I paired a cock that bred most of my good youngsters over the last 18 months to a cousin that had produced some well-feathered babies of her own. Out of six youngsters in the first round, one stood out as being something special, he was large with good directional feather showing in his quills and a really large, wide head. Every time I looked at him in the nest box, he made me feel good.

Well he's just left the nest and now everything that made him stand out has apparently disappeared! He's fine feathered and that's made the difference. He'll be useful in my breeding programme, he just needs coarser feathering.

Never mind, I've several other good youngsters that also make me feel good coming along in the other nest boxes...