Barbara Moizer tells

Jorge de Pina Story (part 2)

(Budgerigar World Magazine, February 1996)

JORGE De Pina's reason for becoming a Professional Budgerigar breeder is a fascinating story. He is an a economist by profession and worked for a large Brazilian company as a financial adviser. He had risen through the ranks to top management level, but he had been fedup with the life for some time. He hated the business suit, office environment and the interminable business meetings. He accepts that he is addicted to Budgerigars, he can stand all day long just looking at them.

About nine years ago the company told him he was be transferred to another state to work. It would have meant uprooting his precious birds, it would have meant even more hours away from them. He thought carefully, he knew he was taking a chance, but he decided to hand in his resignation, stay in Ri'o and set up on his own account as a financial adviser and at the same time begin to import birds not just for himself, but to sell to other Brazilians. All went well until the beginning of 1990 when disaster struck. Inflation in Brazil had gone wild. It was standing at 100% per MONTH. The positioiy called for desperate measures and a desperate measure was exactly what the then president of Brazil took. The banks were closed for a few days and when they reopened, pratically all the money had been removed from private accounts, a balance of only around £500 per 1 person remained.

One day a man, could be a millionaire and the next day almost poverty stricken. Jorge lost on two counts. First all his money had been confiscated and second, his business disappeared - who would want a financial adviser when noone had any money? Jorge had gone to bed a financially sound man and awoken a poor one - but still with a successful man’s responsibilities. He had a large house to maintain, a family and servants to keep, school fees for the children, and so forth. Now there was no choice. He had often told himself that he would be happy working all day, every day with his Budgies, now he had to prove it. He worked hard that year and by the end of it he was exporting birds all over South America and further afield. No business suits now, jeans became his uniform, but he succeeded and he was happy at his job. By the end of the year which had started so bleakly, he realised that far from being a catastrophe, the enforced change of occupation had been a blessing in disguise. Since then the confiscated money has been returned to its owners and inflation in Brazil appears to have been conquered.

Birds sent back to England

In 1991, Stan Moizer, as B.S. president, was invited to judge the Budgerigar World of Brazil show. He was so impressed with Jorge's stud that he arranged to import the first de-Pina birds to England and has regularly been back for more. Since then, many British breeders have bought Jorge's birds until now his trading with Britain is very much a two way affair. Breeders from many other nations have learned about the quality which is obtainable in Brazil and now P216 birds, and P6 the ring number of Fernando de Pina, Jorge’s son, are flying in many countries in the world where Budgerigar breeding is active.

Jorge still visits England twice every year, staying for several weeks. He comes to visit his friends, to:see our shows, to buy birds, to get new ideas and to keep in regular contact with the fancy in England. He would never be able to make these regular visits without the help of British fanciers, particulary Fred Wright, and Fred’s mother who provides his 'second home'. and he would like to express his very sincere thanks to all his British helpers.

One thing which has surprised Jorge on his buying trips to England is the huge divergence of prices asked for birds. He will visit one fancier who will ask him for £300 for a bird which interests him and then visit another who will offer a bird of exactly the same quality for £50. He accepts, however, that if a person has put a great deal of work into producing a good bird, he is entitled to ask a high price- he does not necessarily get it, of course. However, Jorge feels that a few breeders who say that,their birds are worth, thousands of pounds are going "over the top" because he does not believe that any Budgerigars are worth that amount.

Breeding season Brazilan style

Brazil, being in the southern hemisphere, has the opposite seasons to ours, their winter months are our summer months and so on. The breeding season starts in June and carries on into February of the following year. Jorge's preparations for the breeding season would be daunting to most of us. He has 150 breeding cages of which he normally uses between 90 and 100, breeding about 600 quality youngsters plus another20 cages for foster parents. Even in a Brazilian Winter, arrangements must be made to keep the birdroom cool. Jorge has had a pipe fitted to the roof of the birdroom (which stretches for about 60 metres). The pipe has holes all, along it and when cold water is piped through it it provides a continual 'waterfall" running over the roof, keeping the inside much cooler than it would be otherwise. In addition, the birds are regularly sprayed. Since we, in this country, are beginning to have a lot warmer weather than we used to have in the past, perhaps we shall have to learn from Brazilian on how to keep ourbirds healthy.

