The Project Gutenberg EBook of All About Your Canary, by R. T. French Company This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: All About Your Canary Author: R. T. French Company Release Date: April 25, 2019 [EBook #59358] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALL ABOUT YOUR CANARY *** Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
“Frenchy” the famous Canary Pirate
PUBLISHED BY THE R. T. FRENCH COMPANY
ROCHESTER 9, NEW YORK
At the turn of the century, the food business was in the “cracker barrel” stage. Packaged foods were just beginning to make their appearance in American grocery stores. It was during this period that Mr. George J. French developed the idea of marketing bird seed in packages.
Mr. French, then President of The R. T. French Company, had raised caged birds for many years as a hobby, and he knew that a clean, dependable packaged bird food would be welcomed by canary lovers. The new product was an immediate success. The sale of branded bird seed in packages brought Mr. French an increasing flood of letters from bird owners which he carefully answered himself.
In 1925, using the pen name “Bird,” he wrote the original French’s Bird Book. As this latest version, “All About Your Canary,” is written, French’s Bird Seed and Biscuit—the pioneer in its field—is the largest selling bird seed in America.
Copyright 1951 by
THE R. T. FRENCH COMPANY
Lithographed in U.S.A.
Lying off the northwest coast of Africa are two small groups of islands, the Canary Islands and the Islands of Madeira. These tiny specks of land are the habitat of the little green finch, or wild canary.
The song of these canaries so appealed to sailors who visited the islands that quantities of the colorful birds were captured and carried back to Europe. By the early 16th century, these song birds were prized possessions of many noblemen.
Today the sweet song of the canary is enjoyed all over the world. In the patient hands of breeders, the canary has evolved into many forms and colors. By 1900 there were twenty-seven distinct varieties and types of canary birds.
In Germany there is the famous Roller singing bird. There is also the peculiar Dutch bird with all its feathers turned the wrong way, the round-shouldered Belgian and Scotch Fancies, and the beautiful English birds—the Lancashire Coppy with its great crest, the Yorkshire, the Norwich, and the Border Fancy. Some, like the London Fancy which had exquisite orange and black markings on the head and tail, unfortunately are already extinct.
The British, who breed their birds mainly for beauty of plumage and form, are among the greatest fanciers in the world. They have hundreds of societies organized for the purpose of perfecting particular types of birds. Regular shows are held all over the United Kingdom. Dozens of professional judges are required for the two large shows in the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster. In December 1948, hundreds of visitors were turned away from the Crystal Palace for lack of room when the National Exhibition staged a record showing of 5430 birds. 4 A second huge exhibit at the Crystal Palace in early 1949 was also filled to capacity.
The majority of British fanciers are working men who raise canaries as a hobby. Championship birds frequently sell for high prices. At one exhibition £100 was refused for a canary.
The German breeders were the first to organize the sale of canaries on a large scale. In the years following World War I, German bird brokers bought canaries from thousands of individual breeders, collected them at port cities, and shipped them to New York. The birds were sold so cheaply that even after paying an import duty of 50 cents a bird the New York wholesalers could resell them profitably for less than $2.00 each. These birds were the marvelous singers one used to buy for $5.00 or less. Needless to say, the German exporters controlled the popular market. When importations from Germany were halted by World War II, American breeders stepped into the breach. It is doubtful that our fanciers will ever give up this interesting and profitable hobby.
The other great German contribution to the canary hobby was the development of the roller singer. The first rollers to receive recognition were those developed some years prior to 1890 by a poor German miner named Trute. The birds which he bred and trained in his spare time were the ancestors of the famous “Trute strain.” Erntzes, Seiferts, and Volkmans were other German pioneers. Over the years since, the roller singer has become popular everywhere.
There is a vast difference between the song of the natural chopper and the roller singer. The natural chopper might be likened to a folk singer—the roller to an operatic star. The chopper’s song is a free, natural expression of happiness which anyone can appreciate; while the roller’s song, like the operatic aria, is best understood and loved by listeners who have developed a keen ear for subtle distinctions in expression and tone.
Rollers sing from their throats with their beaks almost closed. The roller’s song is actually unnatural in that it is not characteristic of the wild canary. It has become a trait, however, as a result of endless training and care in selective breeding. The roller’s song is composed of rolls or “tours” of differing cadence and pitch which are things of beauty to the hobbyist who has cultivated an ear for them. Low pitched tones are considered most valuable. The more common tours are called Hollow Roll, Schockel, Hollow Bell, Water Roll, Glucke, Bell Glucke, Water Glucke, Bell Roll, and Flute.
The chopper canary’s song is natural. The standards set up for the chopper require only that he be a free and frequent singer; have a sweet tone; be a pretty bird from the standpoint of feathering, color and form; and be lively and energetic. A chopper sings with open beak, head back, throat swollen—the picture of happiness.
There is gladness for every member of the family in the living, loving, happy companionship of a canary. A canary in the home helps to build character in children. It teaches kindness. Its care gives the boy or girl a feeling of responsibility. Interest in Nature is encouraged. Imagination is developed. Children acquire a protective instinct that overcomes their tendency to mischievous cruelty. When the children have left home, a pair of canaries will do much to overcome Mom’s and Dad’s loneliness.
In the sick room or the hospital, in the home for the aged, the schoolroom—in fact, almost any place where the joy of loving companionship is important—a happy, singing canary will do much to brighten the hours. You may know of someone who needs such companionship.
If you are about to buy a canary, go to a reputable dealer or breeder. The best period in which to make your selection and purchase is from November, after the birds have completed their first moult, through May. Explain what you want, make your own selection, and take your time about it. Take a seat in front of the birds. By watching them, you can soon tell which are singers. Compare the better singers one with another; eliminate one and repeat the process until you have selected the bird that pleases you most. Choose a bird that is smooth, brightly feathered, whose actions are sharp, crisp and sprightly.
After you have taken him home, place the carrying cage or box directly against the open door of the bird’s new home. In a short time the little chap will go from the carrying cage without being alarmed, and probably will soon be singing.
If there is no canary dealer in your locality, write to the Mail Order Department of The R. T. French Company, Rochester 9, New York. From November through May, except during the Christmas shipping rush, we are usually able to ship either French’s Carillons (choppers) or French’s Carollers (rollers) to any express office in the U.S.A. Both types are selected birds, guaranteed to arrive in full health and feather, and to sing within two weeks.
About ten minutes a day is all that is required for the care of a canary and its cage. If you have children, let them share the daily routine. Without realizing it, they will learn valuable lessons in kindness and responsibility.
The normal schedule of canary care is simple. Each morning give your canary fresh seed and a supply of fresh water in clean cups. Daily or on alternate days feed a bit of green food. Occasionally give him a small amount of a treat such as song food. Keep a cuttle bone and a French’s Bird Biscuit in the cage. Allow the bird to bathe daily, or two or three times a week. Keep the perches and cage clean, and a covering of gravel on the floor.
These are the essentials of canary care. More detailed information appears below. Follow the suggestions made here, and your canary will reward you with joyful song and years of happy companionship.
Place the cage at eye level in a room where the temperature is moderate and fairly even. Choose a light corner or a place near but to one side of a bright and cheery window where the cage is never fully in the direct sunshine and is away from drafts. When introducing a bird to a new cage, place the cage away from the light. For an hour or two guard against any noise or movement which may alarm the bird until he is accustomed to his new home. It is not necessary to cover the cage at night unless the room cools off rapidly to low temperatures or is frequently lighted.
Modern cages are usually made of steel, and are rectangular in shape. Those having a floor size about nine by fifteen inches are most popular. The drawer tray should work smoothly. Lower perches should be arranged directly beneath upper perches to avoid fouling, and just far enough in from the ends to prevent the tail feathers breaking against the cage bars. Seed and water cups should have smooth edges to help prevent loss of feathers about the head and neck.
