Canary Tales

Big Bird Takes A New Breed Under Her Wing

2012-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yellow colored male

Crested male

Hen for the crested male above.

Hen for the plainhead yellow colored male above.

At the National Cage Bird Show in Kansas City, I made the decision to take a new breed into my aviary.

What breed is it?

From My E-Mail Bag Laurie UK

2012-01-30T00:10:00.000-08:00

Laurie writes: Hi Linda,

Hope you had a good christmas and new year. I saw your blog about Boost and thought I'd send you an email.

I've been using Boost for 4 years now, I use it at 1ml in 2 litres of water all year round. They get it whenever I'm not giving other in water supplements like KD, vitamin B, calcium etc as their normal water. They seem so used to the taste of it they probably wouldn't drink plain water!

I get Boost from Sunrise Aviculture, they sell most things for canary breeders. Its £6.95 for a 50ml bottle. From the picture it looks like you've got the new style bottle, the old one had a parakeet and pigeon on it and the vitamin composition, if you're interested it contains vit A, vit D3, vit E, vit K, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, folic acid, Biotin, vits B1, B2, B6 and B12, high concentration and fully water soluble.

You can see some Boost in the small drinker on the back of the show cage in one of the photos I've sent you. That was at East of England border show, the other guy is Belgian champion Joel Geldof, you probably know him. My birds originate from his bloodline, via Alan Harper.

Linda, I bought some antibiotics last week whilst looking for a new tub of Optibreed, from a spanish store called Wilder Store. They sell a large range of supplements and treatments for cage birds and pigeons. We can't buy antibiotics here in England without a vets prescription and you don't get charged import tax from Spain soI bought some Doxibrom doxicilin and some Enrofloxine 10% and some microserine tiny pills for canaries.

Do you know if any of these are suitable as a precautionary pre-breeding treatment? and do they have any fertility issues or side affects?

Also Linda I got 2 of those double ended aluminium hand feeding tools to send you, I got them last year. I think you'll find them very useful, the small ends good for newly hatched chicks and the big end for mixing and feeding big hungry feathered border chicks!

I'll post them if you send me your address and let me know if you want any Boost as well.

Check out the sunrise aviculture site and also a new Border site Mason and O'callaghan borders.

Recently had a border cock in a soft molt, he is responding well to the vitamin B and high carb diet! Thanks for all your advice and good luck for the coming season,

Kind regards - Laurie.

SUNRISE AVICULTURE

95D MAIN STREET,

BRAMLEY,

ROTHERHAM,

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

S66 0SE

TEL. 01709 545619

I think they have an online order form on their website.

Have you tried any of the AVIFORM supplements? I've got 2, VITACEL- vitamins, minerals, amino acids and prebiotics, PROLYTE-C probiotic,enzymes and electrolytes.

They're powders with plastic scoop that you can add to any birdy recipe! I'll let you know how they fair.

Congratulations!!

I just placed an order with Sunrise and was able to order Boost and Ferti-vit and omni-vit too. Seems no one in the US has any of these products.

This Weeks Questions and Tips For Big Bird

2012-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday
Questions:

1. Your blog has so many ideas that it makes me tired to think about implementing them. If you could add just one food what would it be?

Answer: I would chose Quinoa because it has the most effect on improving the birds health of anything I have fed. For years i have put cooked quinoa in my nestling food but I was totally amazed when I fed just cooked quinoa as the main ingredient with broccoli and bee pollen or poppy seed. Just a few days and the birds condition improves even when you think it is already very good.

CSI: Aviary Search

2012-01-29T02:02:00.000-08:00

What in the world is Big Bird Testing on her canaries now?

Breaking News: We have a winner, actual two winners Donald of South Africa said it was dried fruit and Ed correctly identified the dried fruit as Strawberries and Raspberries!

I was ask to test a new softbill product on canaries to see if it was marketable to canary people. First I tried it dry, neither the particular Borders males nor the eat almost anything German Roller males would eat it either plain or in a nestling food. Both Borders and Rollers picked it up and threw it away without eating a single bite. Looking at it and feeling it, it is tough.

Next I tried moistening it and even softened the Borders still refused to try it but three out of four German Rollers males at least ate it! I thought they looked like they were dressed up and wearing lipstick and wanted to show you how handsome they look with red lips!!

