2012 Show Season and the Winners Are.........

             NPC Club Member Alain Nottet Wins the Kris Claes Memorial Show

The Kris Claes Memorial is held in Antwerp Belgium each October.
Its named after the famous Champion Breeder, International Judge and Exhibitor.
Kris won the World Show with his Glosters 29 times a undefeated record to date.

Alain Notte a famous Champion Breeder, International Judge and Exhibitor in his own, won the show this year with his buff clear cock. His white Norwich came in second.

                                      
                                        Congratulations to Alain and his Family.

Color Feeding Formula by Alain Nottet

Alain Nottet is a International Judge, Breeder, and International Champion Winner 

Contact me at: www.norwich.be

COLOR FEEDING FOR SHOW

Water Preparation is as follows:

Mix 1 level teaspoon of Orlux Red Color or Substitute the following mixture of canthaxacin with Orlux Yellow Intensifier in equal proportions.

Add the color to 1 quart of hot water.

Use this red water to add to your soft food, any of the following, couscous, rice, rusk, corn bread.

Mix:

1 Cup Dry Egg food (Orlux )
1 Cup Red Couscous, Rice, Rusk, Corn Bread.

Feed to your birds once a day until completely colored in through the molt.

Note: 1- Orlux is a brand of egg food from Belgium
2- Use Corn Bread during the summer because too much protein is not good for the molt.
3-Bee Pollen helps develop good color so add it to your mix

DO NOT START color feeding your chicks until about 6 weeks old because the flight feathers will not be white, if you do.

IS YOUR BIRD A YELLOW OR A BUFF

       

Feather quality comes in two forms. One is called a buff and the other is called a yellow. An experience breeder will know just by looking at the bird.  One can also hold the bird in his/her hand and will feel the feather softness, as to whether or not, it is a buff or yellow bird.

A buff bird will have a wider feather type with white edging at the tip of the feather.   The color depth of a buff is not as intense as a yellow.

A yellow ,will be narrower  in feather and will have no white , the color will run to the tip of the feather. The feather will look shiny and tighter than a buff.

But, what about the bird that is said to be, High Buff. This term as been used by

experience breeders to explain the shine around a birds neck  to indicate a bird, that is buff with a yellow tendency?  Some breeders will tell you that birds come in all mixes of feather quality. That is true. But, that does not mean they are true show quality birds.  

A good buff bird, will have good type, depth of color and will have no shine around its neck.  A bird, is either buff or yellow there is no in between for a show bird.

A good yellow bird ,will have good type, intense depth of color, that will shine as though it were polished. It will not, have a washed out color or loose feathers.

So, when pairing your birds for breeding or purchasing new stock look at the bird. Is it really a good representation of what you are looking for in feather quality.

There is no such thing as a High Buff Bird, simply, that bird is a poor quality yellow.

Famous breeders such as Nick Barrett  of England and Kris Claes of Belgium knew that feather quality was as important as type, in your stud.  Their birds, are still winning today because of the type and feather quality they bred into their lines. Remember, what Alain Nottet said to me last year at the national...its good advice so pass it on.  

“A bird, is either buff or yellow, “there is no in between for a show bird.

Candace Pezzuti

SPROUTS ARE GOOD FOR YOU

Sprouting beans are high in protein and very beneficical for your birds diet.
Here is a simple method to sprout lentils and mung beans.
Place beans in a glass jar filled with water for a day.
Drain into a colander and leave in a cool dark spot in your kitchen.
Rinse the beans 4 times a day under water. Let drain in colander.
Shake colander to bring the beans from the bottom up to the top.

Note: Spouts will sour if not rinsed. Drying the sprouts in between watering prevents souring and bacteria growth.

enjoy.....Candace

Chris Goodall Champion Breeder, Exhibitor and International Judge

  The Moult and Colour Feeding

by Chris Goodall

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After my youngsters are weaned off, they remain in the breeding cages until they are six weeks old. During this time they are fed on the food they were reared on, namely egg food and soak seed. At this time they will drink copious amounts of water and care should be taken to ensure fresh supplies are always available.

At six weeks of age they are transferred to a large aviary, where they will remain until the moult is nearly completed. At this stage the youngsters are introduced to dry food. Crushed hemp, rape and pinhead oatmeal are given in addition to the egg food and soaked seed. Canary seed is added to the diet a weak later.