Perches should be of soft wood, preferably in both oval and round 7 shapes, and with different girths, to simulate the varied perching conditions encountered by wild birds. The broad surface of oval perches provides particularly good support and relaxed, strainless perching. Gravel-coated perch covers are not recommended as they furnish an excellent hiding place for mites and are irritating to the feet.
If possible, choose a sturdy, simply constructed cage with a minimum of cracks, crevices, and joints which are difficult to scrub. Many cages are made in such a way that their entire bottoms are removable. This is convenient when giving the bird a bath, cleaning the cage floor, adding gravel, and so forth. Always place your hands on the sides near the bottom when lifting such a cage. If you were to place your hands at the top of the cage, the bird would probably be frightened and fly out the open bottom.
Routine cage care is as essential to the cage bird’s well-being as a regular supply of fresh food and water. The cups and perches should be cleaned daily, therefore an extra set of each is desirable. Clean cups are filled with fresh seed and water in advance and along with clean perches are set in the cage when the soiled cups and perches are removed, scrubbed, and dried for use the following day. Uneaten seed can be poured from hand to hand and the husks and chaff blown off, then added to fresh seed and reused. Damp or wet perches are thought to be harmful.
Take out the drawer tray and dump the soiled gravel. Wash the tray with hot suds; rinse, dry, cover it with fresh gravel, and replace it in the cage. One advantage of the removable cage bottom is that if it is soiled it can be withdrawn and cleaned just before the clean drawer tray is replaced.
Once a week the cage should be completely scrubbed with a stiff brush, good suds, and hot water. Be sure all cracks and crevices are cleaned out for they are breeding places for red mites. While this is going on the bird may be allowed free flight if the room is safe; otherwise it should be transferred to a temporary cage.
Your pet’s good health depends on good treatment, good housing, and good food. The canary needs fresh water, nutritious food, and proper amounts of minerals and vitamins. Like other members of the hard-billed finch family, the canary’s main food requirement is seeds, as its sturdy seed-cracking bill indicates. In nature he finds supplies of calcium and other minerals for bone, feather, and egg production, in addition to seeds and greens. Although he is not primarily an insect eater, the canary relishes insects and their larvae, as do other members of the finch family.
Some years ago, poultry experts discovered one reason why chickens that ran outdoors were superior to those always kept indoors and never allowed to run free. Those permitted to scratch outdoors were benefiting from something in the soil, something derived from animal matter: The scientists called it APF, meaning animal protein factor. They learned to isolate it and to put it into diet supplements for livestock. The results were amazing; poultry grew faster and larger, hatched more eggs, reared more hatchlings, and replaced moulted feathers more quickly.
The scientists then discovered that the most important component of APF for growth and hatchability was a red vitamin, B₁₂. It was found to be one of the most effective therapeutic substances known for its weight. As little as 1/200th of a teaspoon of pure B₁₂ to a ton of livestock feed is considered adequate!
B₁₂ was first isolated from liver by research workers in England. Since then processors have learned to extract it from fermentation products at a more reasonable cost.
The R. T. French Laboratory, noting the effect of B₁₂ on poultry and hogs, began a long series of tests with canaries and parrakeets. French’s had pioneered in the past in packaging bird seed, in air-washing it to remove dust, in eliminating the over-use of hempseed, in producing a balanced bird diet, and in the use of yeast and wheat germ supplements. This Vitamin B₁₂ research was a part of French’s never-ending program of bringing to bird owners the new products and techniques of science as soon as they can be authoritatively documented. A year passed before French’s laboratory reported these four apparent facts:
The significance of the last two points is important to all bird owners. In moulting, for instance, the loss and replacement of feathers is a severe tax on a bird’s general health, and an improperly feathered bird is at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, nutrition experts place great importance on the growth and development which foods produce in young animals and birds. Foods which support the best rates of development are naturally considered the most desirable.
Vitamin B₁₂ was included in the formulas for French’s Bird Biscuit and French’s Nestling Food only after the company had been convinced that the addition of B₁₂ would be a real contribution to canary and parrakeet nutrition. Bird owners will do well to feed vitamin B₁₂ regularly. This can be done by keeping the biscuit in the cage at all times. Sick or run-down birds, in particular, should have the biscuit or the nestling food.
Most persons like to give their pets a treat now and then. An occasional treat is always relished and is usually beneficial. Wild seeds you have gathered are excellent. French’s Song Food and French’s Bird Biscuit are treats most canaries enjoy. French’s Sunshine Food is especially helpful during winter months. These French’s treats are excellent nutritional supplements which the canary enjoys. Follow the directions on each package, and your canary will be benefited out of all proportion to the small amount fed.
Extensive research with chickens has indicated that for proper nutrition and good health birds require quite a long list of minerals, some in fairly substantial amounts, others in only minute traces. The trace minerals and many of the others are present in sufficient quantity in the foods regularly fed.
Calcium is required in larger amounts and is best supplied by keeping a cuttle bone in the cage at all times. The cuttle bone is the backbone of the saltwater cuttle fish and provides 9 a ready source of calcium and several other required minerals. If the cuttle bone becomes soiled or dusty, replace it with a fresh one. Add a tiny pinch of salt to a treat cup of Song Food or Sunshine Food once a week.
Occasionally dry and sterilize a few egg shells when you are using the oven. Crushed and sprinkled in with the gravel, these make good supplemental sources of calcium.
Nature did not supply your Canary with teeth to help grind his food. The food goes directly to the crop where it is mixed with digestive juices and softened. Thence it passes to the gizzard, where with the aid of gravel previously swallowed, it is “ground up” for assimilation. The gizzard is a small thick pouch with very tough, muscular walls which rub against each other at great pressure. When gravel is present, this action grinds the food into a soft, easily digested mass. Therefore it is essential that your canary have free access to a plentiful supply of gravel of the right kind and size. Gravel composed of limestone or magnesia should not be used, because it is readily dissolved by the bird’s digestive juices. Beach sand may have harmful impurities and is usually worn and rounded.
Gravel should be hard, sharp rather than round, and not affected by digestive juices. French’s Bird Gravel is crushed silica sandstone quartz and meets these requirements perfectly. It is thoroughly washed, carefully screened to a uniform size, and then sterilized by heat. When sprinkled on the floor of the cage, it helps keep the bird’s feet in condition by wearing off the scales and dirt, and it is a distinct aid in keeping the cage floor clean and dry.
One of the best green foods for birds is a slice of sweet apple or orange placed between the bars of the cage. Chickweed and watercress are also good. Many bird owners feed lettuce, which is satisfactory; but it must be examined carefully and any frozen parts removed. The long stalks of the rattail plantain weed are much relished. You can keep them several days by standing them in water. Before giving them to the bird, cut off the ends. Both flowers and the tender new leaves of dandelions are pleasing and beneficial to canaries.
An interesting and simple way to provide greens for your pet is to scatter a pinch or two of French’s Bird Seed on the soil surface of some of your house plants. The seeds soon root and make excellent greens.
Sprouted seed is a wonderful treat. Place one teaspoonful of seed per bird in water and allow it to stand overnight. In the morning rinse the seed in two or three clear tepid waters and spread on a moist clean towel. The tiny sprouts will soon break through and the seed may be dried and fed. Renew daily, for soaked, sprouted seed spoils fast.
Gathering seeds can be a delightful pastime. The following are most beneficial: seed heads of seeding grasses, Plantain, Chickweed, Shepherd’s Purse, Dock Groundsel, Clover, Teazle, Queen Anne’s Lace, Charlock, Smartweed, dandelion and thistles, except Burdock. These seeds are particularly good at moulting and mating times and a few are always relished as a treat.
Meal worms, the stand-by food of bird fanciers who keep soft-bills as pets, are a real delicacy and are very beneficial for canaries, especially during the breeding and moulting seasons, or when a bird is run-down as a result of soft moult. Meal worms are the larvae of the small grain moths such as are prevalent in any cereal product, and which you sometimes find in bird seed. Meal worms can often be raised as a profitable side line and sold to pet shops.
