Breeder: Arild Skimmeland

I live in a town in Norway called Sandnes. Sandnes has approximately 60 000 inhabitants. Sandnes is the neighboring city of Stavanger, which has 120 000 inhabitants.

I started with budgies around 1980 and bought my first exhibition budgies in 1982 by Nils Asbjørn Knudsen and Kjell Karlsen from Stavanger in Norway. In 1987 I stopped with budgies because of studies and moving.

I started up again with the exhibition budgies about ten years later. I had been married and we had bought a house. I had also made a birdroom back in the garage.

In 1998 I bought birds from Nils Asbjørn Knudsen and Arne Andreassen, Norway. These were birds related to different breeders in England. I think it was Bowley, Topliss and others. They also had birds in the lineage from wellknown Danish breeders.

In November 2001 Olav Halvorsen and I started to collaborate. Olav Halvorsen is perhaps the one in Norway that have the greatest knowledge and interest in colours and mutations.

There were two breeders who were to stop suddenly - and we bought their one hundred exhibition budgies. Since then, we have cooperated on the purchase, breeding, and our common homepage: www.undulat.com

We often sit in the birdroom and takes us a beer or two while we plan the pairs to be put together or the birds that can be sold. There are many advantages of a partnership. We can discuss the hobby and we can look after the birds for each other during holidays. We also travel together on exhibitions.

This hobby has made many friends. I have for many years been a member of the club "Stuefuglklubben Stavanger og omegn”. This is the oldest ongoing club in Norway. It started in 1953. I am also a member of "Norsk undulat club (NUK)" and has at times been a member of the budgerigar society. In recent years, I  have also been a member of the club "Danske udstillingsundulater - (DUU)" in Denmark.

Since 2005, I have bought my exhibitionbudgies from Hans Christian Østergaard(HC), Denmark. HC won the DUU exhibition in 2008. We've bought several great lacewing, Danish pied, Inos and normals from him.

I've got better and better quality in my birds because of these imported birds. The trend can be seen by browsing the photos from the period 2005 to 2009. Placements for exhibitions also show that the quality is improved. I was “best breeder” at the national exhibition in 2007, when I got 2. and 3. best males and 3.best female.
At the national exhibition in 2008, I had 4. best male. It is a tough competition among the most active exhibitors in Norway. No one knows who will win the next exhibition.

In March 2009 I had about 30 youngsters. There are also chickens and fertilized eggs in some nestboxes. I recently  put several pairs to nest, so I expect that it will be some more youngsters before the end of the breeding season in june. Several of the youngsters from 2009 looks very promising with regard to the exhibition and further breeding.

My birdroom is approximately 10 square feet. I have a Van Keulen rack with 12 breedingcages. 1-2 of these cages are used for the youngsters.
There are 2 indoorvoliere. They are nearly 2 meters long, 75 centimeters wide and 2.40 meters high.
I have the youngsters in one voliere and the adults in the other.

I've used to start breeding season in October, but has now been starting in September.

I use a seedblending with 50% canary-seed in the breeding season. The birds get soaked wheat and mungbeans. They can also eat carrot. Eggfood are mixed into the seeds / carrot. Once a week it is added a mineral / vitamin mix. Newspaper paper in the breeding cages are changed once a week, more often if needed.

My former favourite is the Inos. But the last few years I have been less concerned with colour. Yet I do not want to have only grey and greygreen budgies. Therefore I also retain bright green and blue birds. Spangle is also one of my favorites. The last mutation which have been given to me is goldenface.

Olav Halvorsen, and I try to think about both the quality and the colours when we put together birds. But sometimes I also put two greygreens together - if they fit best together.