When to check or remove eggs

[Jamm972]

Animalzoo Woot...your kidding. Canary breeding is easy.......NOT... lol I to am Trying to close the breeding season. It was a lot of work. I had some road stops here and there but as you well know its a learning experience each clutch, each day, each pair. each bird. Sorry for you losses, but don't let it discourage you from next year. Just see what you can learn from what happened and how you can make it better for next year.

Money with the broken leg is doing great. She is still weaning but that is normal. Her siblings are in the flight cage with the others but I am keeping Money with the parents until the cast is removed. She is perching and making use the best he/she can with the leg but movement is minimal until the cast comes off. Prognoses is good so far. But wont know anything until the next vet visit.

Whitey and Donald are on their last Clutch. Only 3 eggs this round. So cant wait until its over. Their cage needs a thorough cleaning. Plus I think Donald and Whitey need to stretch their wings for a wile and prepare for the upcoming molt.

Blanca and Zorro....im kinda confused I think they are done for the season. Blanca did build a new nest for a 3rd clutch but is not accepting Zorro. They are fighting. I think its because she was hungry and not getting fed like she wanted. She is now sitting . However....She had 4 babies this last clutch 3 out of the 4 babies are fine and almost ready to be in the flight cage. But....one of the babies all their feathers have been plucked out. The baby is bald. Seems very healthy but I'm concerned that new feathers wont grow back in. I separated the siblings and put in the divider. I left the baby that was plucked with the parents in hopes that it will get more attention and fed properly and recuperate from the plucking. What I think happened was I didn't supply enough nesting material and this baby was the weakest so they plucked him/her. I added more nesting material and now Blanca is sitting. So fingers crossed.

Noname and Stud their 1 baby is about ready to fledge. He/she is winging it for now but has left the nest but I put em back in. Noname has already built her new nest and ready fro round 2. I'm going to let her get some more practice in because she had a late molt and started late for her breeding season.

Tails and Orangie. They had 4 babies. So far so good. I am surprised that they are being good parents for the late start. These are all red factors. So I have to cage them all in a separate flight cage and color feed them. That's a whole lesson in its own. :(:(

Because they started late as well I will push for a 2nd clutch as well. But to be honest I am burnt out. So after these last attempts I am done and beginning to separate clean and sanitize and prepare for the molt.

SEXING....I haven't even begun to try to sex any of the babies. I have noticed some juviniles trying to sing so I will prolly start to separate them and see what the outcome is. Once I sex them I will prolly raise my asking price if I sell them.

I have asked my partner to help me go through them 1 by 1 and evaluate them on which ones we are keeping for next year and which ones we are selling. Chances are we are keeping all the crested babies and all the Dominent white babies. I want to get a baby that is all white but has a Dark crested top. Whishful thinking.
I am attached to one of the babies I now call Coco Puff. I will try to take a picture and show you.

We are just starting out. and we will get about a 3 to 4 month rest and have to start all over again with feeding, conditioning and Pairing. I'm a little excited but at the same time scared. Bright side is we have the hard part over with and each year we can only et better and better.

How have you been sexing your canaries? I know as juviniles its really hard to tell their sex but you take a wld guess at if they sing they might be a male and if not then they might be female. Any pointers. I am going to start a new topic for my next journey on sexing Juvinile canaries. and get pointers.
Really hope you stay in touch. It has been a pleasure going through this journey with you and I hope you will continue this next year with me as well

Take care. I will update as I go on the last few clutches I have then we can end this topic and continue with another one and or chat on facebook

[Animalzoo]

Jamm972

I'm so glad Money is doing well. Prognosis does sound good doesn't it!

Whitey and Donald have done well and their babies sound great. Good luck on their last clutch.

Similar to Blanca and Zorro, I had a clutch where they plucked the feathers of the babies and same as you specially the youngest. I divided the babies there and then and allowed them to feed through the bars. It was because they wanted to nest again but I hadn't provided the nesting material. If you have now given them the nesting material I'm sure the baby will be ok but watch closely in case more damage is done by the parents. The feathers will grow back fine, don't worry. All the feathers on mine grew with no problems.