Egg food is a required food supplement at mating and moulting. It is made by mashing a 30-minute hard cooked egg with enough toasted whole wheat bread crumbs to give a crumbly moist mixture. Crushed cracker crumbs, Pablum, chick starter mash, or French’s Nestling Food may be substituted for the whole wheat bread crumbs to provide variety. Egg food spoils quickly. As a precaution, any remaining in the cup or scattered on the cage floor should be removed within two or three hours.
Egg food can be kept a short while under refrigeration, but it should be fed at room temperature, rather than cold. At the first off taste or odor it should be discarded, and a fresh lot prepared. French’s Nestling Food moistened with water or scalded milk makes a reliable egg food substitute for occasional feeding.
It has long been the custom for bird fanciers to add certain substances to the diet during moulting which will tint the bird’s plumage to colors ranging from deep yellow to orange or red.
To do this, start feeding color food at the beginning of the moult. The food is prepared as follows: to a hard boiled egg add two or three crackers and a half-teaspoonful of fresh paprika. Mix well together with two or three drops of olive oil to form a paste and supply each bird with a teaspoonful of the mixture daily. Each morning give a fresh supply. After the first week gradually increase the amount of the color food until the desired color is reached. The amount may then be gradually decreased until the end of the moult, when color-feeding should be discontinued, as it is effective only while feathers are growing. French’s Moulting Food and this color food in equal amounts, moistened with a drop or two of olive oil, is an effective mixture relished by canaries.
Once or twice a week, a small portion of flaxseed should be mixed with the regular seed. Other delicacies should be withheld, as they may induce the birds to neglect their color food. Use great care to exclude drafts. Avoid keeping the birds in a strong light, as this may fade the tints you are trying to obtain. It may be well on very bright days to lay a cloth over the bright side of the cage. French’s Iron Compound should be given in doses of 8 to 10 drops to the drinking-cup, if your bird seems off its feed.
A bird should be trained to bathe in a regular bathing dish at least three times a week. Any small, shallow dish may be used for a bathing dish. If the cage bottom is not removable, the dish should be small enough to pass through the cage door. The outside baths that hang over the cage door opening are practical and easy to use. Fill the dish or bath with about one half inch of cool water.
Many owners have found that birds 11 can be tempted into their bathing dish by floating a small bit of green food or a few seeds on the surface. The bird picks these out of the water, finds it is rather pleasant, and is soon enjoying his bath. If this is not successful, try placing a small mirror in the bottom of the bathing dish. Sometimes the bird is attracted into the water when it sees its own image.
In very warm summer weather, the bird will enjoy a bath each day but in winter allow a bath only two or three mornings a week. Never force your bird to bathe. If he persists in bathing from his drinking cup, remove or empty the cup while the bathing dish is in the cage.
The bird’s feet should be examined to see that they are clean and healthy. The feet of birds inclined to shirk their bath often become caked. If this condition is found, the feet should be soaked in warm water, and the accumulations gently removed. It is then well to rub a little sweet oil into the bird’s feet.
One day when you have the cage door open, or the floor of the cage removed for cleaning, your pet may escape and fly about the room. If this happens, do not chase or grab at the bird. He will become frightened, and if you catch him, you may grasp him too firmly.
If your pet escapes, remain calm. First shut all the doors and windows in the room, and turn off any open flames on the kitchen range if the bird is loose in the kitchen. Pull down the shades and turn off the lights. When the room is darkened, the bird will cease to fly about. Then you can easily approach it, take it gently in your cupped hand, and return it to the cage. If you cannot darken the room, just prop open the cage door. Left alone, most birds will fly back inside the cage for food and water in a short time.
If the bird gets out-of-doors it will not usually fly farther than a nearby shrub or tree. Again, tie the cage door open and set the cage where the bird can see it, and the canary will usually come “home” in short while. The main thing is to keep calm and avoid frightening or injuring the bird.
When the weather is warm, an escaped bird perching on a low shrub or branch is sometimes caught easily after his feathers have been dampened by a fine mist from the garden hose. This method should never be used in cold weather.
Birds in small cages need exercise. Tie a few strands of worsted to the top of the cage for your canary to tug on, and sometimes dangle a small bright key or other metal object from the top of the cage. A small bell suspended in the cage will sometimes attract and hold the interest of the bird when nothing else will. Canaries like attention and excitement. Talk to them frequently. They are usually fond of music too, and will often try to drown it with their own notes.
Allowing the canary to have the freedom of the room provides it both pleasure and exercise. The dangers are that the bird may injure itself or that it will pick up something not good for it to eat. If you decide in favor, prop or tie the cage door open and let the bird return to the cage by itself. Have a regular time, such as when cleaning the cage.
The cat is a natural enemy of small birds. If a cat is kept in the home, be sure to hang the cage where the cat 12 cannot reach it or knock it down by leaping on it.
Mice are especially fond of bird seed. At night they sometimes enter the room where the bird is kept and eat the seeds which have fallen on the floor. They will often reach the cage by climbing up a curtain or drape. A bird is thus frightened and disturbed at a time when it should be asleep, and as a result it will be drowsy in the daytime, lose its gay spirits, and fail to sing. See that the cage is not hung in a place where mice can reach it.
A canary is easily tamed. Take a tiny pinch of French’s Song Food and moisten it in your lips. Raise your hand slowly and spread the moistened food on the cage bars near an upper perch. Out of curiosity, the canary will hop over to see what you have placed on the bar, pick at it, and enjoy eating it. Do this once or twice a day, and in a short time you will find he is accustomed to your presence and will pick the food from your fingers. Birds like to feed from the lips. After a bird has taken a treat from your finger, place a bit between your lips. If he takes it from you, you can rest assured that you have his confidence and probably will always have it.
A cardboard carton approximately 8″ × 8″ × 12″ is suitable for shipping one or two canaries. Cover all joints inside the bottom of box with gummed tape to prevent loss of feed supply by sifting. Cut a row of six small holes near the top for ventilation. Next cut an opening on one side for a window. The window need not be more than 3″ square. In cool weather cover this opening with reinforced, transparent plastic window material, usually available at hardware stores or poultry supply dealers. In warm weather, use a small square of regular wire screen, secured in place with heavy package wrapping tape. Cut an opening on the opposite side for a door approximately 3″ square, leaving one of the four sides uncut to act as a hinge. Use a clean evaporated milk can for a water cup. Cut an opening about one inch square in the top of the can near the edge. Place the can on the floor of the box against the two sides forming a corner near the window. The opening in the top of the can should be toward the center of the box. Secure the can in position with a piece of wire. Loop the wire around the can and run the ends through the two sides of the box forming the corner. The ends of the wire should then be folded flat and held in place with tape. Filling the container half full of clean imitation sponge will help to prevent the water in the can from spilling.
Using small tacks, nail a perch across the narrow width of the box at the window end 1½″ from the floor and close enough to the water container so that the canary can reach it from the perch. The perch must not be closer than four inches from the end of the box to prevent injury to the bird’s tail feathers.
To provide additional moisture, wire a half an orange to the corner of the box nearest the other end of the perch. The orange should be placed so the bird can reach it easily from the perch. The sliced side of the orange should face into the box, and the wires should be taped on the outside. Scatter several tablespoons of seed and a few teaspoons of gravel on the floor. Seal the box at the top with gummed tape. 13 Label top of carton in bold black letters “LIVE BIRD”—“THIS SIDE UP.” Print addresses “TO” and “FROM” plainly. Admit canary and seal door with gummed tape. Tie carton securely with heavy wrapping cord.
CUT-AWAY VIEW OF CANARY SHIPPING CASE
It is a good plan to call the Express Company to get a routing and time of train departure so the bird need not wait in the depot for hours before train time. When possible take the bird to the Express office yourself. Have all necessary papers written up. These will be supplied in advance by the Express Company. Birds must be insured for full value, otherwise the Express Company will pay no more than $5.00 in the event the bird is lost, stolen, or accidentally killed.
