Sunday, October 4, 2009

This Week's Things I Always Wanted to Ask or Share with Big Bird???

Use this post for questions that do not fit this weeks posts, tips you want to share, or did it work comments.

Questions:

Thursday:

1. Is it alright to take pictures at a bird show?

Wednesday:

1. Do you feed Bird of Paradise canary mix all year long?

2. Annette ask is BOP canary mix to stimulating for canaries after the molt?


Tips:

Sunday:

1. Margaret shares a tip on feeding millet.



Did it Work?

Monday:

1. Margaret's experience with trying to get a hen to molt.

13 comments:

Linda Hogan said...

At work last evening, Margaret Perry Fletcher shared a tip on feeding millet. She said her birds enjoy soaked millet sprays!

Whether soaked is water overnight or just a few hours, her birds enjoy it even more when it is soaked.

This morning, I am going to soak some millet sprays for a couple of hours and give my birds a special treat!

Linda Hogan said...

Sunday night at work, Margaret shared that she had two German roller hens that just wouldn't molt. She tried the sudden drop in total daylight hours and dropped the proteins. One of the hens starting molting immediately, dropping long feathers and wnet right into a full molt. But alas, the other one is still stubbornly sitting on the floor. What should she do now?

Linda Hogan said...

After trying the drop in day length and dropping proteins in the diet, a bird that still will not molt is likely become malnourished from sitting on the floor!!

If not already, she will likely starting fluffing her feathers and look not to healthy. I would start her immediately on Bird of Paradise from Wall Seed (316 263-0850) wheat germ oil and vitamin coated canary mix. Also some petamine would be good. Be sure and check her weight and if thin give her more bread and sunflower pieces. Now she is in crises mode and high risk for illness.

If she does not molt, she will not breed next year and she may get sick and die..

Since you have tried what will work on healthy birds, now we must try to get her health back and she may or may not molt then...

Linda Hogan said...

Question

Do you feed Bird of Paradise canary mix all year long?

I was unable to locate which blog this question was posted to so I will answer it here.

What I feed is determined by evaluating my birds needs. I can may general comments but when you get down to what I will do, the only thing for sure is that I will respond to my birds needs!Having said that here are some general comments:

I keep Bird of Paradise from Wall Seed wheat germ oil and vitamin coated seed mix on hand all year long. Any bird that is out of sorts or has special needs is immediately separated from the others and placed on the Bird of Paradise canary mix. BOP mix needs to be in your first aid canary kit!

I consider Borders special needs in general because they can have issues with vitamin and mineral adsorption, so after they were clearly molting, they went on BOP mix. I will keep them on it indefinitely.

German rollers on the other hand need to compete in an adolescent boys song. Unless they develop a health issue, I do not feed them the BOP mix. They get instead petamine breeding formula. It to is fortified with vitamins and vitamin E but I have experience with it. I know that petamine breeding formula works just right until I cage them up. If I have some song lagers, I'll take a chance and put them on the BOP mix. Would the BOP do the same thing? Probably but with rollers you sure do not want to go over the top!

Now that the molt is over, I have put the colorbred and Staffords on BOP mix as they are not as fit as either the borders on BOP mix or the rollers on petamine...

I like to look at my birds and select the seeds to mix daily..BOP makes it easy but knowing myself, I will put some of my own touch in the mix (cutting it with various seeds or offering separate dishes of other seeds) just because I like to fiddle with my birds and baby them. All of the birds on BOP get millet spray and the borders also have various dishes of several kinds of millet as they do best on a high carb diet.

If you want something easy or if you are a novice, BOP canary mix is the best place to start.

I am thinking about using BOP all year long as long as I am able to get the old hens to molt.. Some hens this year just did not want to molt. Sudden turning off the lights works well..This year we are seeing some that have depleted themselves to a level that they will not molt no matter if the lights and protein are dropped. Perhaps if they were in better condition they will take the light and protein dropping clues.

Annette said...

I am a novice, but have read several canary books, including yours. About the BOP, I thought I read that males should not get Vit E or wheat germ oil until prior to breeding. BOP has both, will it over stimulate the birds, males & females if given after the molt?

Linda Hogan said...

The amount of vitamin E feed to canaries is very important as it is a fat stored vitamin. Some breeds such as Borders do need more than most other breeds however.

I use high doses of water soluble ABBA vitamin E to condition all my birds for breeding season.

The BOP canary mix is coated at a level that promotes good health but not so strong as to bring the birds into breeding condition. It is by far the easiest way to get your birds in peak condition.

I am not feeding BOP canary mix to my competition rollers just in case it would bring the song along to quickly..Instead I use the petamine breeding formula on the rollers till show caging and then it is just straight canary and rape, bread, and three sprouted rape seeds if needed to advance the song.

Anonymous said...

I have a question regarding bird shows. I am going to be attending my first bird show this weekend (just as a visitor, not entering any birds), and am wondering whether it will be OK to take pictures? I plan to not use a flash and to ask permission of individual bird owners if I can take photos of their birds. Is this generally acceptable?

Linda Hogan said...

It is generally accepted that pictures may be taken after the judging.

I plan on taking my camera and getting a few shots too!!

So glad you are coming to your first bird show!! If that is Houston this weekend, be sure and come up and introduce yourself!

Rich said...

Hi Linda, I noticed in response to Annette that yo stated you give three sprouted rape seeds to your Rollers to advance the song. I believe you meant sprouted hemp seed from previous conversations we have had. Rich

Anonymous said...

I and several other "experienced" breeders are having trouble getting some hens to molt. I know this will eliminate their productivity next season. I shut the light off after last round, and reduced protein. What are we doing wrong?

Linda Hogan said...

OOPS!

Annette that is three sprouted hemp seeds not rape seeds!

Thanks Rich

Linda Hogan said...

Rich

There seems to be a lot of trouble getting some hens to molt this year! First determine if the hen is in good shape, not thin or puffing up.. If they are in good shape, cut the lights out and cut the protein should work. It would also help if you throw them in a flight cage or move to lower cage with less light and different birds. To upset her routine.

A number of hens refuse to molt because they are in poor condition. Even though they got the same opportunity as the rest, they chose to sit on the floor and not eat healthy.. As you mentioned, these hens, if they do not molt, will not breed next year...just as hens in poor condition will not breed or if they happen to lay and sit they are high risk to die on the nest..

For these hens who are in poor condition and do not respond to light and protein changes, the first thing to do is get them back in condition.

I would put them a high nutrition (vitamin coated seeds etc) and high fat diet. Like feeding sunflower pieces and coating some seed with wheat germ oil and vitamins like BOP for them.. Perhaps Margaret will update us on how that worked for her.

Linda Hogan said...

Just talked to Margaret and the hen who did not respond to light or protein dropping was started on the BOP wheat germ oil and vitamin coated seed and she laid an egg! Further questioning revealed that her hen was plump! So I sure would not do that unless the hen is in poor condition and thin!