Noname and Stud sound like their doing fine. Like you say their late molt means they can carry on longer but keep and eye on any loose feathers around the bottom of their cage in case they start to molt with the others.

4 babies with Tails and Orangie! Wow. So pleased they got there in the end. They're doing so good and more red factors. I'm jealous.

You know my attitude at feeling burnt out was to stop them before they even started. As soon as I saw a nest being built or eggs getting laid I didnt have the heart to stop them.

Scully has now laid 2 eggs and is sitting tight on her nest all alone. I feel guilty moving her male and I keep thinking how lonely she must be but they're birds, they go on instincts not emotions hehe. I kinda hope she'll hatch these out and they are fertile as it'll be a sweet ending for the season.

I was in the pet store yesterday and saw a white crested canary but unknown sex. I was so tempted to buy it there and then as that was one of my requests for next year. I need to speak to my boyfriend, see what he thinks.....or just go and buy it and be done with it

I haven't sexed the young. I have had only 2 babies show signs of singing. One I sold as the lady wanted a boy and the other is in a cage alone at the mo. Since I have done that though none of them are singing. Only one has done a little singing, but I assume this being time of molt they don't bother so much. I have been seeing little feathers on the bottom of the cage here and there so its starting. I promised the lady who bought the boy that if it never sings and becomes female I'll swap for another boy.

I've been asked to sell a female to another lady and have told her she'll need to wait a few more weeks for me to be sure. But then I'm like omg, how will I tell!!?

Pictures yes please. A dominant white with a dark crest would be awesome!

You're right as our season ends we should stop this topic. 271 posts and 19 pages later its been good following alongside another canary breeder with the same number of pairs and trails and tribulations. I want to see photos though....send some through

[Jamm972]

Animalzoo I will send pics when I can. Me and partner are going to take the birds out 1 by 1 and evaluate them. As we do that I will try to take an individual pic of each bird. But as you know sometimes getting a good shot can be hard.

I sorta gave up trying to get good pics when Sun and Moon were giving me trouble. But I will try again.

Just stand by for the last and final pic posts
in a day or 2 that is.

[Animalzoo]

Jamm972

Hi Christopher, hows the latest with the birds?

The temps have gone up here, we're now in the 30's and air con is on often. My birds are in my underbuild though which is keeping lovely and cool all by itself. I do have an a/c unit down there though if necessary.

So all my boys are in full molt. They are in their single cages resting. None of them are singing and are frequently just fluffed up on their perches inactive. I havent seen much sign of the girls molting though. They are still in with the juveniles and there are very little feathers floating around their cage.

The last hen, Scully who I left on 4 eggs is still alone sitting on them. I candled them and 3 have turned dark and are expected to hatch from today. She's done a fine job sitting there all alone so I feel a bit sorry for her and hope any babies that hatch will be nice company for her.

The lady who purchased one of my male babies got in touch to confirm he was a definite 'He' and had called him Carl. He had started to sing, but wow what a name!! Then she got in touch again asking a favour for me to babysit Carl while she went on holiday to the UK for a week. So he's currently back home down in the underbuild in his own cage. His colours have been coming out great, hes a very pretty boy. I'm very proud to have bred such lovely colours.

This draws an end to my canary season then. I'm still busy with lovebirds, gouldian finches and budgies but canaries will have to wait until next year now. What a lovely experience and it's been great to go through the first year with another breeder in the same position with an equal number of pairs.

As you say, we'll keep in touch on Facebook!

[Jamm972]

Hey Animalzoo finishing up my last clutches 2 out of the 3 have hatched. Waiting for tails and Orange to hatch there last clutch. I have 4 lovely looking refactoring. Their feathers are more orange than red but I think that's because I wasn't putting in the red stuff in their fresh egg food. It will come around and get darker as they go into their soft molts.

I have an issue with one of my canaries. Black eye. He is acting all weird and off. Shaking/trembling. Also poo was building up around his hoo hoo. I cleaned that poor off as well as the pool that another bird did on him. Black eye is in a breeder cage separated from other canaries. He is eating normal but is constantly leaning to one side. Something is wrong and I don't know what it could be. It's like he is having convulsions or seizures. I will ask in a new topic.