CSI Avian Mystery

2012-01-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

What do you think happened? Send your report and theory to this post. All responses will be posted.

Oh No, Docile Hens with Developed Vents

2012-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

This morning I noticed that these two imported German Roller hens had eaten an unusually large amount of mineral grit, so time for an inspection, bottoms up.

Swollen enlarged red vent on one hen.

The other hen is almost as developed as the first one.

That means they are coming into laying condition. So what's the problem?

Laying condition and breeding condition are not necessarily the same thing and with these two docile hens, their lack of movements means laying is far ahead of breeding. Should they be paired now, they would be timid and run from the cock.

Egg fertility has a lot to do with the hen, does she call to him and beg to be fed and assume a mating position? Docile hens because they are not acting according to script, may even be attacked by the anxious cock.

The best thing to do to get the hens active and hopping back and forth and turning flips in the air in anticipation of breeding is to give them a dose of iodine. This could come from a variety of available iodine products such as vanodine, lugol's, or Ioford.

Since the hens also look a little loose feathered compared to my others I decided to give a two consecutive day treatment with Ioford with Dufoplus added in their water. This cocktail should be used at the first sign of lethargy and works remarkable well.

Update Photo Below: 24 hours after treatment, feathering is tightening up, wing carriage is improving and the hens are moving some. This is going to be a tough one, after the second day, I will put the hens one one side of a divided cage and a cock on the other side. The cock is the most important factor for bringing the hen into condition.

Breaking News - Petamine

2012-01-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

Just received a heads-up call from Herman Brothers that Kellogg is no longer making Petamine! They only have 10 of the 20 lbs bag left and after that no more! If you use Petamine and want some for this breeding season call Herman Brothers at 1 810 420-5055.

Mild Eye Problem - Conjunctivitis

2012-01-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I notice a German roller acting like it could not see well. On close examination, I noticed his right eye was totally sealed shut. Using lukewarm water, I gently poured water over his eye until it unstuck. Click on the photo and noticed the missing feathering around the eye.

Immediately, I moved him to this "transport" cage which I purchased at the National Cage Bird Show from The Finch Connections vendor (www.thefinchconnections.com). I love this small cage and have already decided I need lots more of them.

With plastic perches, they stay clean much better than roller cages.They are great for isolation of sick birds as the food and water is easily accessible and always close to the bird.

And I also plan to use them for males that are destined to move from hen to hen but need a place for two days off to build their sperm count between hens.

I could use them when I am caging up a number of rollers trying to decide who goes in the show cages and perhaps I can get a cabinet made and use these cages for a song school!

The most common cause of mild eye problem cases is Mycoplasma but it also can be due to a number of infectious agents and even exposure to environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke and chemicals.

Once I was invited to visit an aviary of about a hundred red factors. The first thing I noticed after noting their beautiful color was that nearly everyone of the birds had mild eye problems. The problem was the perches that he cleaned with harsh chemicals and the birds rubbing their heads on the "clean" perches. After seeing this, I just wash my perches in plain water.

The only environmental factor I could find in my case was that he was fairly close to the heat pump and air would blow on off and on. This could cause dry eyes and set the scene for an eye problem.

I concur with veterinarian Dr. Rob Marshall who in his book Canary Health stated "baytril (enrofloxacin) is a first choice medicine when the cause of the illness has not been identified".

Enrofloxacin is available from some pigeon suppliers. I purchased mine from ladygouldianfinch.com.

You can either use one drop in the beak twice a day or administer in the water as directed on the label.

Positive response within 24 hours is typical with this medication but it is continued for several more days as directed on the label to prevent the common recurrence problem associated with eye infections.

Following the antibiotic treatment, the bird should remain on vitamin treated water such as orlux vitamins for five more days.

The bird is looking better and acting fine and I do not anticipate any further problems.

Note: can't get over how fast his beak grows, after taking the first picture, I trimmed it but look at today's picture, he needs it again!

Performance Enhancers

2012-01-20T00:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, the show season seems to come to soon, much before our birds are in peak condition. Whether it is the feathers are not tight or the confirmation such as rounded heads or raised back just isn't there or perhaps they lack stamina after a long day on the show bench or perhaps birds that will not sing in their show cages, all of these problems can be rectified by using vitamin enriched products.

