BIRDS WITH BRAINS vs BIRDS WHICH USE THEIR BRAINS

We've all heard the phrase "bird brained". How do we recognize a bird with brains?

It seems that there are many nice looking birds out there. Many that are aerodynamically correct, but they soon become a "blip on the radar screen", when training and racing begin.

Last year I sold a hen to Charlie Jonas in San Antonio, Texas. This hen is a daughter of our famous "Top Girl". "Top Girl" is full sister to the world renowned "Top Man". "Top Girl" is still laying at the age of 16! She's raised dozens of winners and winning breeders. When Charlie got the daughter in the mail, he called to tell me how disappointed he was and how "out of balance" she was. He would have never chosen her. I was ready for this and knew he'd be calling. He didn't want to come out and accuse me of sluffing off a cull on him, but I could tell he was disappointed.

I told him to give her a shot in the breeder coop. So Charlie bred her to a top cock in his loft.

Today he called me to let me know that one of her children won him $1,400.00 First place in a club futurity!...

I told him to send the "cull" back to me. To which he chuckled.

I look for brains in a bird. I believe you can see it very early on. Watch for a bird in your loft that is very aware of it's surroundings. Watch for it's rapid eye movement.

I was at a friends loft years ago. There was a cock that followed me around and seemed to be looking very intent at me. He was looking me up and down. I kind of thought he was trying to tell me that my fly was open. He was so visibly aware of what I was doing, it caused me to go as far as to check my fly. ha!...

I relayed my observation to my friend and told him that he should give the bird a chance as a breeder and that was that. For awhile.

A year or so later I asked about the cock. My friend told me that he had sold the bird. He also had gotten word that the bird had raised a big money winner for the new owner. I chewed his hinny out for letting the bird go and for not heeding my advice.

All birds have brains but like humans, only a few use them.