It is vital during the moult to provide a diet that will assist your canaries to produce the quality of feather desired. The selective pairing of the parents will determine 3/4 of the feather quality. A balanced diet, rich in protein, to supply essential amino acids is necessary to produce the finish article. Sprouted seed, hard boiled egg and sunflower hearts are high in amino acids. Canary seed, the stable diet is more valuable at this time of the year than any other as it contains silicon in the brown coating of the seed, and enters the blood stream in small amounts to help in feather making.

Extra vitamins can be added either, as I do, by, using commercial products at the recommended dose or by giving a natural source such as dandelions or spinach. Oily seeds such as nyger, hemp, maw and linseed can be added to the diet in small quantities. These will provide the extra oil that is necessary for feather luster.

First round youngsters will start to moult at 8 to 10 weeks old, second round youngsters at a slightly younger age. The new feathers replace the old in a definite pattern, beginning along the breast and back, finishing with the neck and head.

The moulting process with the breeding birds is controlled by hormones. Because of their different hormones the cock bird will lose his sex drive and song, and generally start moulting before the hen. A few tips that will aid a successful moult are, give a bath or spray on warm days, this is most beneficial in assisting the growth and condition of new feathers. Keep birds in draught free quarters. This is a requirement throughout the year, but more so during the moult as this can stop the moulting process altogether. We say they are stuck in the moult and will be extremely unwell. If this happens try to keep the bird warm, add a pinch of Flowers of Sulphur to the soft food, and as a tonic Syrup of Buckthorn administered at the rate of one drop to the ounce (30mls) of drinking water. This should get the moult started again. Finally although the birds need plenty of fresh air and good light it is advisable to moult the birds out of direct sun. The object is to moult the birds with good even colour and we all know what the bleaching effect the sun could cause. Which brings us on to colour feeding. Norwich Canaries have been colour fed for showing since the 1880’s. At first the hot Natal pepper was used, and then it became the custom to used prepared cayenne pepper from the Capsicum plant. This method, which in my case, involved mixing four parts egg food to one part pepper with a little olive oil to infuse the pepper into the egg food. I used this until Canthaxantin took over in the early 1960’s.

I can remember the first time I saw a Norwich at a show fed with this new product. It was at Kings Lynn C.B.S., approximately in 1963 and the bird belonged to Dr. Smither of Peterborough. The birds were very patchy and a burnt rusty colour, because the colouring agent had been giving to strong and not at regular feeds. This is still seen at shows today as fanciers try to colour feed for the first time. It usually takes a couple of years to get the quantities right.

The old method of cayenne pepper can still be used today, but most breeders will be using a product sold under the brand name Carophyll Red. This is a water soluble product and can either be used in food or water. I use both methods and I will endeaver to describe the way I colour feed my birds.

Throughout the moulting season, which usually starts with the first cock bird dropping feathers about the third week in June, till the end of December for are colour fed on a three day rotating sequence. The first day they receive the Carophyll in the water. The reason I stated in the last paragraph. “I will endeavor to describe” is because it is difficult to give exact quantities as most people have a different measuring utensil. I use a 2 2-ml. spoon that comes with Vydex Products, and a level spoonful of Carophyll Red is mixed with 1.5 litres of hot, not boiling water. Most people will advise boiling water, but I find this makes the Carophyll separate and within hours sinks to the bottom.

On day two I colour feed in the food. My mixture is prepared as follows. 10 grams of Carophyll Red is mixed in a coffee grinder with 1 lb. of egg food that is used during the breeding season. The Carophyll must be mixed evenly throughout the 1 lb of egg food till its consistency is of a course powder. One part of this mixture is then added to six parts of egg food, cold water is added to make it crumbly and given at the rate of 1 teaspoonful per bird. When cold water is added to this mixture the egg food will look just the same as it did when giving to rear your youngsters. If you add warm water the egg food will be pink.

On the third day they do not receive any colouring agent at all. On this day they receive a mixture of equal parts of condition seed and pinhead oatmeal that has fish oil added to it the evening before to soak in. Each bird is given 1 heaped teaspoonful. A level teaspoon of fishmeasure of a commercial multi-vitamin and mineral product which will adhere to the oiled seed. This three day sequence continues till the birds just have the head and the neck to moult. They are then removed from the aviary and caged separately. From then until the end of the show season they are fed only colour food starting at the rate of a teaspoonful every other day, and when they have just the face to finish they only have half of a teaspoon every other day. Some breeders only do the colour feeding in the water, this is fine if the birds are moulted out in flights. I would not advise coloured water in the cages as it stains the woodwork. If you have no flights and moult out in cages, I would advise using colour food at the rate of one teaspoonful per day for two days, then miss a day. If the birds dropping are pink to red in colour this will indicate the strength of colour food is correct. This is the worst period of a fancier’s year with feathers everywhere and the birds are not at their best. I however, it is worth it when an ugly duckling turns into a prized Norwich Canary.