I had this Orlux fertility product on hand and was surprised to read on the product label it that it was for singing & fertility. I started using it daily and the song developed quickly and quickly they no longer sang "baby song." I bought this product from Bird Supply of New Hampshire.

While judging type canaries at the Vancouver Canary Club in Burnaby, BC, Canada, on November 13th, Chirpy Chum Brian Johansen, not only shared with me that some of the top exhibitors in England use Boost to gain a competitive edge but also he gave me a bottle to try.

As soon as I got home, I had about a week to give it to my rollers before the National Cage Bird Show and Borders who needed confirmation and others who had loose feathers especially in the flanks. I was very impressed with the results which corrected all of the above problems and all birds had improved well being.

At the show the rollers who before treatment were not singing to frequently, got remarks on their judging sheet about their great training and performance!

I am going to be ordering boost from England as I do not know of a US source.

Biodecken also has a product to improve singing called "Jingle". Which I did not have the opportunity to try but another breeder did try it and got excellent results too. Hopefully their product line will be available soon from Ricardo Sanchez. As soon as available, I will post it on the blog.

Houdini Brags: "It Doesn't Take Much To Outsmart Big Bird!"

2012-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Big Bird was bragging about outsmarting me, she even posted it on the blog, but first thing this morning as she barely started opened the door, out I flew!!

Maybe a sweet song will fool her!

Big Birds problems have just begun!!

Out Smarting Houdini

2012-01-19T00:02:00.000-08:00

I make a habit of taming my birds and training them to stay in their cage when the door is open. Everyday when I add the special food in their small dish, I leave the door open while I take the dish out, fill and return and then close the door.

This works well as I only have to open the cage door once instead of twice. I have about 200 plus birds in roughly 70 cages and day after day I leave the door open and none escape. Even if I forget to close the door well and it falls open, everyone stays in their cage till hours later I notice it.

Today, I was smugly congratulating myself on how much easier it makes life to have birds stay in their cages rather than having to chase birds who escape while I am feeding. (As a matter of pride, I catch birds by hand and do not use a net.)

Once last week and again today, Houdini, a German Roller Male, quickly darted out of his cage and flew around the room. Well what a sight, we moving quickly around the room while Houdini does not even let me get close.

Around dusk, I still had not caught Houdini even though I had tried several times during the day. His cage door remained open and he ignored any treats I put inside. So I thought I might be able to outsmart him by placing a perch through the bars to the outside making it real tempting to fly in. Similar to putting an inside perch near an outside bath to encourage a bird to investigate the bath.

After dark, I went in the aviary to find Houdini as once it is dark, I can walk right over and catch him. Houdini took the bait and was sleeping inside his cage!!

Handy Dandy Poop Scraper

2012-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

In spite of a large flight cage all to himself, this Border prefers a high perch in the corner. He flies back and forth but spends the majority of sitting and pooping in the right corner.

Recognize the bird? Yes, it is a current photo of that molting Border pictured with lots of pin feathers on its head a few weeks ago. His head is filling out nicely now!

Under his favorite perch, droppings are building up!

No problem, if you have a dry wall plastic scraper! It is thin and flexible and so easy to use.

This set of three sizes is only $2.27 at Lowe's in the lumber section and is a must have in my aviary!

Heads Up Tips

2012-01-16T08:08:00.001-08:00

Heads Up: Slender Hens (Click on each photo and compare)

Hens with a slender underline need to be checked for a yellow fat layer. This slender hen does not have a hint of fat. Unless she fattens up a bit, she will not come into good breeding condition. Give her a private cage or put her with like slender hens and feed fattening extras sunflower chips/pieces and soft bread.

Occasionally, fatten up a thin "hen", may surprise you as she is not really a she but rather a he!!

This hen shows a nice yellow abdominal fat layer. She is coming along nicely and will likely be ready to breed in about eight weeks.

Heads Up: Increased Mineral Consumption

When you have a lot of hens, it is helpful to watch hen cages for increased mineral consumption as long before laying, hens will eat a lot of mineral grit (ABBA mineral with oyster shell added).

Watching for mineral consumption is how I know which hens to catch first and give a physical exam to check for breeding readiness.