Each bird in this collection of thirty-six life-size canary portraits was painted from an actual live model carefully selected to typify the best qualities of a particular breed or type. To appreciate fully the beauty of these paintings, stand the book upright and view them at a distance of from four to five feet as you would paintings in an exhibition gallery. North light will be found better than most artificial illumination.
William C. Dilger, one of America’s most talented ornithological artists, painted these outstanding canary portraits. At the time the paintings were made, Mr. Dilger was completing work for his Doctor’s degree at Cornell University. Mr. Dilger has had many years of experience in the field of bird painting. As a boy, he found his greatest pleasure in drawing birds. Even while in the Army in World War II, he found time to continue his study by sketching wild birds native to India and the Far East. This collection of paintings truly represents a “labor of love.”
Mr. George F. Mitchell of Toronto, Canada, one of the continent’s most highly regarded bird show judges, supervised the descriptions in the “Gallery Catalogue” and served as consultant throughout the preparation of the paintings. Mr. Mitchell is well-known both in Canada and the United States for his efforts in connection with bird shows.
BIRDS ARE DESCRIBED IN THE ORDER OF APPEARANCE
The roller canary is bred primarily for song, hence the form, feather, size, and substance of this roller makes it most exceptional. Most rollers are no more than five inches in length, with a much flatter appearing head and straighter back and are lacking in the solid girth of this bird. With the advent of color breeding, many of the foremost U. S. roller fanciers are experimenting with color, size, and form improvements, as shown in this advanced type. PLATE 1
The chopper opens its beak wide in attaining some of its clear, free notes. The song of the chopper varies from that of the roller to the loud, full song of the average “type” canary, including the song of various crosses between the canary and birds of related families. There are no standards for the song of the chopper other than that it be cheerful, lively, and free. Its action should be lively and alert. PLATE 2
The almost closed beak is typical of the roller in full song. This characteristic, plus the much prized low pitched song tours such as the Hollow Roll, Bass, and Koller serve to distinguish the roller canary. Tone quality is just as important as range. There is some possibility that the use of rape seed is at least partly responsible for the lower pitch of their most valued tours. PLATE 3
The canary breeder usually specializes in type, color, or song. It is not unusual for a breeder to produce a hundred canaries for every worthwhile bird retained for further breeding. The remaining birds are mostly sold to pet stores. Hence, in the chopper classification there appear all colors, shapes, and sizes, and this green bird obviously has inherited much Border Fancy Blood. PLATE 4
In canaries, marked birds are more usual than birds of solid colors, and are known among breeders as variegated birds. The variegated, with irregular or even markings, often provides the individualism that appeals to a prospective bird owner who buys a canary as a gift. Evenly balanced markings that are exactly repeated on each side of the bird are fairly rare. PLATE 5
The rich yellow-brown cinnamon coloring is an important variation in canaries. Being most attractive in itself, in addition, it is the basis for the delightful fawn coloring. The cinnamon pictured here has a well formed body, just a bit thick in the neck. Pencilling in a cinnamon is a deeper shade of the same yellow-brown body color, and similarly, the ends of the flight feathers can be an even deeper yellow-brown shade. PLATE 6
“Blue” refers to slate or smoky gray coloring. The body conformation of this blue canary shows unmistakable Border Fancy Canary ancestry. In many blues the pencilling over the back is less distinct than in this specimen, and often there is considerable marking or variegation. PLATE 7
In a white canary the white should be as pure as possible. The feathering of the canary illustrated is very good and the body conformation is pleasing. Some whites show faint colorings which are inherited and are natural to whites from crossing yellow and white canaries. Pure whites are rare and very valuable. PLATE 8
In the fawn, the yellow of the yellow-brown cinnamon coloring is absent, leaving a rich brown background. This delightful mutation is now present in type birds and rollers. PLATE 9
The distinctive Lizard Canaries, silver cap and gold cap, are regaining some of their previous popularity. The Gold Lizard shown here shows the lizard markings across the back and shoulders more attractively than does our Silver Lizard. These two birds were imported, as were others used for these reproductions. They have exceptionally good lizard markings and size. PLATE 10
The Silver Lizard Canary shown here has good size and excellent feathering and markings. Lizard Canaries offer the fancier an opportunity to show birds of much interest to the casual viewer. PLATE 11
The Border Fancy Canary has outstanding beauty and delicacy of form. The Yellow Border Fancy Canary is the ideal sought by perhaps nineteen out of twenty Border breeders. PLATE 12
The green in this bird is an excellent foil for the almost black pencilling which appears on the shoulder, back, and flank. The feathering is well depicted. The green color should be close to that of the upperside of a holly leaf. These heavily colored green birds are the pride and joy of many canary fanciers, and the development of an ideal green is a real challenge to any fancier. PLATE 13
This lifelike portrayal shows exceptional feather detail and the ground color is excellent for a Buff. The wings and tail of the bird are unusually good; the legs and feet very natural. Note the tick mark back of the eye. PLATE 14
The body of this canary shows good conformation, feathering, and position. The richness of the fawn coloring is little short of ideal.
On the perch, a good Border from eye to end of tail, shows an angle of about 60° above horizontal. A Miniature Border retains all of the form, feathering and coloring of the ideal Border but is smaller in size. PLATE 15
The effect of cinnamon blood is considered to be of great value by many breeders. The standard for feathering is softness and silky texture with brilliancy and compactness. The feathering of this bird is exceptional. Evenness and fine texture are characteristic of the cinnamon canary. General form and position is close to the ideal. PLATE 16
The bird shown is ideally formed and nicely balanced. It is well up off the perch, and its feathering is clean and smooth. It is a natural color Norwich (not color fed) and is particularly lifelike. PLATE 17
The beautiful flame tint of this bird is accomplished by feeding special color food when new feathers are growing. In the ideal Norwich, feathers are soft and silky with brilliancy and compactness, and are deep, bright, rich, pure and level in color. PLATE 18
This spectacular bird is beautifully feathered as well as almost ideally formed. The crest correctly covers eyes and beak and is exceptionally even. Crest bred birds generally possess longer feathers than plain head types and have a tendency toward looseness of feather, hence the close feathering of this crested bird portrays the ideal. PLATE 19
The erect fearlessness of the Yorkshire type is shown here. The feathering of this bird is excellent and its stance upon the perch is characteristic of this bold and alert canary. Note the long, well-placed legs topped by slim thighs. PLATE 20
The ideal Yorkshire Canary is a favorite of fanciers all over the world. It is a soldier-like bird with graceful outline, bold and fearless expression, and smart lines and movements. PLATE 21
The stance of this canary is excellent. Note its tapering wedge shape which is a characteristic of the Yorkshire Canary Club ideal. PLATE 22
The silky feathering of the Buff canary is well developed in this specimen. In Buff feathering the yellow pigmentation does not extend down into the tips of the feathers. As a result the bird is lighter in color and should have a frosted appearance across the shoulders. PLATE 23
The Scotch Fancy was once extensively bred to develop this strange posture but is almost extinct today. Without doubt, the unnatural formation of this type is the cause of its gradual disappearance. The canary shown here was painted from one of the few remaining specimens and was imported directly from England for the purpose of making this illustration. PLATE 24
The Lancashire Coppy, regrettably, is also being bred much less extensively today. It is an outstandingly large, erect bird—a veritable giant compared to the average roller or chopper canary. The difficulties faced by breeders of this type are many since the effort to produce increasingly large birds has led to considerable deterioration in other desirable characteristics, such as feathering. PLATE 25
The Gloster Canary is a heavily crested bird, much smaller than the Norwich. The crest itself comes down, ideally, almost level with the center of the eye. The feathering of the specimen we show here is outstanding in quality because of its compactness and its fine texture. PLATE 26
The red face of this alert bird distinguishes it from other finches. The goldfinch breeds freely in the aviary and is kept not only because of its own attractiveness, but because it readily breeds with other finches, including canaries. PLATE 27
This cross provides some very outstanding singers. The goldfinch ancestry of this bird shows in its orange face and the traces of yellow wing bars. Its canary ancestry is evident in its beak, posture and conformation. PLATE 28
The linnet is popular for breeding mules and hybrids because it is one of the most outstanding singers among our finches. The effects of the linnet are especially clear in the coloring of the head, back and wings of this lifelike illustration. PLATE 29
The canary and siskin cross was considered infertile for many years just as are many other canary hybrids. Fortunately it was discovered that these hybrids were sometimes fertile when crossed back with a canary, furnishing a new incentive to thousands of canary fanciers now on the trail of both an all-red and an all-black canary. Today, many fanciers believe that the introduction of the Black-hooded Red Siskin’s blood will provide the means of producing a red canary. PLATE 30
This attractive but much less lively colored “other half” of the Black-hooded Red Siskin will also produce fertile canary hybrids. The female siskin illustrates very well the dimorphic colorations common to many wild birds, being slightly orange in many of the areas showing deepest red in the male Black-hooded Red Siskin.
