Yes just a week and a half to go on my treatments. I still have no symptoms or discomfort of any kind. I am very glad about that. I didn’t lose any weight to talk about, either.
Birds are still trying to build a nest but haven’t made much progress. They would rather just argue. I have never heard canaries chatter at each other so much. They must be suffering from a newlywed issue. You know, like who sleeps on which side of the bed and who does dishes and takes out the garbage or something like that. They seem to be arguing all the time.
The way things are going I believe I can go away for a little vacation this summer but I don’t know where, any ideas out there? I just replaced the intake manifold on my car because it cracked and I have new brakes and new tires. Of course the car is getting old and I have lots of mileage on it, so maybe I shouldn’t go far in it. I do feel like getting a way though so who knows I may just show up one day
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This canary stuff might be a lot of work if you want it to be successful. I've spent some time on a variety of sites reading about the whole process and these are a few things I have read...
I. MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT: breeding cage, single or double. If double, the cage should have a separation down the middle. The cage should be equipped with a wire nest.
2. BIRDS: One cock canary and two hens is a good combination. Hens should be at least a year old. The cock may be that old or older.
3. CONDITIONING: Before mating, the birds must be put on special diet to build them up. The birds, of course, should be separated up to mating time (usually early in March). For two weeks before, feed commercial conditioning food, or crisp bread crumbs and mashed hard-bailed egg; usual seed mixture with addition of fat elements (flax, thistle) ; drop of viosterol in food on alternate days; calcium (in oyster shell) which is vital for egg-shell formation.
4. MATING: Birds usually indicate when they are ready: they call to each other, flap their wings vigorously and crouch down on the perch; the hen may make some effort to fix a nest. Prepare the breeding cage with nest materialshreds of burlap, twine, cotton, dried grass, etc. Put the female in the cage first. If you have a double cage for two hens, both sides must be prepared with nesting material. Let one hen and the cock build a nest before introducing the second hen into the other compartment. Thereafter each day may be divided by the cock between the two halves of the cage.
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Looks like that aggressive behavior we're seeing is part of courtship. And maybe some additional nesting material like cotton and grasses would be helpful for them to build a nest.
I'll post the rest of the article in my next post.
Ok, more canary breeding information...
5. EGGS: Some time toward the latter part of the first week of mating, the hen will start to lay. Expect a daily egg for four or six days. When the eggs start arriving, take the mashed hard-boiled egg out of the hen's diet.
6. REMOVING THE MALE: If you are using a single hen, the male may be allowed to remain in the cage until the baby birds arrive. If he seems to be a helpful father and wants to assist in feeding the young, he may be left in the cage afterward. If he seems bored with the whole business, take him out. If you are using two hens, the cock should be removed from the breeding cage as soon as all the eggs are laid.
7. INCUBATION: Eggs begin to hatch thirteen days after the hen acts. About the twelfth day, start feeding the hen a special diet for the young birds. Restore the egg food, give the hen plenty of soaked seed (it should be fresh daily), regular dry seed, and a drop of viosterol.
8. FOOD FOR THE YOUNG: The parent bird usually feeds its young for a little over two weeks. Young birds start to shift for their own food when they are somewhere between two and four weeks old. The diet of egg food, codliver oil and soaked seed should be available for the chicks. As soon as the youngsters learn to eat dry seed, taper off on the soft foods gradually. The young can be put in separate cages as soon as they are able to shift for themselves in securing food. Some breeders recommend the use of bread and milk as a good soft food diet for the young birds. Greens may be added to the diet when the fledglings are a month old.
IMPORTANT: Canary hens sometimes won't feed their young. A newly hatched bird has enough nourishment in its body to subsist for about two days, but after that if the parent fails to feed you will have to resort to hand feeding if the chicks are to be saved. Some hens are better nurses than others, and if you have another nesting hen she may accept responsibility for the hungry, neglected chicks. Lacking a foster mother, you should put the nest of chicks in a warm place; arrowroot biscuit and hard-boiled egg yolk or a commercial nestling food should be fed; warm the food and administer on an average of once every two hours (for birds under a week old); the food should be mashed with a little milk and may be given with a medicine dropper; feedings on a three hour basis may be undertaken at the end of a week, and administered less often as the young birds gain strength and take more food at a feeding.
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You have any plan for when those little birds arrive? It looks like you'll need special food or they'll be dead within 2 days. And if the mom doesn't act like a mom you'll become the mom and have to feed them by hand every two hours.
9. As soon as the young birds start shedding their first infant feathers it is time to start feeding color food-provided that you want to improve on nature. Young birds may be put together in flight cages up to about the age of six weeks. At that time the young males give evidence of their sex by attempting to negotiate a song or two, and you can separate the brood.