Increased mineral consumption is also seen before the 2nd clutch. Often I see a hen feeding chicks but eating a lot of minerals, this is a heads up to get the cock back in the cage as she is going to lay her 2nd clutch quicker than expected. Routinely, I put the cock back on the chicks fourteenth day but if I see her chowing down on mineral, he goes in sooner..

Heads Up: Low Priced Convenient Quality Broccoli

While at the National, Chirpy Chum Rich May, told me how he likes to use frozen broccoli in his nestling food.

I found this floret frozen broccoli at Aldi's discount grocer for only $1.09 where at the most popular grocer in Wichita it was $3.21. Fresh is selling regularly for $1.69/lb here.

Isn't this lovely! I move the package from the freezer to refrigerator and let it thaw there overnight for use the next morning.

After all that play while Big Bird writes this blog, its nap time.

Chirpy Chum Deb Eaton Shares Recipe

2012-01-13T00:37:00.000-08:00

Great profile of Debbie!

Debbie writes:

I've been making a cheap food for my birds since I had no eggfood. They eat every tiny bite.

It is cheap wheat bread (1.00 loaf) a couple of mustard green leaves from my flower bed (or rape plant volunteers), a scoop of vitamin mineral powder and a small scoop of their daily pellets. I also buy large bags of organic carrots for my kitchen and sometimes use 1 or 2 carrots. Throw it all in the food processor and process until tiny bite-size pieces. When I use carrots, I process them first, then throw in the bread, etc.

This is something I've noticed on my birds. I bought a couple of Scots here that originally came from Mac. They had been hauled around to several bird marts, etc. and were looking a little rough.

I use pellets for 50% of my birds diet - usually ZuPreem Fruit, sometimes mix with egg food, but no eggfood this fall, just pellets. I bought Mazuri Breeder Pellets, some Pretty Bird Daily Select and mixed all 3 together - mostly because of my softbills, but decided oh well -feed it to all the birds.

With the little bit of wheat bread/greens mix and the pellets and fresh seed mix, within 10 days of buying the Scots - they had slicked down and tightened up considerably. Very noticeable. So much - I even asked Lisa to look at them and tell me what she thought had done it. She thought my box cages, and diet was the key. The poop on my birds has never been tighter and as dry as it is now. Sort of like when you take you dogs off of grocery store dog food and put them on Science Diet, you can just tell the waste is smaller and the food utilized.

We had a vet speak to our club Sunday, and her most important observation regarding illness in cage birds had to do with improper diet. I so agree.

Thanks so much Deb, I value your friendship very much!

Natural Approach To Avian Insect Control

2012-01-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

If you have ever experienced an infestation with this weevil, you have my sympathy. This weevil commonly hatches out of household products such as cornmeal and in the house all that is necessary is find the source and get rid of it, not an easy task in the aviary. I have no idea still what it hatched out of.

These little monsters are about the length of thistle seed but wider, shown crawling on a wooden cage perch, they love hot weather and hate cold weather. I thought perhaps that pest strips would get them but even though they can fly, it was not effective.

Diatomaceous earth is non-toxic to animals and humans and environmentally safe and contains no chemical pesticides. The fine silicate particles destroy the insects waxy cuticle resulting in loss of moisture and death. This seems to be working but I look forward to seeing no more weevils ever!

If you use wood shavings it can be added to them. It is also reported that it is effective against mites and lice.

Big Bird's Test Kitchen

2012-01-11T17:07:00.001-08:00

Today, I tested three products: chia seed, mixed grass seed, and Egg - N- Herbs. As usual, my Borders are my guinea pigs!!

Chia seed has been all the rage on Dr.Oz so I thought I would see if my birds like it. My friend Margaret shared that she use to have a chia pet and would trim the green growing fur and feed it to her birds. We also checked sprouting but decided it would be simpler to just try it straight.

Quickly, the Borders started eating it and these three Borders ate the whole dish of chia seeds by the nest morning.

Next I added a separate dish of a new product called Egg - N- Herbs. Mixed and sold by Connie Gahman of wings and things gahmanzoo@verizon.net 215 536-1599. To Proteen egg food manufactured by Higgins she selectively added the following herbs: alfalfa leaf, chamomile flower, oat straw, wild lettuce, blessed thistle, dandelion leaf, kelp, chickweed and also spirulina, egg shell, and orange peel.