These siskins are considerably smaller than even very small canaries, and they have an unattractive wild song. As might be expected, 18 their coloring, size, and song characteristics are transmitted to the hybrids resulting from crossing with the canary. The fancier, through selective breeding back to desirable canary stock, endeavors to eliminate the unwanted siskin characteristics and at the same time retain the effect of the red coloring which produces many shades of apricot, orange and copper. PLATE 31
The canary and siskin hybrid is always a very dark bird and usually small in size. Depending on the depth of color they are usually called a copper, bronze, or mahogany. When these hybrids are mated back to pure canary stock, the chicks obtained are called second cross and generally have a much more attractive appearance. PLATE 32
The deep orange coloring of this second cross hybrid was obtained from a fertile canary and siskin first cross that was mated back to canary stock carrying some cinnamon blood. The orange tint has little, if any, tendency to fade and is often as bright as that temporarily obtained through color feeding. In a second cross bird such as this, the siskin heritage is usually very noticeable in the song. PLATE 33
When the second cross canary and siskin is mated back to pure canary stock again, the apricot coloring is one of the possible results. This bird illustrates the way in which the Red Siskin coloring has been diluted and evenly spread throughout. The apricot stock is used by breeders in crossing with unrelated hybrid stock in order to intensify desired coloring, form, feathering, and size characteristics as well as to further introduce the color to type birds such as Border Fancies. PLATE 34
The frosted pink canary is usually considerably removed from the first canary and siskin cross and it represents much progress. Many fanciers are concentrating on this pink coloration rather than the deep orange colorings in their work toward producing the red canary. PLATE 35
The dilute factor was discovered by accident some years ago by a fancier keen enough to recognize something of its potential value. When this factor is present it dilutes by graying or thinning out otherwise standard colors. If it were not for this dilute factor in the bird illustrated, the cinnamon markings and the yellow would have been noticeably deeper in color. PLATE 36
PLATE 1 YELLOW ROLLER CANARY
PLATE 2 YELLOW CHOPPER IN SONG
PLATE 3 VARIEGATED YELLOW ROLLER IN SONG
PLATE 4 GREEN CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 5 VARIEGATED CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 6 CINNAMON CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 7 BLUE CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 8 WHITE CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 9 FAWN CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 10 CLEAR CAP GOLD LIZARD CANARY
PLATE 11 CLEAR CAP SILVER LIZARD CANARY
PLATE 12 YELLOW BORDER FANCY CANARY
PLATE 13 YELLOW-GREEN BORDER FANCY CANARY
PLATE 14 TICKED BUFF BORDER FANCY CANARY
PLATE 15 MINIATURE FAWN BORDER FANCY CANARY
PLATE 16 CINNAMON-MARKED NORWICH CANARY
PLATE 17 PLAIN HEAD CLEAR BUFF NORWICH CANARY
PLATE 18 COLORFED NORWICH PLAIN HEAD CANARY
PLATE 19 WING-MARKED DARK CRESTED NORWICH CANARY
PLATE 20 WHITE YORKSHIRE CANARY
PLATE 21 CLEAR YELLOW YORKSHIRE CANARY
PLATE 22 WING-MARKED YORKSHIRE CANARY
PLATE 23 BUFF YORKSHIRE CANARY
PLATE 24 SCOTCH FANCY CANARY
PLATE 25 LANCASHIRE COPPY CANARY
PLATE 26 GLOSTER CANARY
PLATE 27 EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH
PLATE 28 CANARY AND EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH CROSS
PLATE 29 CANARY AND EUROPEAN LINNET CROSS
PLATE 30 MALE VENEZUELAN BLACK-HOODED RED SISKIN
PLATE 31 FEMALE VENEZUELAN BLACK-HOODED RED SISKIN
PLATE 32 MAHOGANY CANARY AND SISKIN 1ST CROSS
PLATE 33 ORANGE-CINNAMON CANARY AND SISKIN 2ND CROSS
PLATE 34 APRICOT CANARY AND SISKIN 3RD CROSS
PLATE 35 FROSTED PINK CHOPPER CANARY
PLATE 36 DILUTE HEN CHOPPER CANARY
The chances are you already own one of the birds you plan to use for breeding. For best prospects the male should be healthy and sleek, a good singer, and between twelve months and four years old. The hen should also be healthy and sleek, from one to five years old, and should differ from the cock bird in coloring. For example, with the cock a yellow, the hen could be a lighter colored buff, or vice versa. Pair yellow and buff, green and white, cinnamon and white, yellow and green, and so on. Your hens should be vigorous and if not overbred (used for more than two nests the previous season) it is a good thing to use those with proved capacity on your first attempt.
Most breeders allow the hens to have flying exercise daily. For this purpose a flight cage or room is best, and if you intend to mate several pairs, it is a good investment. Its size can depend on the space available. A very useful flying cage is four feet long, two feet high, and one-and-a-half to two feet deep. Place the seed at one end, the water at the other, and keep the perches widely spaced in order to insure exercise. Smaller flights can be used satisfactorily, and if a spare room is available its whole area can be used. Many successful breeders use attic space divided into flight rooms with hardware cloth and screen doors. The floor of each flight room is covered with gravel.
One of the best breeding cages for canaries is metal, box-shaped, with two sliding partitions in the middle, one of regular cage wire, the other of sheet metal. It is about twenty-four inches long, eleven inches high and eleven inches deep. The bottom and tray are removable, and there are sliding doors in the front of each compartment. In addition, there should be a swinging door in the upper rear corner of each end.
Nests are hung in the corners by 56 these doors, so that the top of the nest is about one inch higher than the perch. The nesting material should consist of specially prepared nesting hair, moss, shredded burlap, short pieces of string or such material. Line the nests with warm cloth pads. Use two when necessary. Sew the pads to the nest using short stitches inside and long outside to prevent the hen from catching her feet in the stitches. As a precaution, dust the lining thoroughly with insect powder.
We shall be glad to supply plans for home built breeding cages, flight cages, and outside aviaries on request. Write us what you have in mind.
Select a shielded location for the breeding cage. Wild birds seek seclusion and privacy when they nest, and will often leave the nest and eggs entirely if disturbed, and relocate in a better hiding place. Although canaries have been bred in cages for hundreds of years, this tendency to desert the nest and nestlings persists. The breeding cage should have a solid foundation and the perches should be tried individually to be sure that they are steady and firm.
Provide a flashlight for the breeding room. It will come in handy for brief nighttime checkups on the birds; for removing the male, which is best done at night; and for candling the eggs after the hen has been setting for about six days. Provide a small cardboard box half filled with a dry cereal such as corn meal, or with cotton. This receptacle is for the first few eggs and its use is explained in the paragraph “Round One.” Another early season chore is to secure three or four dummy canary eggs. Such dummy eggs can be purchased from pet dealers, but a small ⅜″ diameter marble or wooden ball will suffice. Their use is also explained under “Round One.”
