Abstract
Traditionally, Valentine's Day has
been the time for canary fanciers to
set up their birds. Canaries, domesticated
since the early nineteenth century,
have remained spring season
breeders, as they go through a heavy
molt in the summer. Young birds
start showing their maturity in the
fall; males start bellowing out full
songs which were only inconsistent
warbles just after weaning. Females
start flitting about looking for nesting
material to carry to a potential nesting
site.
Generally, canaries raise young
best when caged as pairs. Many fanciers
will utilize one male with more
than one hen, thus leaving the family
rearing duties to the hen alone. Colony
breeding, for the most part, leads
to disappointment and heartache as
males fight and hens destroy other
nests while trying to work on their
own.
Canaries build nests in open, cuptype
containers. Often a liner is used
to provide a good, sturdy base. Dried
grasses, ripped burlap and cotton
string can be offered for nest building.
The hen will often sit in the nest
during the building time, appearing
to check for necessary adjustments.
Three to six eggs are laid, the average
being three to four in larger types
(such as Yorkshires or Norwich) and
four to five in the smaller types (such
as Glosters or Fifes). Most breeders
will remove each new egg laid and
replace it with a plastic "dummy"
egg until the clutch is completed. In
this way, the babies all hatch around
the same time (13 to 14 days later)
and have equal chance at survival.
The eggs are blue with brown mottled
spots and usually the last egg laid
will differ in coloration with less
mottling.
Eggs and sometimes babies can be
transferred to other hens for fostering
when necessary or when only
small, fertile clutches appear.
Young canaries grow quickly and
one great pleasure is to watch their
development in the open-type nest.
Usually, for the first week or so, the
hen sits tight allowing the male to
feed her and she, in turn, the young.
Some hens will get off to feed on
their own and many males will hop
on to keep eggs or babies warm.
After the first week the hen will
spend more time off the nest and the
young can be more readily observed.
Depending upon the type, young
canaries should be close-banded
between five to seven days of age.
Some hens may try to remove these
bright objects from their nests, so
some breeders smoke the bands to
make them less shiny (before putting
them on, of course!).
The young will start climbing onto
the edges of the nest at about 18 to
19 days and will take to fledging at 21
days of age, sometimes returning to
the nest at night.
It is at this stage that the hen may
become anxious to go back to nest. A
second nest should be provided with
a lot of extra nesting material. If the
male has been with the hen, he can
be partitioned off with the young,
while the hen gets her nest ready.
During this time the male should be
allowed to visit with the hen for
short periods to ensure fertilization
of the new eggs, and then returned to
feed his weaning chicks.
If fledglings are left in with their
mother, there is a fairly good chance
that she will pull feathers from them
to add to her nest, especially from
the lighter colored babies (yellow or
white).
Canaries can easily and successfully
raise two to three clutches per season
depending on the number of
babies per clutch and whether the
hen has been left to feed the young
on her own.
Their diet should consist of a good
canary mix offering canary seed,
small millet, rape and a little niger
seed. In preparation of nesting, hens
should be offered calcium in the
form of cuttlebone, mineral blocks,
dried, cooked eggshells and/or liquid
minerals added to the water, or powdered,
mixed in soaked seed or soft
food.
Some breeders start offering egg
food andjor other soft foods such as
whole wheat bread, corn bread or
vegetables as the hen is preparing her
nest, thus encouraging her by letting
her know there is plenty of good
food to rear a family. These rich
foods should be limited during her
incubation, since she is so inactive
during this time. A day or two before
the eggs are due to hatch, these
foods should be increased to ensure
feeding when babies appear. Green
foods can also be offered, such as
romaine lettuce or kale.
When babies fledge, a low, flat dish
of soft food can be offered on the
bottom of the cage, to encourage the
babies to eat on their own. Another
useful tool for weaning is spray millet,
as babies are curious about this
and will pick at it.
Young males can often be identified
at this early age, as they will try
to sing, letting out a funny little warble.
A plastic open band in a particular
color (such as blue) can be placed
on these birds for identification.
These birds should be confirmed,
however, when they are older, i.e.
six to eight months.
Canaries love to bathe and should
be offered bath water several times a
week in warmer weather to encourage
preening and help them through
the molt period. Hens like to bathe
just before eggs are due to hatch and
this will increase moisture for hatching.
Remember to check water often
and/or offer drinking water in a tube,
which won't be all splashed out by
the end of the day.
Whether you prefer specialized
song, fancy colors, crests, tall and
thin or chunky birds, or even funnylooking
hunch-backed birds, canaries
are a delight for every bird fancier
and breeder. These small gems of the
bird world will worm their way into
any heart.