The Higgins proteen egg food contains a number of items such as whole wheat flour, soya flour, corn meal, dried eggs, wheat germ, honey, almond meal, sesame seed meal, few seeds such as niger, hemp, poppy, German millet, oat groats and numerous nutrients such as sodium selenite, vitamins, and some amino acids plus lactobacillus acidophilius probiotic.

Borders liked this product also and gave it a three toes up rating!

Lastly, I tried an untreated mixed grass seed. This was also purchased from Connie Gahman and turned out to be the overall Border favorite. This year, my birds have wasted so much seed it was refreshing to see them eat every one! It is particularly easy to crack and I plan to add this to my weaning regiment with niger (thistle), which is also easy to crack, as the first seeds I introduce to my young chicks.

With so many extra dishes per cage, I thought why not make a health boost by mixing all three.

As expected they like the combo but the grass seeds are still number one on their list!

Shaving the Bird Food Bill

2012-01-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

German Rollers eating Purina Flock Raiser immediately after putting it in their cage.

Non-medicated, nutritious and 20% protein makes this a great time to add flock raiser to your birds diet. Although higher priced than last year, it cost about $20 for 50 lbs.

Flock Raiser is crumbles are easy to eat. I feed it plain and also cut my regular seed mix by about 1/4 with it.

Another trick I have been using is processing green stems for the birds rather than wasting them in the cages. Here some collard green and bok choy stems are ready for processing. Yesterday, it was spinach stems. Processing broccoli also saves waste as the stems are totally eaten just like the heads.

Once processed it is ready to add to a conditioning mix. If it is too wet drain away the excess and add extra dry ingredients such as CeDe, Protein 25, or Petamine Breeding Formula. Adding petamine to a mix cuts the waste as birds like to pick the seeds out and eat little of the nutritious powder.

Poor Lucca, anyone know what this it?

Chirpy Chum - Conditioning Mix Shared By Doyle Johnson

2012-01-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today as I chatted with my good bird friend Doyle Johnson, he shared his current conditioning mix recipe. It is wonderful to be blessed with bird enthusiasts friends and even more wonderful when they share their recipes!

Doyle's Conditioner

Place 1 cup cous cous in a large bowl and add 1 cup hot tap water and a dash of olive oil. Stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed.

Add 2 cups dry CeDe mixed with 1 teaspoon Miracle Amino Acid Vitamin Supplement (AA Miracle available from ABBA Products).

Add 2 Tablespoon Hen Egg Shell (prepare egg shells for feeding by either baking in the oven or microwave 1 1/2 minutes).

Add 1 cup processed broccoli (measure after processing in the food processor).

My birds loved it!!

Become a Chirpy Chum by sending your CHIRP to canarytales2@juno.co. Give your fellow breeders a helping hand!

The Curious Case of Shedding Feathers

2012-01-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

The very next day after I brought this new Border home from the National in Kansas City mid-November, I found small feathers scattered all over the cage floor. Not just a couple but hundreds!

When finding small feathers on the cage floor, several possibilities need to be considered.

1. This time of year, hens lose their breast feathers making a bare brood patch so that their skin touches the eggs while the set on them.

When a bird experiences a change in diet, if the new diet is more stimulating, the birds will rapidly come into breeding condition. Usually this takes about two weeks. Since this was immediate, I ruled out coming into breeding condition. Furthermore, my impression is this is a cock and not a hen even though "he" was not singing!!

2. A second possibility is that the bird is in a soft molt. Exposure to inconsistent day length and warm temperatures may cause birds to get stuck losing small feathers. I have seen this with birds coming out of import and occasionally with birds coming home from a bird show.

Unlike a normal molt where first the birds drop long flight feathers about a month before losing small feathers, soft molting birds do not lose their long flight feathers.

Novice breeders sometimes get excited and fear their birds are in a soft molt when actually it is the normal process where hens lose their breast feathers.

Birds in a soft molt have loose feathers where birds in breeding condition have tight feathers. This bird has loose feathers and no singing so soft molt is more likely than coming into breeding condition.

3. The third possibility is the bird is stuck in a normal molt and that it lost its flight feathers about a month before I got it.

Birds that are in soft molt are in poor condition and the cocks especially lose their confirmation noted by loss of roundness in the back and hen, loss of confirmation also occurs when the cocks come into breeding condition but the difference is that breeding condition brings tight feather and breeding behaviors such as singing where either soft molt or normal molt often results in no singing and some degree of loose feathers and loss of confirmation.

