Abstract
ASCERTAINING THE HEN'S READINESS
SETTING UP HENS OUTFITTING THE BREEDING CAGE REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF EGGS ADDITIONAL HINTS AT HATCHING TIME
It is most fortunate that most canaries "hear the call" after the busy holiday season! The novice must necessarily resign himself to the fact that vacations, weekend holidays and prolonged visits must wait until after the breeding season. There are baby sitters, dog sitters and sometimes bird sitters, but these people are rarely knowledgeable enough or willing to serve small dishes of egg food three times a day, remove and replace eggs and perform the many duties necessary to service many hen canaries m various phases of canary breeding!
ASCERTAINNG THE HEN'S READINESS
A hen canary, close to one year of age or older, will show signs of breeding condition in the following ways:
By flying pertly back and forth, answering the song of the cocks.
By tearing strips of paper or flying with a loose feather in her beak.
By busily inspecting a "trial nest" and trying it for size.
By developing a round, full abdomen making her vent area appear flat as compared to the cock's vent which shows a definite protrusion.
SETTING UP HENS
This is the term used by breeders to place the hen in her breeding cage as close to the time of readiness as possible.
A common mistake of the novice is to "rush the hen" and place the cou pie together long before they are ready. Unnecessary squabbling ensues, the nest and cage get soiled, the cock wears himself out chasing his mate and many times the males becomes so attached to the one hen that he will not service others.
Whether the beginner will breed on a "pair-to-pair" basis, or use one male for a few hens, a workable procedure to follow before breeding commences is to allow his hens to fly together in a medium to large flight, awaiting signs of readiness. The cocks may be placed in the individual breeding cages until their hens are ready to join them. As each hen comes into condition, she may join her mate, wire divider in place. When the cock starts to feed the hen through the divider, and she accepts, the courting phase has started and the divider may be removed.
OUTFITTING THE BREEDING CAGE
When the pair continues to get on well together, the nest should be placed in Line with a perch, close to a door opening for easy access to the nest when necessary. Remember that the birds need headroom to feed their chicks - the nest attached about midway between the top and bottom of the cage.
No "frills" are required in the breeding cage. Two perches on either side are all that are necessary in most cages. Swings are taboo and perches should be securely anchored to insure fertilization. The center floor of the cage may be used for extra small dishes of nestling/condition food, egg food, etc. and since the perches are on either side of the cage, the food will remain free from droppings.
A nest liner can be purchased commercially and is made from a very thick piece of felt, cut strategically to fit snugly inside a nest. Although not an absolute necessity in a wire nest, it is almost a "must" in a plastic one since any nesting material will slip and slide around without it. The liner can be anchored down in both types of nests by using white, nontoxic glue on the underside of the liner and holding it firmly down inside the nest until it sets. If the hen is not a good nest builder, the liner will compensate for her inadequacy. It also makes a more shallow nest possible, enabling the babies to void easily over the top when the hen stops cleaning the nest.
A good, safe nesting material is burlap material, cut into about 2\6-3" squares and stripped down. This will not "fuzz up" or mat causing the birds' nails to become entangled. (A hen's nails should be clipped before breeding commences if they are too long.)