I took up Albinos in the late `70's, not as many fanciers do to have an extra colour in the aviary, but because I had seen a breeder in Cornwall with good ones who intended using Blues as outcrosses and I felt he would spoil their excellent quality.

I purchased two of those Albinos, they were hens and the quality was quite good. The colour was clear white with no blue suffusion and most importantly, they were completely free from cinnamon.

Before the next breeding season I had been given the loan of an Albino cock from M. Roberts of Cornwall. It had very good overall quality including size, and to the best of his knowledge, it was not split for cinnamon. Unfortunately, I had only two chicks before the cock died but I managed to locate another Albino cock with excellent head qualities but this one had a rather small body. My total outlay had been £140.

From these four birds I built up a stud of high quality Albinos. The family were known for producing superior hens and I won very many best opposite sex awards between 1983-1988. A number of this family won challenge certificates and the same bird won both best breeder and best in show at the Bristol championship show.

These awards show that with careful selection each year, a stud can be built up without a great deal of outlay. After the initial £140, I did not bring in an outcross until 1988 when I introduced an Opaline Grey hen in an attempt to increase body size.

I do have very fixed views on Albinos. Cinnamon ruins any Albino and to use any bird which you know is carrying the cinnamon factor is the beginning of the end of an Albino family. The colour standards of the B.S. call for an Albino to be WHITE. That means free from any other colour and markings. Far too many Albinos seen on the show bench are showing cinnamon and judges should have the knowledge and courage to penalize them heavily. They are not Albinos - they are Cinnamon Albinos.

For anyone wishing to start up with Albinos, I would recommend the same start as I had. Two Albino hens, related if possible, with one Albino cock - not very closely related. In the second year of breeding, introduce another outcross Albino and then work from those four birds and their offspring.

My only word of caution. DO NOT purchase any Albino with cinnamon markings, however good, and if you should produce birds showing this factor, cull out the adult cock and his offspring. Keep Albinos white.