Profile
George Jenkins
In 1994 I decided to start with budgerigars again having previously kept budgerigars as a junior in my parents’ back garden.
I converted the 8x6 garden shed into 9 breeding cages and an inside flight, not knowing how the neighbours would take to the noise of the birds.
I purchased three pairs of birds and was ready to take on the budgerigar world. This proved a lot more difficult than I initially thought, Year 1 - no eggs, Year 2 - 6 eggs but none were fertile, purchased some more birds and finally cracked it in Year 3. I produced my first youngsters, now I was ready to take on the show world.
I couldn’t wait to show my birds, which I did at the Keith show. What a disappointment, suddenly finding that for the last three years I had been using pet type birds.
Not to be deterred I approached Donald Burnett from Fife and managed to
purchase some birds, and have been a regular visitor ever since.
Further purchases from Ian Gordon, Bob Quigley and four years ago a visit to
Harry & Don Hockaday have enabled my birds to come on leaps and bounds,
culminating in winning a young bird CC at the club show in 2008.
In 2001 I was fortunate to be visited by Mike Main. Mike has spent most of
his life in Racing Pigeons and having won nearly everything that could be
won was looking for another avenue to channel his interest; he was also
looking to add a bit of colour into his garden. He had already
purchased some canaries and was looking to add some budgerigars as well.
Over the next few weeks having been grilled by Mike on the breeding and
showing of budgerigars you could see his competitive streak coming out and
it wasn’t too long before Mike was fitting breeding cages.
Another ex pigeon man, Paul Thompson, also moved to Portlethen and this
culminated in a weekly get together amongst the three of us, usually at
Mike’s where the world of Budgies and Pigeons was put to rights on a regular
basis.
Unfortunately for the budgie world the Pigeon bug was too strong for Paul
and he sold up and went back to the Pigeons, a great loss to the budgerigar
hobby.
In 2008 I started a new job which involved a great deal of travelling which meant that I could not give the birds the attention they would need and was thinking of giving up. Mike knew of the problem I faced and he suggested that we form a partnership; this was greatly received, so in 2009 we formed the Main & Jenkins partnership.
Visitors welcome by appointment. Quality birds for sale at reasonable prices and advice given to beginners.
Mike Main
I have kept Racing Pigeons and can trace one of the families back to the
1950s, this being a line which my father started when he started with
pigeons. Having been very successful in the racing world and winning
my fair share of races within the north east and nationally, I was looking
for an alternative interest and in 1998 I purchased some budgies and
canaries to put into an external aviary within my garden; this was generally
to add a bit of noise and colour to the garden.
I joined the Aberdeen Budgerigar Society in 2001 where I met George Jenkins. George stayed in the same village as me, just south of Aberdeen, and I arranged to go round to George’s to look at his set up and birds.
I was amazed at the amount of different varieties that there were and that genetics played a huge part in determining the type of youngsters bred. I have always had an interest in the genetic side with my pigeons and felt that this knowledge would be beneficial in the development of a stud of budgerigars.
In keeping with my experience gained via the pigeons I would attempt to buy
three to four pairs of birds and work with these, providing these birds were
related to the family that I liked.
After three to four years I decided to concentrate on the dark factor birds
with Cobalt and Violet playing a big part in my stud today.
I mentioned to George that I would like to try with Recessive Pieds, and could he point me in the direction of a breeder that I could contact. George being an SBS council member approached Douglas Mathie but whilst Douglas didn’t have a lot of birds available he gave George a Cinnamon Recessive Pied Hen, and I purchased two Recessive Pied cock birds at the sales class of the BS club show. All my current Recessive Pieds can be traced back to these three birds.
Having purchased some birds on the visits that I went on with George, I had my first success in the Aberdeen nest feather show, winning Best Beginner Barrhead.
I had also been on the visit to the Hockadays and purchased three pairs of birds there, which we both agreed would make our two studs very compatible for joining into a partnership.
In 2008 I was aware that George was thinking of giving up his birds due to work commitments. Having recently retired I had more time on my hands and could look after the birds when he was away so I approached him to see if he would like to form a partnership which he duly accepted.