Harry Hockaday 2026

Meet the Budgerigar Society Chairman – Harry Hockaday

By Terry Tuxford. Originally published by The Budgerigar Society and reproduced with permission.

Following his first year as BS Chairman and his election onto the General Council in 2024, Harry Hockaday had been in the budgerigar hobby for the past 50 plus years.

He started in his early teens, when his father built him an aviary and breeding cages in their washhouse which led straight into the kitchen. This always got him into trouble with his mother as he traipsed seed and more, into the house.

Over the years Harry has also bred and exhibited dogs but eventually concentrating on Budgerigars. He also had a short period breeding USA Silkie Bantams which he enjoyed, making some good friends but the draw of the budgerigar hobby was in his blood so now only has budgerigars – apart from an enclosed pond which houses five pairs of Mandarin ducks which breed every year.

Harry was born and lived in Barrow in Furness where he was a member and secretary of Barrow & District Cage Bird Society. He is also a member of South Cheshire BS and was secretary and treasurer. He is also an Honorary Life Member of Lancs. Cheshire & North Wales BS area society and a member of the committee and is a past President.

Harry Hockaday’s Birdroom

I asked Harry to describe his current birdroom. This is what he said:

“I currently have a 30ft x 20ft log cabin type birdroom, I use 23 cages for breeding pairs and 7 cages for foster pairs, which I find helps me deal with any issues from the main pairs and also helps maximise the number of chicks from the top pairs.

“I have two extraction fans plus an additional heavy duty extraction unit to help remove the dust. I think in general a lot of breeders under estimate the effect of dust, not only on the birds but also on ourselves.”

Hard Wood Perches

“The building is fully insulated and panelled using white plastic and both flights and a mobile, are made out of aluminium and all perches are made from hard wood. This removes the need for repairing chewed wood and of course annual painting.

“There are apple tree branches in both flights to give the birds something to chew on. On the same theme the nest boxes are made from Trespa with a hard wood concave which is easily removed for cleaning. I have also changed over to mostly Trespa Show cages.”

“The breeding cages are all wire which we have used for at least 40 years. I find they are more natural for the birds and having wire floors allowing all the waste soft food to fall through, which is so important particularly in the warmer months as stale soft food attracts mould and bacteria which, if left on the floor of the cage, is a ticking time bomb when chicks come out of the box and start picking on the cage floor.

“I can clean a cage in 30 seconds and when not in use they are removed from the birdroom so not gathering dust during the non breeding season.”

“By adopting the materials I use throughout makes cleaning easier. I have a sink and dishwasher with cold water supply and just use a kettle to boil the water for cleaning etc.

“I have used LED lights for the first time and have experienced no issues with them. I use Johnson & Jeff Seed and have done for the last 20 years. I am not a fan of the various seed mixes as I have found over the years the birds develop individual preferences and throw the rest out looking for the seed they prefer.

“You can tell this when you clean your cages by the weight of the bin bag which should be mostly bedding and husks.”

Seed Mix

“We give 50/50 canary and white millet and if any pairs prefer one more than the other I swap dishes.

“I believe most commercial seed is weak in the vitamins, minerals and protein we expect due to the seed being at its peak when still green but obviously can’t be exported or stored like that so it is over ripened and polished before being stored, bagged and sold. I buy the two seeds separately which also means I don’t pay the 20% VAT which you do have to pay on mixed seeds.”

“By giving a good soft food mix I can add the extra vitamins and protein etc that is missing in just feeding seeds. I also feed Jap Millet separately as the birds love it and it is great for weaning chicks as they seem to eat that first before moving on to the harder seeds.

“I also use bottled water instead of water from the tap or through a filter and since doing this, which I have been doing again for over 20 years I don’t get the same stomach issues like wet vents. I also think it helps with the overall wellbeing of the birds.

“I attended a lecture at a BS Club Show by Marcellus Burkle from Germany. He kept enforcing the importance of the birds immune system in helping it deal with the various issues that seem to affect them today.

“I immediately sourced a product called Immunity Gold which I successfully used for many years but after my recent spell with the USA Silkies I now use 1ml of Orego Stim to 2 litres of water every day as a general aid to the immune system.”

“I have a heater set at 40°F and I usually breed around 150+ youngsters a year and try to get back to 100 before breeding starts again.”

“I am ruthless when selecting which cock birds to keep but forgiving when selecting the hens. By doing this every year you will get to the point where when you look for hens to pair you will know they are bred from a strong line of visual cocks which means even the lesser hens will have been bred from visual good cocks going back many generations.

“The only time I use a lesser cock is if it is the only one off a super cock or an outcross that I have brought in from the studs behind my bloodline.”

Friendships

Harry will tell you that he has enjoyed a great time in the hobby and especially the friendships made in the UK and also around the world. He has judged and lectured in countries such as Ireland, Holland, Belgium, and three times in the USA.

Although he has had many recent invites he only now lectures at special events and has also gone onto the retired judges panel.

He said:

“A couple of my stand out memories, one in 1973, I would have been 19 years old then, we exhibited at what was called ‘The Great Norwestern Championship Show’, in Blackpool.

“Like a lot of big shows at that time it was a two day show and had over 2000 birds. We lived in Barrow in Furness then and were Novices. We managed to get Best in Show with a Dark Green cock beating the well-known green specialist Tommy Rothery.

“The other was more recent – after a short break, which I thought was permanent, we visited the 2023 BS Club Show and was overwhelmed by the number of breeders who assumed I had started back, coming over to me to express their kind support and saying how glad they were I was back – which I wasn’t – but by the Sunday they had dragged me back in.

“And on the Sunday one memory that will stay with me was Frank Mc Govern breaking off chatting and coming over to me saying welcome back and they had missed me.

“That friendship in the hobby is what this hobby is all about.”

Originally published by The Budgerigar Society.