This bird at the top of this post shows poor confirmation and loose feathers.

Treatment:

Being unsure of whether I was dealing with a soft molt or finishing a normal molt, I immediately, started the bird on liquid B vitamins. As excess B vitamins are excreted, I just pour some in the water till it is obvious and make that the only water available.

The very next day, no more small feathers were found on the floor. Usually in soft molt, it is necessary to also drop proteins and push high carb foods such as oatmeal. And typically the response would take a few days or longer.

It has been about six weeks now and look how the back is rising and head is rounding! The bird is coming into condition!! Even heard a little singing this morning!

Looking down on the head, it is totally full of pen feathers, typical of finishing a normal molt. Can't wait to see this birds head once it finishes its normal molt.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and Wishing you the Best in 2012!

Merry Christmas From Fur and Feathers!

2011-12-24T10:17:00.001-08:00

Do you suppose it's too late to make the "Nice List?!!"

Winners Florida Canary fanciers Bird Show

2011-12-21T06:52:00.001-08:00

George Traveria won Grand Champion German Roller Team and many tour specials! His team not only had beautiful basic tours hollow roll, bass, and hollow bell but also had a fantastic gluck roll!! Congratulation also to Raul Bentacourt who won Champion Young Team with a different team than he won with at the National in Kansas City, this being his second win in the Amateur class, he advances to Champion class! Great Birds Raul!!

Patrick Varian, type judge, explains the placement of the type bird division winners.

Name each of the following birds. (Only winning answers will be posted.)

Winner of the Type Division exhibited by Juan Chavez, Bird Number 1

Second Place in the Type Division exhibited by Will Burdett, Number 2

Exhibited by Brian Byrne and Paul Cruse Number 3

Exhibited by Carl Biers and John Cromwell Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Exhibited by George Traveria Number 7

Exhibited by Adrianna Gonzales Number 8

Number 9

Number 10

Best Lipochrome Exhibited by Carl Biers and John Cromwell, Lipochrome Judge Luis Talavera Number 11

Number 12

Number 13

Number 14

Number 15

Melanin Colorbred Judge, Robert Trincado Number 16

Number 17

Number 18

Number 19

Number 20

The show also had American Singers judged by Alan Gibson and Spanish Timbroes judged by Sebastian Vallelunga. Exhibitors came from not only Florida and the Carolina's but also a number came from Texas! Congratulation to the General Show Chairmen Humberto Delgado and all the officer's and section chairmen for a very successful Bird Show!

Never a dull moment when hanging around with Wilfred!!

Wonderful warm weather and numerous outdoor tables in the center of the room blocks were popular socializing spots like this one enjoyed by Les Michaczewski.

Look What's Cooking Around The Christmas Tree

2011-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

My Borders are the taste testers in the aviary. If they like it, its served all around!

Quinoa (keen-wah) cooked in twice the amount of water and dash of olive oil and cooled. Add processed broccoli and bee pollen.

I slipped in the new food as they were busily eating seed.

Checking it out

What's this?

Looks harmless...

Certainly a taste won't hurt. Did she say "Eat It Or Wear It"?

What a surprise, its really good!!

UPDATE

After a few days, I am amazed with how smooth and glossy my birds feet have become!! Also, this year, my birds are wasting lots of seed but they eat every bite of the quinoa, broccoli and bee pollen!

I have learned that preparing the quinoa a day ahead and refrigerating it results in it swelling and being even lighter contributing to encouraging birds to clean up the last bit, if a food packs down in the dish, birds rarely eat it.

See You In Florida This Weekend

2011-12-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

Florida Canary Fanciers 12th Annual Show

WHEN:
Saturday, December 13, 2008

TIME:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE:
Days Inn
20390 N. U.S. Highway 27 , Clermont

COST:
$2

DESCRIPTION:
This is a canary show for color, type and song canaries. We are expecting about 30 teams of rollers with about 350 song birds and 300 color and type canaries. Song judging starts Friday.

CONTACT:
Call Sara Palmer at (941) 830-8468 or email sarasrq@comcast.net. floridacanaryfancier.com

CATEGORIES:
Exhibits and Attractions

Looking forward to judging German Rollers and seeing all the birds and exhibits!!