Early in January the birds should have their nails trimmed, if overlong, to prevent punctured eggs or accidental harm to the nestlings. Allow the hen as much flying exercise as possible. If you have no flight cage, the added exercise she will get in the breeding cage, with the partitions removed, will be helpful.
In early February the regular seed diet should be supplemented with egg food. This is prepared by sieving a 30-minute boiled egg and mixing with toasted bread crumbs etc., to a crumbly consistency. See “Egg Food” in “General Care” section. A little poppy seed sprinkled over the portion given each bird is beneficial. A daily teaspoonful of this mixture for each bird is sufficient until the early part of March. About once a week scatter a little ground oyster shell on the cage floor with the gravel, and keep a cuttle bone in the cage at all times. A few tender dandelion leaves, when procurable, are relished once a week. Some breeders like to use freshly sprouted seed at the stage when the sprout is a quarter of an inch long or less and also greens they raise themselves from the regular bird seed mixture. The early part of January is a good time to practice raising these greens. Just be sure that there is no evidence of mold growth on the sprouted seed when it is fed.
Small diameter perches for the chicks just weaned can be secured in advance. A visit to your shrubs or grape arbor will easily provide a handful of suitable length perches of moderately rough surface, from ¼″ to ⅜″ in diameter. Starting about the first 57 of March a little niger seed should be given the hen in a treat cup two or three times weekly. This oily seed should help prevent egg binding. At this time both the solid and wire partitions can be put back in the breeding cage, and the cock changed to his half of the cage.
At mating time the hen is lively and alert and will usually call loudly. The cock will sing lustily and dance on the perch with lowered wings while singing. When these signs occur, remove the solid partition, leaving the wire partition in place. When you see the cock feeding the hen through the bars, remove the wire too, and let the birds run together. They may quarrel for a short while, but will soon become devoted. Place the lined nest in the cage along with a little nesting material.
Do not be in a hurry for the hen to lay. She will produce her egg at her own time and no sooner. As soon as it is laid, take it out of the nest with a teaspoon and place it in the small box you prepared earlier, replacing it with a dummy egg. Remove the second egg likewise. Turn the removed eggs daily. As a general rule an egg is laid every morning until a clutch of from four to six eggs is completed. There are occasions when a hen will produce only two or three eggs to a clutch, and many times she will skip a day between eggs. When the third egg is laid, remove the dummy egg, dust the nest again with insect powder, and place the other eggs back in the nest. The evening is a good time to do this.
When the hen takes to her nest entirely, separate the cock and hen by replacing the wire partition. The hen’s bath should be withheld for the first eleven days she sits. On the sixth day you should candle the eggs. Cut an oval hole slightly smaller than the dimension of an egg in the bottom of a small cardboard box, and place an egg on the hole. From beneath, shine your flashlight through the egg. If the egg is clear it is infertile, but if slightly red with a dark spot it is fertile. If the eggs are all clear remove them and the nest, and after a few days start over, letting the cock run with the hen again. If there are fertile eggs, place them back in the nest, where the hen will continue through the setting period, which is fourteen days from the day she took to the nest steadily.
After the eleventh day allow her to bathe daily as the moisture from her feathers tends to soften the egg shells and is an aid to the chicks in picking their way through.
When the hen takes to the nest, it is a good plan, because of her inactivity, to restrict her diet somewhat—particularly the egg food and greens. She will likely leave much of this anyway, and she should never take any that has soured, as she may do if it is left in the cage partly uneaten all day.
Upon hatching, egg food should be given three times a day in addition to the regular seed mixture. The first feeding each day should be given as early in the morning as possible. See “Egg Food” under “General Care.” Fresh greens may be fed daily. Newly hatched youngsters require very small amounts of food. “Feed little and often,” is a good rule to follow. You will soon be able to judge the amount, bearing in mind that quantity should be increased as the youngsters grow. 58 When the nestlings are about six days old their eyes will have opened, and when they are around ten days old the partition can be withdrawn and the cock allowed to rejoin the hen. However, if the hen is not feeding the young as she should, or if she doesn’t stay on the nest sufficiently to keep the chicks warm, the cock should be allowed to return at once.
Many successful breeders prepare “soaked seed” for morning and evening feedings for the hen and nestlings from hatching time to six weeks later. Prepare by putting a little of your regular seed mixture to soak at the morning feeding. Then, at the evening feeding, stir this well, strain, and put to soak again in fresh water. On the following morning, stir, rinse in fresh water, strain, dry, and this “soaked” seed is ready to use. Soaked seed for the evening feed is started each evening, strained, put to soak again each morning, and in the evening strained, rinsed, dried between paper towels, and fed.
Soaked seed often does wonders for a nonfeeding hen, and it is valuable for chicks after they are separated from the hen. As the birds gain in age, gradually increase the seed proportion and cut down soft foods, until they are about six weeks old. At this age they are able to crack their own seeds, and the regular French’s Bird Seed and Biscuit may be given them together with feedings of egg food about three times a week until they have completed their moult.
Between sixteen and twenty-one days after the hatching, the hen will probably show signs of wanting to go to nest again. Place the second nest in the opposite corner of the cage, and stuff bits of fresh nesting material between the cage bars near the new nest. Be sure that enough is allowed, otherwise she will pull feathers out of the young birds. When the hen lays her first egg, it should be removed as before, and Round One repeated. As soon as she takes to her second nest entirely, the chicks from Round One and the cock should be moved to the other half of the cage, and separated from the hen by the wire partition.
Although a very vigorous hen and a good feeding cock can hatch three or four nests in a season, best results are had by not allowing more than two. If the nesting is finished early in June, the parents and chicks will be in condition for the moult in late summer. The added strain of more than two nests will likely make the birds unreliable for breeding the following season.
—A nestling falls out of the nest the first few days. When this happens pick up the young bird and warm it in your hands for a few minutes and then, if it is alive, place it back in the nest.
—One or more of the eggs do not hatch, though fertile. Sometimes a chick is too weak to pick through the shell which may be unusually hard due to excessive dryness if the hen does not bathe. Should many of the eggs turn out this way, put a few teaspoonfuls of common salt, or even rock salt in the bottom of the nest pan, below the lining, as this will attract (and retain) moisture from the air. There are many other reasons why fertile eggs do not hatch, most of them indicating a weakness in the embryo. However, one of the most 59 common causes is chilling of the eggs due to the hen leaving the nest for too long a time. A sudden cold spell may have the same effect.
—One or more of the hatchlings are found dead in the nest. Remove at once. Accidental smothering or crushing by the hen is likely the cause, or if the eggs hatch out over a period of two or three days, the first hatchlings may be getting practically all the food. That is why you should remove the first two eggs, so that all hatch as nearly as possible at the same time.
—The hen you are expecting to lay again is found crouching in a corner of the cage, trembling and quite apparently in severe pain. She is probably suffering from egg-binding, and must be attended to at once. Take the hen very gently in your hand, and put three or four drops of olive oil in her beak. Carefully place her back in the cage, and after a short time the egg will be passed safely.
—The “sweating hen” problem occurs. Her breast feathers will have a moist appearance leading one to believe that she is sweating. What actually happens is that the hen loses condition, probably as the result of eating food that is sour, stale, or too sloppy, and this is passed on to the baby chicks. Diarrhoea results. Normally during the first week or so, the excreta from the young is expelled in a tiny transparent bag which the hen picks up in one piece when cleaning the nest. Being unable to do this if the young have diarrhoea, her feathers become sticky and matted.
—The hen starts picking feathers from the backs of the Round One chicks to provide nesting for the second nest even though ample nesting material is supplied. When this happens separate the cock and the chicks from the hen, using the wire partition.
