hobby and our members have a wide range of interests. Some keep a single pet bird or a small group of birds for their personal pleasure and satisfaction. Others feel the most important part of the hobby is breeding birds and developing a strain of similar looking birds. Exhibition and good natured competition attracts many, while preserving the gene pools of the rare and color varieties is the goal of the specialist breeder. Whatever your interest, ABS is a valuable resource for information and expertise which is generally difficult to obtain elsewhere.

The ABS Bulletin, our bi-monthly publication, is loaded with news of events and people throughout the hobby. It contains articles giving information on aviary maintenance, nutrition, genetics, breeding, disease, show preparation and numerous other topics. The

 

fact is, we keep you informed of new products, new research, new varieties and much, much more!

Members of ABS are assigned a breeder code, which is theirs alone. They are then entitled to purchase ABS bands. The ABS closed bands, identify each bird by the breeder code, year and individual number. In this way, every bird in an aviary is easily identifiable and traceable throughout its life span. The ABS bands will also allow for the keeping of very accurate breeding records, a must if one is to successfully breed exhibition budgerigars. Budgerigars exhibited in ABS shows must be banded with a closed band registered to the breeder/owner of the birds.

We also present an opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and enjoy the company of likeminded hobbyists. Much of our success can be credited to a casual atmosphere where ordinary, everyday people from a variety of backgrounds can interact and share their knowledge and ideas!

The ALL AMERICAN, which is hosted each year by an affiliated society, is the American Budgerigar Society Annual Show. It is attended by ABS members from all over America as well as by members from other countries. A win here, goes a long way toward establishing you as a respected breeder/exhibitor of budgerigars.

Most of the affiliated societies also hold an annual show. In fact, some have been doing so for over forty years! Show dates and locations are listed in the ABS Bulletin and on the ABS website. Details such as location, contact person, number of divisions, judge, etc. are included.

If you have one bird or one thousand, our club is for you. It is not necessary to be an expert at breeding or exhibiting Budgies to become a member. Even if you just have a family pet and an interest to learn more about budgies, you qualify for membership! See what we are all about! Visit our web site at http://www. ABS1.org. •

 

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