Identify These Beauties Seen At The KC National Cage Bird Show

2011-12-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Number 1 Best Bird In Show

Bird Number 2

Bird Number 3

Bird Number 4

Bird Number 5

Bird Number 6

Bird Number 7

Bird Number 8

Bird Number 10

Bird Number 11

Bird Number 12

Bird Number 13

Bird Number 14

Bird Number 15

Bird Number 16

Bird Number 17

First right answer will be posted. (No wrong answers will be posted.)

Lou Abbott Chicago Roller Show

2011-12-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ed Nagy Won Grand Champion, Young Champion, Amateur Class, Tour Specials Hollow Roll, Bass, Hollow Bell, and Flute!! They were absolutely heavenly!!

Ed Medrano won Novice Class and advances to Amateur Class! Very Nice!!

After the competition, I conducted a Song School for participants and visitors.

Teams were set up to demonstrate the various tours and a lively discussion ensued.

Chicago Song Show This Weekend

2011-12-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I will be judging German Rollers in Chicago! Come On Up!

Chicago Song Canary Show

Saturday Dec. 3

Comfort Inn Suites
I7W455 Roosevelt Rd
(just west of Rt. 83)
Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois

Lou Abbott Roller Canary Club (second floor)

Chapter 6 American Singer Club (downstairs)

Rollin Toward Kansas City

2011-11-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

Lucca is a big help with selecting team members!

Today, Doyle, Cheryl and myself are headed for the National Cage Bird Show in Kansas City! Looking forward to seeing you there!!

Fantastic Affordable Klumpe's Cages

2011-11-10T09:32:00.001-08:00

Love my new Klumpe cages. Each set includes stand on rollers and three cages either with or without dividers for just $140 total!!

Daryl & Bonnie Klumpe from Emporia, Kansas will be selling these cages at their booth at the National Cage Bird Show in Kansas City www.ncbs.org. The cages come in manageable size boxes for easy assemble.

For information call Daryl or Bonnie their cell: 620 344 2761 or Residence 620 343 2232.

Happy BirdDay Big Bird!!

2011-10-27T10:14:00.001-07:00

Happy BirdDay to You, Happy BirdDay to You, Happy BirdDay Dear Big Bird, Happy BirdDay to You!!

Celebrating the new 60, with fresh millet sprays all around! Perhaps I will cage up my German Rollers this afternoon to start training them for the National Song Competition .

Lucca thought I would enjoy playing soccer this morning. So let the game begin...

Mystery Bird Grows Up

2011-10-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a few shots I took this morning. Thanks for asking Evon, you make doing the blog fun!

My November Bird Shows

2011-10-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

My next bird show is Vancouver November 11-13, Lochdale Community Centre 490 Sperling Ave (Hastings & Sperling) Burnaby, BC, Canada. Judges: Type Canaries - Linda Hogan, Colorbred Canaries David J. Benites.
web site: www.vancouvercanaryclub.com

Then it is off the the National Cage Bird Show in Kansas City, Thursday November 17 thru Saturday November 19, 2011 at Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Web site: www.ncbs.org. My roller club Milo Wells will be handling the roller competition so you will be able to find me easily there and besides German Rollers, I am also showing: Borders, Colorbred and Staffords.

Would love to Meet You At The Shows!!

Borders Conduct A Biodecken Taste Test

2011-10-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

At the Houston Show, Ricardo Sanchez gave me some samples of Biodecken nestling food and some of their extras. Having a limited amount, I decided to let the Borders do a Taste Test on the nestling food.

Borders are very skeptical about new foods so whenever I get new product samples, they are the first to try it.

Biodecken, a German product has a complete line of products for all canary needs.

Canaries like a little texture. The enlargement makes it look like huge hunks but actually the largest ones are about the size of fine oatmeal.

This young border was very curious and quickly joined the test.

By the time I ran in the house to get the camera, he had nearly eaten the dish all by himself!

In only two days four cages of borders ate it all, not a bite was left! Considering that it was fed dry right from the package with no additions, that is a pretty strong endorsement from them! Borders gave it a three toes-up endorsement!!

Ricardo is planning having the product for sale at the national in Kansas City. Contact Ricardo at 214 998-7474 or e- mail him at ricardo@ricardosanchez.cc.

