Moheb Nabil, affectionately known as “The Pharaoh of Crested Budgerigars,” has made a significant impact on the budgerigar hobby, particularly with his work in Egypt. Through the power of the internet, he connected with breeders worldwide, sharing his passion and expertise in crested and frilled budgerigars. This interview delves into his journey, his breeding techniques, and his perspective on the budgerigar hobby in Egypt and globally.
Early Beginnings and Passion for Crested Budgerigars
Moheb’s fascination with budgies began at the young age of six when his parents first introduced him to these colorful birds. He started breeding them soon after, focusing on both crested and English budgerigars. His dedication to the hobby intensified six years ago when he acquired three Japanese crested budgerigars – one male and two females. Through careful inbreeding, crossbreeding with normal and English budgies, Moheb has successfully developed new colors and enhanced the selective feathering in his birds, significantly improving the quality of his stud.
Moheb with his budgerigars
The Budgerigar Hobby in Egypt
While there are numerous breeders working with crested and back-frilled budgerigars in Egypt, Moheb stands out for his remarkable achievements with the Japanese Crested variety. He notes that while many possess some crested birds, few have achieved the purity, the characteristic “two flowers of feathers on each wing,” or the overall size and feathering quality that he has cultivated. Moheb’s initial stock of crested birds was acquired from a local market breeder who was eager to get rid of them, perceiving their slight feather abnormalities as a health issue. Moheb, however, recognized their potential and embarked on a complex breeding schedule to develop their offspring.
Mentorship and Self-Taught Expertise
Moheb’s journey in the budgerigar hobby has been largely self-guided. From a young age, his mentors were his own observations, his meticulous note-taking, and his ability to learn from his mistakes. His parents’ unwavering support and encouragement played a crucial role, allowing him the freedom to pursue his passion. He describes a significant period where he bred and sold numerous chicks, using the proceeds to acquire better quality English budgies. The advent of the internet provided him with a wealth of knowledge, allowing him to further refine his skills. A pivotal moment in his career was when he successfully produced Japanese Crested English Birds, an achievement he likens to “reaching the edge of the galaxy.” His work has also gained international recognition, with articles about him featured on prominent websites and acknowledgments from respected figures in the budgerigar community.
Importing and Exporting Budgerigars
Moheb has recently expanded his reach by learning how to export his high-quality, pure bloodline birds to other countries. He notes that exporting from Egypt has become relatively straightforward, with a strong domestic market for birds. However, he expresses a desire for more streamlined import facilities to allow for the introduction of new bloodlines.
Breeding Stock and Aviary Management
The English Budgerigar has significantly impacted Moheb’s stud, contributing to impressive improvements in size, posture, and the development of a full, circular crested crown. While mating English hens with crested males can be challenging, Moheb has found that patience eventually yields results. His aviary is a medium-sized space equipped with numerous cages and a flight area. He dedicates at least an hour daily, and often more on weekends, to his birds, in addition to continuously researching and learning about budgerigars.
Quill development in young budgerigarsQuill development in young budgerigars
When introducing new outcrosses, Moheb looks for unusual colors, large size, 360-degree circular crests, excellent feather quality, and strong pure bloodlines for the future. His most successful pairings have involved mating rainbows with each other and Spangles with very good normals. He employs a combination of visual pairings, inbreeding within bloodlines (carefully), and outcrossing to achieve his desired results.
Breeding Season and Diet
In Egypt, the primary breeding season runs from September to March, though some breeders extend into the summer despite the extreme heat. Moheb separates the sexes for a month at the start of September before pairing them. He provides his birds with a diet of canary and millet seeds, boiled radish and sunflower seeds, fresh green clover, lettuce, cress, sweet potato, honey, black molasses, boiled eggs with toast, cabbage, soaked wheat, malt, and a protein boost from dried earthworms mixed with fish food. During the breeding season, he increases the offerings of cress and radish, along with minerals and vitamins. He also supplements their water with minerals, vitamins (human infant grade and veterinary grade), and food supplementary powders.
Favorite Varieties and Challenges
Moheb’s preferred varieties include Spangles (single and double factor), Lacewings, Rainbows, Lutinos, Grey Greens, and Pieds.
Crested budgerigarCrested budgerigarCrested budgerigar
He considers the lack of widespread cooperation between breeders, the difficulty in importing top-quality bloodlines, and the high cost of exhibition budgies as significant challenges facing the hobby globally and in Egypt. He believes that greater collaboration and opportunities for Egyptian breeders to acquire birds from international studs would benefit the hobby worldwide.
The Joy of the Hobby
For Moheb, the most rewarding aspects of the budgerigar hobby are the patience required and the vast scope for imagination. He finds immense satisfaction in achieving remarkable results through meticulous planning and dedication, embodying the proverb that “necessity is the mother of invention.” His ultimate goal is to breed birds of the highest quality, characterized by full circular crests, large back frills, and exceptional feathering on both wings.