10. The hen may be ready to breed a second time about the time the first hatch of birds is three weeks old. If no nesting material is available, she may pull feathers from her first chicks. Provide her with a second wire nest and nesting material. If you have only one pair of adult birds, the cock will probably have been with her up to this time and may take over the feeding of the first hatch. However, if the domestic situation seems to jeopardize the welfare of the young birds, take them out of the breeding cage and assist their feeding by hand. This is usually not a great problem, for the young birds are pretty well able to help themselves by that time, and would shortly be removed from the breeding cage anyway.
GENERAL NOTES ON BREEDING: This outline is simply an attempt to provide the prospective breeder with a basic plan. Naturally, there are many points of the art not covered here. For this reason it is well to consult with some experienced breeder to round out your knowledge of the subject. The experience of raising one or two broods will usually provide you with enough practical information to get the hobby well organized.
Additional information on Canary breeding...
Canaries are not social by nature. Outside of the breeding season, canaries should always be kept apart. Male canaries fight with each other, sometimes with fatal results. He might also kill the female, if she is not ready to breed. Several canaries may be kept, in separate cages, in the same room. This sort of arrangement will encourage the males to sing, but is not necessary for the bird's health or well being.
When not breeding, it is not always easy to tell the male canary from the female. Only the male sings and only the female will build a nest. During the Summer and early Fall, it takes a well informed canary fancier to detect the gender of a bird hatched that year. When shopping for a hen, go to a store that will guarantee the bird - allow a replacement if the wrong gender is supplied.
Do not try to use a wicker finch nest. Your canary will probably ignore the finch nest. If, in desperation, she does use the basket sort of nest, you will be unable to inspect the eggs or babies. A plastic or metal nest can be cleaned and sterilized, wicker can not.
(Your current nest is wicker I think)
A regular canary breeding cage comes equipped with two dividers:one solid, one wire. Keep both in place, until you see the hen canary start to build her nest. Then, remove the solid partition, but leave the wire one in place. Now wait until you see the birds kissing through the bars. At this point they should be united. Remove the wire partition. Watch for any lover's quarrels. Don't let any wife beating take place! If this happens, immediately separate the birds. Remember, it most often only will get worse.
If your birds are in pet style cages, just keep the cages alongside each other. The rest is the same as above.
The hen lays up to eight small blue eggs. Five is the average number. She will very often not sit on them until the last one is produced. Two or three days after she starts to sit, the eggs may be carefully removed and held up to a light. You will make out the outline of the embryo and the network of veins nourishing it. If you can see right through every egg, put them back in the nest and wait five days before checking them again with the light. If the eggs are still clear, showing no sign of an embryo, discard them. This gives the birds a chance to go to nest for a second try. Wash your hands before handling the eggs, for germs, oils, and chemicals on your hands can pass through the egg shell. This might kill the developing chick.
Canary eggs hatch in 14 days. This is counted from the day that the hen starts to sit on the eggs, not from the day that the egg was laid. The canary chick hatches without any assistance from you or the parents. The little chick enters the world blind and naked, adorned by only a few wisps of down. The parents provide all care for the young.
Canaries that are starting a family must have perfect diets. They need a vitamin enriched seed in front of them at all times. Every day, every bird should get a small dish of nestling food. This provides extra protein. Also, on a daily basis, the birds must get a small piece of fruit or vegetable, any healthy item you eat yourself. In addition they need grit and cuttlebone as sources of calcium for the eggs. Many good vitamin preparations are sold to completely ensure a balanced diet. Pellet and other processed feed preparations have been formulated as complete diets. These may also be used, but I do suggest to also provide small amounts of fruits and vegetables, just to be on the safe side.
If nutrition is adequate, the hen most often lays the eggs with no problems. Sometimes, particularly if not supplied with all the vitamins and minerals that they require, the hen will have trouble laying an egg. If the hen seems unable to move, quickly consult your avian veterinarian Without immediate help, the hen will die.
When the eggs hatch, place an unlimited supply of dry nestling food in the cage. The young require large amounts of this to fuel their rapid growth. You may also mix grated egg and carrot with the nestling food. This mix must be changed every two hours, for it rapidly spoils. If you are using pellets, no supplements are required, but will be enjoyed by your pets..
When you are certain that the young are eating on their own, give them a separate cage. Watch the young birds very carefully the first day away from ma and pa. Some babies might be eating but still require food from the parents.
After the young have been removed, the original pair will frequently go to nest again. Two nests are safe. Three are possible. After the third set of young, remove the nest. Now, put the birds in different cages. For the regular canary breeding cage, the dividers should be put back in. After breeding is finished expect your birds to begin to molt. Continue with the high protein food, so that they may regrow beautiful new feathers. Allow the birds to rest until next spring's breeding season.
Hi uncle jack
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