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 fish oil to 1 lb of
seed is recommended, to which I add the same measure 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
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