Some of the additives which Jorge uses regularly are Entrodex, the pro-biotic, in the drinking water three or for times a week. He uses three products once a year, either beforeor after the breeding season. He treats all the birds, as a preventative and has very, very little illness in his flock. He- uses Harkanker as a preventative of Trichomoniasis, Amprolsol to make sure that no coccidiosis occurs, and Bulvermin to guard against worms. Jorge is very strict about hygiene, he does not think it is possible to keep a healthy stud unless everything is kept clean and germ free. He uses Vanodine, Virkon S and a chlorous based Brasilian product.

The flights, seven in the main birdroom alone, are washed out every other week and all the perches scrubbed. with antibacterial soap, the kind used in hospitals. The perches in the breeding cages are changed every fortnight so that the old ones can be thoroughly washed and disinfected. All water is filtered and their changed every day. A successful breeding season starts with good management in Jorge’s opinion. He is in the fortunate position of having assistants to carry out, this work but all aspects of hygiene is something which he checks personally, he thinks it is so important.

One job which is always Jorge's individual responsibility is the pairing of the birds. No one else takes any part in that chore which takes a full week. He likens his method of pairing to human beings. If someone was very short, he would pair them with a tall person to balance out that trait and so it is with. his birds, he studies every feature, balancing out one with another and he counts himself very fortunate to have developed that eye for the perfect bird, without which he does not believe that any serious breeder can hope to achieve and, more important, to sustain success. He says that so often, the birds themselves will tell you how good they are, they know. they are good and show you - but he does warn that ou have to be careful with this, a really good "showman" can deceive - careful observation, time and patience are required.

The breedffig season routine

At least a month before the breeding season, the cocks and hens are separated into diferent flights, both cock and hen are put into the breeding cages at the same time with the nest box already inin position. The eggs are numbered and careful watch is taken when the chicks hatch so that youngsters can be fostered to allow each pair to raise three chicks per round.

Generally, three pounds per pair are taken. The chicks are usually 40 days old when tey are taken from their parents and put in stock cages. They stay in the cages until they are two months old befor going to the flights.

One thing to which Jorge attributes his phenomenal success is constant outcrossing to keep hybrid vigour in his stock. However, when he produces a few real "stormers", he sometimes practises in-breeding and will go as close as half brother to half sister or father to, grandchild, mother to son - but this is only when he is using birds of absolutely outstanding quality. He does have a dream of one day using a few pairs for in-breetng and trying to produce bird of outstanding quality until his stud all look like "peas in a pod", but as yet that is in the future.

Dozens of B S. members introduced

Jorge would love to be able to show his birds in this country, to take them to all the area society shows, and best of all the B.S. Club Show, but everything is against it. Our shows aye all held in the Brazilian breeding season, the distance is so far, the birds would have to be in Quarantine for six weeks and except for the B.S. club show, the B.S. rules would not allow him to enter shows even though he uses B.S. rings. He hopes that some day he will find a way around all the difficulties and will be able to see his birds on our show benches. Jorge is a great supporter of the B.S. He has introduced a huge number of Brazilians into the B.S. as can he seen by number of Brazilian addresses in the overseas membership list. Some of them don’t speak a word of English but they, like to see the photos in the magazine and th like our rings. The Brazilian rings are not of such good quali ty.

The softfood recipe

Mxed wth a tumbler of mixture below.

KILO OF EACH

Wheatgerm flakes,

Quick Quaker Oats

Yeast Powder,

Soya Milk Powder,

Neston

Notes by Author

It is impossible to obtain "Neston" anywhere outside BraziL The nearest equivalent I can find is Cow and Gate Mixed Cereal (a baby food).

Powdered soya milk was another difficult product to find but I have now found a health shop which stocks it, it is made by "Foodwatch" of Taunton.

Quick Quaker Oats seems to be going out of stock but Readybrek or Tesco Hot Oat Cereal contain the same ingredients.

The recipe as above makes a mixture with the consistency of thick cream but we could not get our birds to eat it (even the ones which came from Jorge). I make a wholemeal loaf into breadcrumbs, dry them and then process them into a fine powder and rub in 2/3 of a cup (7 fl. oz.) into the "cream". It makes it into a crumbly mixture and the birds love it - and thrive on it. Perhaps it is because our birds are used to a crumbly mixture.