MICHAEL AND ROSE RAFFERTY

Open Breeders and NEBS members

I recently ventured out into the wilds of Paralowie, a northern suburb of Adelaide, where I visited the home and aviaries of Michael and Rose Rafferty, pictured above. I was ushered into their modest suburban home and was immediately struck by the presence of numerous splendid pieces of art work on the walls and in cabinets around the house—testimony to Rose’s artistic talent and Michael’s travels around the world.

Over a cup of tea and numerous pieces of Rose’s delicious nutloaf, we chatted for a while about their lives and their involvement in the Budgerigar fancy. It became quickly obvious that here were two people who were passionate about their hobby and dedicated to helping others new to it. So how did they first become involved with budgies?

Michael first emigrated to Australia from the UK in 1971 arriving on the 7th January. A native of Dundee in Scotland, he still retains his characteristic and charming accent. Rose, also an immigrant, was born in Holland and came to Australia with her family at the age of ten . Michael is one of those rare people who has a gift with animals, especially when it comes to breeding them. He believes that each one has its own special character. Budgies are no different. If you understand this then you have taken the first step to achieving success as a breeder.

It was in 1997 that the Raffertys visited the establishment of a prominent breeder of parrots at Gawler River, north of Adelaide. They were involved in the breeding of various species of native parrot, as was Michael. It was this person who suggested to Michael that he would probably enjoy breeding budgerigars and find it an interesting pastime. Furthermore, it was suggested that they join a club, which they did—the United Budgerigar Breeders Club. When, about six months later, this club ceased to operate, they joined the North-East Budgerigar Society.

In the early days, Michael and Rose determined not to spend a lot of money on their stock preferring to develop experience first. They were lucky in that they obtained, at reasonable cost, stock from Bill Stowers, John Mulley and other successful breeders. Since then, they have achieved a remarkable success moving through the grades to the position of Open Breeders in a little over five years and having experienced the thrill of breeding a budgerigar which won first place in the Australian National Championships in Perth in 2001. I resolved to find out more about the secret of the Rafferty’s success.

Pictured above are two examples of Rose’s beautiful artwork. While she is equally adept at painting a range of different themes, she has shown special talent in depicting all varieties of budgerigar in vivid colour. These paintings have been used as prizes by the North-East and also for the newly re-formed United Budgerigar Breeders Society of SA (more about that later). Rose also has a talent for calligraphy which she has generously made available to the North-East for completing of Certificates and tickets at the various shows conducted by the club.

So what has been the secret of Michael and Rose’s success? According to Michael he says the following things are vitally important. First, routine. Birds, like humans, like routine. They get used to being fed at the same time and, if that routine is broken, they are thrown out of kilter. This may upset their breeding. Second, diet. Among the staples which the Rafferty’s feed their birds are carrots and oranges as well as a variety of soaked seeds. Surprisingly, Michael revealed to me that he is a great fan of endive in the bird’s diet. This tip, he said, was given to him by an elderly Greek gentleman years ago. This man, said Michael, bred Lutinos the like of which he has not seen since. Judging on their recent successes there must be something in it.

They also maintain a normal seed mix which never goes below fifty percent canary seed. Another tip which he has learned in recent years is the importance of keeping chicks, newly out of the nest, hydrated. He had noted that many of the chicks, on leaving the nest box seemed to go backwards in their development. The answer, he is now convinced, is to make sure that there are bowls of water on the floor of the cage or aviary so that they can easily get a drink. In this way, they will not lose as much water and their overall health and development will be promoted.

Two of the 2003 crop of promising youngsters from Rose and Michael’s aviary.

Breeding budgies is very much a shared hobby with Rose and Michael. They do everything together. Rose prides herself on her visual ability and is responsible for pairing the birds. Michael looks after it from there. They like to handle the birds as much as possible and, from an early age, get them used to human contact. This, they believe, makes them more calm and ultimately they perform better in the shows.

The Rafferty’s have at least five aviaries that I counted. One of these is where they keep their “troublesome birds”. These are birds with which they have had trouble breeding. In this case they pair the birds and let them spend time together and then release them into this special aviary where there are an abundance of nest boxes. Once bonded, the birds tend to stay together and raise offspring. Most of the cocks in this aviary are related, so, in the event of an “accident” the consequences are minimised. Generally, they believe that this is a strategy that works.

In the last twelve months Rose and Michael have taken on a rather ambitious project of re-forming the United Budgerigar Breeders Society. This club has been born out of their sincere desire to help those new to the hobby. This club is dedicated to beginners and every effort is made to encourage members to learn more about the art of budgerigar breeding. Michael is the editor of their club magazine which has many colour pages and seems to have attracted a great deal of sponsorship. These sponsors have all been gained through Michael making personal contact. He freely admits that, being retired, he now has the time to do this. I was shown the Christmas edition of the magazine and, I must say, I was very impressed. One of the initiatives contained in the magazine is a 18 day-cycle breeding calendar— a really useful item for anyone starting out in the hobby. All in all it was beautifully presented and most professional in its content.

I feel sure that the UBBSSA has a great future in providing a necessary service to beginning breeders in South Australia and wish them every good fortune in establishing it.

In closing, I asked them a couple of questions:

Q. What has been your greatest achievement to date?

A. Having a bird win the Nationals in 2001.

Q. What is your biggest disappointment?

When personal interests are put ahead of the good of the fancy in general.

Q. What are your favourite varieties?

Normal Greens & Opalines.

Q. Your hopes for the future?

A. To breed good quality Yellow Face.

Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration in the hobby?

A. People such as Bruce Stafford, John Mulley and John & Barbara Fisher because they are always ready to share their knowledge and help beginners.