It is normal for a hen to stop feeding her babies when she takes to her second nest of eggs. The cock bird can usually be depended upon to continue the job. However, a hen sometimes stops feeding at an earlier time, often because of an upset condition resulting from improper feeding—or from a fright. Such things as stale or soured soft foods, food deficiencies, or lack of sufficient fresh green food are most often the root of the trouble, although overfat and lazy hens sometimes seem to find proper feeding too much trouble. Try allowing the cock to carry on alone, giving the hen normal feeding until she resumes her duty. When the chicks are not being fed by either bird, it is advisable to divide the nestlings among the other nests if you have other pairs with chicks about the same age.
Otherwise, handfeeding is imperative. Chew either Pablum or oat flakes and when mushy, feed it to the babies from the end of a toothpick. In a day or two the parents may resume feedings. Should they not, the chewed food will have to be supplemented with greens, egg yolk, and after the chicks are ten days old, a little soft cuttle bone scraped from the soft side of the bone sprinkled over the mush. A few grains of table salt should also be added.
If a chick is out of the nest, it is likely to be afraid and refuse to open its beak for food. Take such a bird in your left hand, pry open the beak with the right thumb nail and hold it open with the nails of your left thumb and forefinger. Avoid injury either to the bird’s eyes or through too firm a hold. Keep the head elevated for easy swallowing and feed from a toothpick. Always feed warm food. A little milk sop from toasted whole wheat bread makes a good change. The babies usually will begin to feed themselves a few days after leaving the nest and can then be given moist nestling food, sprouted rape seeds, and cracked seeds prepared from regular French’s Bird Seed.
(Continued on page 64)
1. Mating time, canaries wooing
2. The female builds her nest
3. The eggs are laid
4. Hatching process begins
5. Mother bird feeds new-born babies
6. The babies now 8 days old
7. Fourteen days old
8. Twenty-one days old
(Continued from page 59)
In slip claw the bird is unable to grasp the perch normally because the back claw is bent forward between the front claws. Treat by binding the affected claw back against the shank of the leg with adhesive tape. Let the binding remain for a week to ten days, but be sure that it is not so tight as to stop circulation.
Ever since it was discovered some years ago that the hybrid chicks resulting from crossing the canary and the South American Black-hooded Red Siskin were sometimes fertile when bred back to canaries and that this crossing could produce a natural red tint in the canary feathering, there has been much experimentation by breeders all over the world in an endeavor to produce an all red canary. To date some beautiful tints of orange, copper, and pink have been produced and a truly red canary seems a possibility. This discovery of a fertile hybrid has proved a major contribution to canary breeding, and breeders today are reexamining some of the other crosses between canaries and related wild birds for fertility.
For the amateur who has gained a degree of proficiency in handling canaries, there is hardly a more fascinating phase of the hobby. We welcome questions from those who undertake this work.
We have seen many experts sex canaries, and have come to the conclusion that the best proof that a canary is a hen occurs when she produces an egg, and likewise, that her companion is a male, if the egg is fertile. However, there are many other characteristics associated with the sex differences of canaries.
For example, the cock canary:
The hen canary, by contrast,
These characteristics are all subject to exceptions. We find good males that do not sing, good hens that do sing; males of one strain having a female appearance about the head when compared with hens of a heavy strain of birds, and vice versa. There are also cases where the vent areas of both male and female are very similar except when in breeding condition.
Errors are most likely when a breeder sexes spring hatched canaries in the fall. The breeder will separate the observed singers from the non-singers, as male and female. Then he goes through the non-singers for some indication in the appearance of the head or vent area, and makes a further tentative separation. Such division can only be moderately reliable, because 65 only a few strongly sexed young males tend to come into breeding condition early. An error of as much as 25% is not unusual in fall sexing.
For your guidance a good indication of a young male canary is that he sings with a noticeable swelling of the throat. From January and February on through June the male in breeding condition will have a noticeably raised vent as well as strong song. In pairing birds it may be expected that any male in breeding condition will pair with any female in breeding condition, providing there is not a very great difference in size.
With good food and care, and barring accident, there is no reason why a healthy canary from healthy parents should live less than a normal span of 12 to 14 years before old age causes a breakdown. The ailing singer is not difficult to pick out. Usually the first sign is that he stops singing. Whether the bird is cock or hen, a sudden change from its normal sleek appearance and lively action bears immediate study.
When two crested canaries are bred together some of the chicks will be permanently bald. Another cause, apparently, is the tendency for some birds to constantly rub their heads against the perch or bars of the cage. This condition is sometimes accompanied, or perhaps caused by the presence of lice.
Sometimes baldness is caused by an incomplete moult, the lost feathers not having been replaced during the regular moulting season. Sometimes severe changes in the weather during the moult, or food deficiency during the moult is the cause of incomplete feather growth.
There is no treatment for inherited baldness. If lice or mites are present, treat the bird as indicated under “Mites.” See that the bird has a normal seed diet with plenty of greens, a cuttle bone in the cage, plus egg food and moulting food two or three times each week. Allow the bird to exercise as much as possible, and there is a good chance that during the next regular moult the feathers will return.
There is no cure for blindness. We have known birds to be totally blind for months before the condition was observed by the owner. There is apparently no pain, and blind birds sometimes sing freely. However, they move about very little, and while the variety and balance of their diet must 67 be maintained, they should not be fed as much as normal birds.
Wing, upper leg, and toe breaks should be allowed to heal with no assistance other than seeing that the bird is not disturbed. Breaks in the lower leg can often be set and splinted successfully with thin cotton padding on the leg and pieces of toothpicks bound snugly with cotton thread, but not so tightly as to cut off circulation.
Always remove the swing and all high perches from the cage, and arrange food and water so that the bird can get at them with as little movement as possible.
When tail and flight feathers are broken, they will grow in again at once if they are carefully pulled out. If it is near the regular moulting season, it is advisable to let them be shed naturally.
A chill or a cold in a canary is recognized by the bird sneezing and sitting with its feathers puffed up. Sometimes there is hoarseness, and if the nasal discharge is very heavy there may be complete loss of voice, temporarily. The cold will usually work itself off if the bird is given reasonable care. Sometimes, however, if the bird is in a more or less rundown condition and the infection is strong, a more serious condition such as pneumonia will result quickly.
Keep the bird free from drafts, and locate the cage where the temperature is as even as possible and warm rather than cold. Return to a regular diet with plenty of green foods. If the room cools off at night, cover the cage and avoid awakening the pet at night. Test for the presence of mites. If some are found, treat as directed under “Mites.” Observe the droppings and make adjustments in the food if they are not normal as explained under “Constipation and Diarrhoea” below.
In addition to ten drops of French’s Iron Compound in the drinking water daily, feed a teaspoonful of egg food, fresh each day.
Constipation is a digestive disturbance usually caused by feeding an insufficient quantity of green foods. The correction is to give a variety of green foods, including sprouted seed, regularly. Lettuce, sweet apple, Chickweed, watercress, and dandelion are beneficial. Green food should always be crisp, clean and fresh. When a bird is being fed generous amounts of fresh green foods, the natural result will be more liquid droppings. This should not be confused with diarrhoea, a condition in which the droppings are usually excessively watery.
There are many possible causes for diarrhoea. The diet itself may be unnatural for the bird, or it may be inadequate to the seasonal needs of the bird. For example, in the breeding and moulting seasons freshly prepared egg food should be given. Diarrhoea may also be merely an accompaniment of an active disease. The bird should be kept warm. A change of diet will usually afford relief. Temporarily, eliminate rich and stimulating foods from the diet. Supply as much of the following mixture daily as the bird will eat:
Give buttermilk or tea in place of drinking water for 3 or 4 days.
If the disorder persists, or if the droppings are off-color and evil smelling, write us for further guidance, describing the conditions and what you have done.
Overgrown nails and claws should be trimmed, using a sharp nail clipper or small nail scissors. In the case of the beak, just trim off the overhang—to a point, if possible. It is usually only the larger rear and the middle front nails that become overgrown. Holding the claw up to the light, cut between the end of the nail and the red vein. There will be no bleeding unless you accidentally cut into the vein, in which case touch the end of the claw with a styptic pencil or a spot of iodine.