Happy moulting

Chris

HOW TO HAND FEED

                                                                           By Candace Pezzuti                                                                              

Hand Feeding Schedule

                                               Feed Every 3 Hours                                                      

      From one day to 6 days old

9:00   am 

12:00 pm

3:00   pm

6:00   pm

9:00   pm *              From 7 days old to 21 days, Drop the 9:00 pm feeding.

 FEEDING FORMULA

1- Kaytee Exact hand feeding formula.

2- To that I add protein powder or baby food, Gerbers, chicken or ham.

 Appx. 1c Scoop of Kaytee Extact hand feeding formula, then add 1 tsp. of protein powder or baby food.

The protein powder or baby food increases the protein that the chicks need, especially for the first 10 days. Discontinue after 10 days if you choose.

3- Add distilled water to the above mixture until the formula is the consistency of being smooth and creamy. The first 5 days it should be more liquidly increasing the consistency to a creamy cream of wheat cereal after that. 

4- Temp of the formula should always be checked before feeding the chicks; test on your wrist, the food should be warm but not hot. Stir down the formula especially in the middle were hot spots tend to accumulate.

  

From 21 days to being totally weaned.

1- Hand Fed chicks will take longer to wean than if being reared by their parents, so be PATIENT.           

2- Keep a few old cocks in the same cage as the chicks. They may help feed them and also will teach them how to eat and drink on their own.

3- I use a breeding cage appx. 24”W x 16”Dx 17” H, when the chicks are 10 days old. I then place the nest of chicks in the cage with the cocks and take them out to feed per the above schedule. Check the chick’s crop to see if the cocks are feeding in between your feeding. If you leave egg food with peas in the cage it will be easy to see if they are helping out. Cocks will have a natural instinct to feed. I do not use hens because they will want to make a nest and if no nesting material is available; will pluck the chicks for their feathers.

4- I, leave the chicks from one day old to 10 days old in the parents nest if the parents are feeding a little. If the parents show no sign of any kind of rearing the chicks...I remove them (because they may kill the chicks) and put them in a clean nest, placed in a small reptile plastic cage. I then use a heating pad under the cage to keep them warm. The temperature should be around 100-101 degrees F.

If, your birdroom is warm then you do not need the heating pad during the day.

(Note: chicks that are too cold will be unresponsive; you need to add more heat.

However, chicks that are getting to much heat will look dehydrated.) If you hold the chick in your hand it should feel warm but not hot.

5- Important: Do not take for granted that your chicks are eating enough on their own. Always check the crop to see how much food is in the chick at each feeding.

Some will wean faster than others BUT always check to see if they have food in their crop.

6- Do not flight them until they are really ready and then flight them along with one or two of the cocks which was in the cage with them.

You can put several nest of chicks in one cage at the same time, just make sure they have, their bands on.

PROBLEMS THAT MAY ARISE WITH HAND FEEDING.

1- Burn in the Crop

If, the formula was too hot you may burn the chick’s crop.

It will look red and feel hot to the touch. The chick will always let you know by

Shaking its head. Place a cold piece of toweling on the spot. Neosporin applied to the area will help prevent infection. By, the next feeding it should be alright.

2- AIR BUBBLE IN THE CROP

Remove the air by aspiring it out with a syringe (small diabetic needle).

Place the needle in the middle of the crop and pull the plunger until the air comes out.

Then administer an, antibiotic to the chick. The gas in the crop will prevent you from feeding the chick unless you let the air out.

Formula that is not heated enough may develop bacteria thereby causing the crop to fill with air or gas.

If you do not have a small syringe then prick the crop with a fine needle.  

Once on the antibiotic it should resolve itself within the next few feedings.

I have reared Gloster, Fife and Norwich and Border chicks all with great results.

The chicks I lost were those that the hen knew were genetically ill and would not live even if being fed.

Note:  Hand feeding chicks does not make them bad feeders to their own when breeding; actually I have found that they are better feeders than those raised by their own parents.