Preparing for Shows, Sales and Transport:


The bird show and sale season is an exciting time for birdbreeders. You get a chance to travel the country, catch up with old acquaintances and check out what others have bred. The primary aim of going to the sales is to buy and sell birds and Showies want that Grand Champion sash.

With all those birds in the hall you need yours to be in top condition if they are to stand out.

Australia is such a large country that getting your birds to and from venues means a lot of travelling. Although everyone drives air conditioned cars, the birds are often confined to boxes, hauled in and out, handled and stressed over several days. Sometimes the halls are very hot and the birds are continually disturbed by the crowd; most of the birds will become dehydrated (if not severely stressed out).

How do you protect your birds from stress and dehydration during the season?

You should begin preparing your birds a couple of weeks before travelling.

Any worm burden in a bird will reduce its ability to handle the stress of travelling. A wormy bird has no chance of displaying well. Make sure all birds are wormed with Wormout Gel 3 – 4 weeks before the sales and shows start. It is best to crop needle the Wormout Gel to ensure the bird gets the correct dose (use the 1 in 9 dilution as described in the Vetaclub newsletter).

All the experts say that the use of probiotics not only normalises the gut but also improves immune function so that bacterial and viral infections are less likely. Probotic is an essential tool to ensure your birds are at their best during the season. Start giving Probotic after you use Wormout Gel. Put the Probotic in the water or sprinkle it over soft feed, don’t worry too much about accurate dosing as it is perfectly safe and is one of the few products where “more is better”.

The secret behind preventing dehydration is to be certain the bird has the salts and energy necessary to maintain normal kidney function. Spark Electrovet was developed using the key technology of endurance athletes. By combining body salts with special glucose polymers, Spark Electrovet is the best way to combat travel induced dehydration. Make sure the birds have Spark Electrovet in their water continually from 2 – 3 days before you leave for a sale or show, and for the whole time it is away. Any bird you buy (or bring home again) should have Spark Electrovet for a couple of days when you get back. It can also be added to the wet mix of Lorikeets and soft food of passerines. Again there are no safety issues with Spark Electrovet.

By keeping your birds wormed, hydrated and infection free they will be the first ones sold – you won’t need to discount them!

How do you know if a bird is stressed?

Look at the bird in its sale cage for some time to observe its behaviour. A stressed bird will want to sleep; its eyes will become oval, instead of nice and round. It will sit on the bottom of the cage or the end of a perch, not in the middle. It will not move much unless disturbed.

Try and observe the droppings, any change from normal is suspicious. Loose or slimy droppings are a major cause for concern.



If you have one of your birds, or one that you buy that becomes really stressed or starts to look sick then you need to have some first aid at hand. PolyAid Plus is the most effective and convenient first aid when you are travelling. All you need is a crop needle/syringe and some water to be able to give a quick dose of PolyAid Plus. The rapidly absorbed nutrients in PolyAid work wonders. Over many years, PolyAid Plus has proven a life-saver to thousands of birds worldwide.

Buying a bird only to have it die within the week or finding your Grand Champion on the floor of the aviary really spoils your day! Some very simple precautions can save you a lot of disappointment.