Fright, sudden chills or overexposure to hot sunlight may upset a bird severely. When no more than fainting is involved, a few drops of water sprinkled on the bird’s head will bring it around, after which see that it is allowed quiet, and treat it with extreme gentleness.
Under other conditions, a bird may suddenly drop off his perch, unconscious, in the midst of a song or other normal activity. In these cases the cause is usually quite different, and no treatment other than correct diet can be offered. The pet may survive one or two such attacks and live for years afterward.
Fright, poor health, or loss of sexual vigor are generally the cause of loss of song.
Sudden fright is one of the chief causes and may occur through the cage being accidentally upset, or an attack by a cat. Some aviary birds are so lacking in contact with people that they seem severely frightened if a stranger approaches closely. Be gentle with canaries and endeavor to protect them from such frights. The loss of song may last from a day or so to several weeks, but it can usually be overcome through playing the radio or phonograph. Sometimes the noise of a vacuum cleaner provides the stimulation needed.
Poor health is indicated when a cold has persisted for several weeks, when feathers are shed out of season, when the digestive system is upset, when the bird is overfat, or when the bird is troubled with mites or sore feet. Treat for such ailments first, and then provide the song stimuli as mentioned above.
Song is a strong secondary sexual characteristic of the normal male canary. Old or weakly sexed males usually do not sing as often or as vigorously as normal males, even though in perfect health.
When a canary has never sung, there is always the possibility that it is a normal hen and will never do so. Hen canaries have been known to inherit rather strong male characteristics and to sing frequently but usually without the vigor and fullness characteristic of normal males.
When a canary is apparently in good health and all other stimuli have failed to secure the return of song, 69 try placing a good singing canary in an adjoining room where it can be heard but not seen by the silent bird.
There are many different kinds of mites and lice which live on birds as their natural hosts. The biting grey lice live on the scales of the bird’s skin, feet and legs, or upon its feathers. Red mites suck the blood of the host and generally leave the bird in daylight and return to it at night. The biting lice seldom leave the bird, and are most difficult to find. They are sometimes removed when the bird combs out his feathers with his beak. Red mites are more easily located. Place a white cloth over the cage at night, and if the mites are present, they will be found as little red specks on the cloth in the morning. Run a hot iron over the cloth to destroy them.
Lice cause discomfort and weaken the bird. The one rule to follow in correcting the condition is routine and complete cleanliness. Dismantle the cage and stand, and scrub every part thoroughly with a hot, strong suds. Dust the bird with a good lice powder and see that it is allowed to bathe regularly. This program may not rid the bird of lice completely or all at once, but it will keep the number of lice below the danger point.
In aviaries where many birds are housed in a special room, a poultry type spraying technique can be used effectively along with regular cleaning practice. We will be glad to make suggestions if you write us about your specific problem.
It is normal for a bird to replace its feathers with new growth each year. Moulting usually starts in July, but the actual date may vary in different climates. A complete moult may take about three months. It is not a disease, but the drain on the vitality of the bird requires that he be given particular care and special supplementary feeding. The first symptoms to be noticed are a general lassitude and drowsiness followed in a few days by a loose feather or two on the floor of the cage. In order that this normal yearly occurrence will proceed as uneventfully as possible, we suggest the following procedure:
Keep a French’s Bird Biscuit and Cuttle Bone in the cage at all times, and add eight to ten drops of French’s Iron Compound to the drinking water occasionally. By way of supplemental feeding, add about ¼ teaspoonful of either flaxseeds or niger seeds to the French’s Bird Seed daily. Two or three times a week give a portion of hard cooked egg that has been mixed with toasted bread crumbs, etc., see under “Egg Food,” in “General Care” section. About half a teaspoonful should be sufficient with each feeding. In addition, feed French’s Moulting Food in place of French’s Song Food two or three times a week and continue the cultivated and wild green foods. It is normal for most males to lose their song during the moult. They usually start singing again within a few weeks after the new feathers appear.
When song is first resumed the adult bird may sing much like a baby bird. However, the volume should increase to its full capacity within a short time.
Spring hatched canaries going through their first moult usually shed only the soft body feathers. Only after a canary is a year old does it shed the tail and wing feathers as well as the body feathers.
Birds have been known to skip the entire moult and apparently be none 70 the worse for it. Also, some canaries continue to sing right through the whole process, with no interruption.
Loss of feathers at other than the regular moult indicates a weakened condition and is not normal or desirable. Sometimes referred to as soft moult, this condition may be due to interruptions of the bird’s sleep when a light in the room is turned on and off at night. Wrong feeding is an important cause, and keeping the bird in a hot, steamy atmosphere will also lead to this trouble.
Feed freshly made egg food, as above, daily for two weeks or so, and place French’s Iron Compound in its drinking water (10 drops daily) for the same period. See that the cage location is changed if it is in a room that is too warm, even for brief periods, as is usual in a kitchen. The cage should also be moved if it is where the bird might be disturbed several times during the night. Examine for lice and make sure that mice are not keeping your bird awake by climbing into his cage for seed and water.
Cage birds sometimes develop annoying habits as a result of excess energy and playfulness. They may get in the habit of tugging at the paper on the cage floor; or if they have a band on their leg, they will sometimes pick at it until their leg becomes very sore. Ridding a bird of such annoying or harmful habits will be a good test of your ingenuity. In the case of a leg band, the easiest thing to do is to remove the band. A change in the location of the cage might help. Sometimes a new cage of different shape or color will turn the trick. Some owners allow their birds the freedom of a whole room and this usually is beneficial—providing windows and doors are kept shut.
When a canary eats more than it requires for energy, some of the excess eventually accumulates as fat. Birds differ individually in the amount of food necessary. Some do much better in a large cage where they have more chance for exercise and all birds benefit by free flying.
A bird usually eats from daylight to dark and in some homes “lights out” comes rather late. Try to let the bird keep a natural day, dawn to dusk, and if he is to be kept awake during the evening, cover his cage part of the day.
Sore and inflamed eyes or lids should be treated with 2% yellow oxide of mercury ointment, obtainable from your druggist in a long necked metal tube. Squeeze a tiny amount beneath each lid and wipe the excess on the outside of the lids. Cover the perches with a wrap of soft cloth tied in place in order to prevent irritation when the bird rubs its eyes on the perch.
As with many conditions that differ from normal, sore feet and legs are generally only the end result of conditions which may have no apparent connection. However, if the cage and perches are not kept clean, if the bird does not bathe regularly, or if the perches are the wrong size or are coated with gravel, it becomes necessary to correct these obvious errors in management. When a bird is ailing it will often refuse its bath, and its feet are likely to become quite dirty. 71 The corrective measure here is to put the bird on a normal seed and green food diet with rich additions such as egg food only during the moulting and breeding seasons.
In older birds, scales on the legs and toes will very often build up rather than slough off, causing an unsightly and sometimes a painful condition. These can be softened with a little olive oil and gently removed without injury to the bird. Heavy callouses on the bottom of a bird’s feet may be due to improper perching or to a fungus growth. In hot, humid climates the latter is a possibility, and it is suggested that you ask your druggist for a small amount of one of the new fungicides for trial. Perches should be made of soft wood and should never be gravel coated.
If the sore feet are accompanied by overgrown claws it may be that a joint was strained due to the claw catching somewhere in the cage. The remedy, of course, is to keep the claws properly trimmed.
Wheezing in a canary is not an uncommon disorder and is usually due to the effects of a cold. It may also be due to an overfat condition. If either of these conditions are present, treat as indicated. Otherwise, write us giving full details.
If you have a particular canary problem not fully covered in these pages, write to us explaining in detail what the problem is, what you are doing for your canary, and what you have been feeding him. We will send you our best advice without cost or obligation. Please enclose stamp for reply. Address: Bird, The R. T. French Company, Rochester 9, N. Y.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Form No. A-1-51
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