Importing Norwich to the United States

This message is to my Canadian Friends in the hobby:

Can anyone please provide me with information on how to import birds into Canada from Europe and then to the United States. Many breeders here are looking for a way to get Show Stock from private individuals shipped thru Canada to avoid the quarantine conditions here in the United States.

If you have any information please contact me by psoting a message here on the blog.

Thank You,
Candy

GOING LIGHT SYNDROME

by Stephanie Burk

For years breeders have watched their birds waste away and die. The term going light has been used for decades to describe a bird that eats, but continues to lose weight, and eventually succumbs to the condition.

I use the term condition because it is not a disease, but a deficiency in vitamin D3. We know this because antibiotics have no effect on reversing the condition. Therefore, we can rule out bacterial infection or a virus.

However, a bird could be suffering from more than one problem at a time.

The vitamin deficiency could be secondary to another ailment lowering the bird’s immune system to infection. Always look at your bird’s droppings, the color will often tell you if your bird has a bacterial infection. Smell is also a good indicator for example; E. coli in a bird’s dropping will smell very foul.

Research has found that retarded growth and severe leg weakness are the first signs noted when chicks are deficient in vitamin D3. Beaks and claws become soft and pliable. Chicks may have trouble walking and will squat on their hocks. Feathering is usually poor and abnormal, lacking in calcium due to the vitamin D3 deficiency.  Rickets is a prime example of this condition.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in few foods. It is produced by ultraviolet rays from sunlight. Since our bird-rooms have artificial lights, the lack of sunlight creates the deficiency of vitamin D3 normally manufactured and absorbed by our birds.

In humans, vitamin D’s major biologic function is to maintain serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations within the normal range by enhancing the efficiency of the small intestine to absorb these minerals from the diet.

The liver also plays a role in metabolizing vitamins and minerals. Be careful of the dosage you administer to your bird. A little may help but too much may be counterproductive and cause toxicity in your bird’s liver.

   

 A bird that goes light shows signs of listless, poor feather quality, and muscle loss due to the fact they are deficient in vitamin D3.  This deficiency prevents the absorption of nutrients from their diet. They can eat all day, but if their intestines do not absorb the nutrients and minerals from the food, they are starving to death no matter how much they consume.

During my theoretical and practical research I have found that supplementing with a liquid vitamin D3 has reversed this condition.

Administer 1-2 drops of liquid vitamin D3 twice a day for 5 days, by dropper, into the bird’s beak. I have used this on birds going light and old birds. To my surprise most started acting like young chicks again.

Again, it’s important to note that not all vitamin companies and their products are the same. Buy the best you can obtain. I used a product called Fast Absorbing Liquid Vitamin D3 with concentration of 5000 IU manufactured by Trace Minerals. Their web site is www.traceminerals.com.

I believe every breeder should supplement their birds with vitamin D3 in their eggfood at least twice a week on a prophylactic course of treatment.

Our birds are living in an artificial environment that is not conducive to their basic needs and lacking in most of nature’s natural gifts of sun light, fresh air, fresh water, grasses, and insects to feed on.

This is for informational purposes only. Do your own research and consult a veterinarian, if your bird is sick. I have written this article from my own personal experience and hope you find it helpful in your aviary.

This article is copyrighted 2014

Please do not reprint without the author’s prior approval.

 

PLUMAGE IN A TIZZY by ALAIN NOTTET Champion Breeder and International Judge

BLINDNESS IN CANARIES

BLINDNESS IN CANARIES  Extracts from an article in the Hunter Bulletin.  Additional material from ‘Every bird’.

Over a period of about eighteen months I noticed a few of my birds were going blind. This occurred at first in a young cock bird and then later in a number of breeding hens who were losing young in the nest. The initial observation showed a grey speck occurring in the eye of the affected bird, first in one eye then sometimes in the other eventually leading to total blindness.

A local veterinarian was asked to help. The birds were initially treated using the usual antibiotic creams and ointments without any response. He then decided more specimens should be sent off to a research laboratory. After many months little progress had been made. A New Zealand expert was consulted and it eventuated that it was some form of protozoal infection. Finally a further examination of tissue indicated a protozoal infection of the eye, choroid/retina and lens. Electron microscopic examination of these organisms revealed they were of the apidomplesus type, i.e. toxoplasma-like. These results were followed up with blood tests of myself and my wife revealing that at some time we had contracted toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is a relative common occurrence in humans and animals and it is estimated that in the United States more than one quarter of the population has been exposed to this infection. The infection can be caught by eating raw or undercooked beef, or through contact with cat excreta. It is particularly dangerous to pregnant women causing birth defects and blindness in unborn children, the parasite can also cause lesions in the eyes of cats.

The parasite was thought to have been contacted by our canaries after eating greens from our garden which had been in contact with either cat faeces or urine. Our family cats were also blood tested but at the time of writing no results had been received.

The parasite can travel through the body of the bird forming a cyst within the brain. This can initially cause loss of balance and sudden blindness. An autopsy of the brain would be hit and miss and may not even detect anything. Always were rubber gloves when handling a bird that has died from unknown causes.

Lead poisoning can also show similar signs as toxoplasmosis. Loss of balance, diarrhoea, and sudden death. Canaries are very sensitive to even low levels of lead, and if you have a bird with the above symptoms, then it is more likely to be lead poisoning than toxoplasmosis. Paints produced several years ago contained lead and parts of their cage may be painted with this old paint. Lead is also contained in solder which is used in the manufacture of a lot of equipment such as cage fronts, seed hoppers, hang-on baths to name a few.

 Canaries are curious creatures, and to avoid boredom, they will often resort to chewing on the broken edge of a cage divider or something similar and so pick up lead.

If you are having problems check your cages, sanding and repainting the item using a modern non-toxic paint. Soldered joints should be cleaned of any loose material and painted over with the same non-toxic paint.

Common sense is the main requirement and all greens from the garden must be washed, especially if you or the neighbours have cats. Greens can be rinsed in a 1:100 solution of common bleach and water (10ml to 1ltr of water) for 10 minutes. This will prevent many nasties on green food being transferred to your birds.

ALAIN NOTTE WINS BEST IN SHOW

ALAIN NOTTET WINS BEST IN SHOW
BELGIUM NORWICH CANARY CLUB SHOW....CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
NPC MEMBER.

Traveling To A Show

The Moult and Color Feeding by Chris Goodall

THE MOULT AND COLOUR FEEDING

BY CHRIS GOODALL MAY 2004

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 soaked 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 week 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 finished article. Sprouted seed, hard boiled egg and sunflower hearts are all high in amino acids. Canary seed, the staple 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 niger, 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 clays, 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 the bleaching effect the sun can 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 use 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 Norwich at a show fed with this new product. It was at Kings Lynn C.B.S., approximately 1963 and the birds belonged to Dr. Smither of Peterborough. The birds were very patchy and a burnt rusty colour because the colouring agent had been given too strong and not at regular feeds. This is still seen at shows today as fanciers try colour feeding 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 endeavor to describe the way 1 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 the last ones that dropped feathers. The birds in flights 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 the 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 coarse 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 I teaspoonful per bird. When cold water is added to this mixture the egg food will look just the same as it did when given 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 addled 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 neck and head 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 a teaspoonful every other day.



Some breeders only do the colour feeding in the water, this is fine if the birds are being 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 only colour food at the rate of one teaspoonful per day for two days, then miss a day. If the birds droppings 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. However, it is worth it when an ugly duckling turns into a prized Norwich Canary.



Happy moulting.