Singing With The Stars

2011-10-23T17:22:00.001-07:00

Remember how I loved Mario's German Roller song, well now he is leading his own Song School for all the young rollers! The first time these guys heard him they just listen in wonder....

After awhile, they started singing along and changing from their rough almost beating hollow roll to a smooth beautiful one just like papa Mario!

So what are they going to be doing tomorrow? More Sing-Along With Mario!!

Houston Winners Lipochrome

2011-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Best Lipochrome and Second Best Colorbred in Show, Yellow Ground Intensive Exhibited by Jesus Martinez. What a bird!! Jesus is a Novice!

He was so happy with the win and thankful that Ricardo Sanchez got him started with excellent stock!

Second Best Lipochrome Red Ground Intensive Exhibited by Jesus Martinez (red ground stock also from Ricardo).

Third Best Lipochrome White Ground Recessive Exhibited by Helen Jones

Fourth Best Lipochrome Yellow Ground Frost Exhibited by Julio Valella and Brenda Varholla

Be sure and click on these photos for a better look!

Melanin Colorbred Winners Houston Show

2011-10-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Best Melanin Colorbred and Best Colorbred in Show Brown White Exhibited by Julio Vallella and Brenda Varholla. Beautiful!!!

Second Best Melanin Black Red Intensive Exhibited by Gibson/St. Clair

Third Best Melanin Agate Red Mosaic Exhibited by Henry Vela

Fourth Best Melanin Isabel Yellow Intensive Exhibited by Julio Valella and Brenda Varholla

New Color Winners Houston Show

2011-10-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

Best New Color and Third Best Colorbred in Show Yellow Ground Satinet Exhibited by Alicia Baker Gorgeous Bird!

Second Best New Color Brown Yellow Ivory Pastel Exhibited by Ricardo Sanchez

Third Best New Color White Ground Ino Exhibited by Ricardo Sanchez

Fourth Best New Color White Ground Satinet Exhibited by Alicia Baker

Sexing Canaries Made Easy - Francisco A Salas

2011-10-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the Houston Bird Show was meeting Francisco! I ask him to e-mail this sexing canaries trick for posting.

Francisco writes "Hi Linda, I need to tell you about an article a read in may local news paper last year, a way so easy to sex canaries, they called it a “dummy proof way to sex canaries”; according to the article this can be done when the babies are still in the nest (about 10 – 12 days old) all you have to do is approach the nest, any baby that digs his head into the nest is a male, baby hens will slightly lower them self but keep eye contact with you. I put this method to the test with some sex link birds this past year, and it work every time, the only time I had problems was with some of the babies I had to hand feed frequently, they were so used to being handle that they did not shy away from me. Give it a try, I hope it works for you.

My Face Book account is ; ( Born to sing canaries ). Remember it's in Spanish I posted several pictures from the Houston Show. Take care and hope to see you soon again, maybe we can get you to come to San Antonio and judge our show

Our clubs Face Book page is (Alamo Exhibition Bird Club) you can see some picture of our Bird Show

Sincerely

Francisco A Salas

Francisco is also an accomplished dog handler and when I told him of my troubles getting Lucca to walk on the leash instead of jumping on me and grabbing the leather strap, he said first play and totally wear him out and then put the leash on him and walk him. This worked amazingly well and now my family is also walking him and they can't believe how good he is on the leash! Thanks so much Francisco!

Donald's Borders

2011-10-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Donald Saunders of South Africa sent in some fabulous pictures of his Borders. Aren't they lovely!!!

Border Hens

In South Africa, they are conditioning and beginning the breeding season.

His Cats love the birds too!

Donald says "Here are a few pics of my Borders. The hens in the flight cage areenjoying the sun and greens. They share the sun with my 2 shorn Chinchilla longhair cats.They are not interested in the birds. In the morning when I prepare the border veggies, they scream for some grated boiled egg. Once they have had their titbit they move off. I begin pairing up 1 week before the full moon in September."

Twittering to Fine Tours

2011-10-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

My young German rollers are twittering while I dream of fine tours! It is only a matter of time now, till I hear that beautiful sound that will take my breath away.

To encourage singing, I have added multiple perches, giving privacy even in the flight cage. Soon, I will move these perches even higher in the cage to encourage the bird to bend down when he sings thus reaching lower notes. The multiple holed swinging perch will be lowered just enough so that they can perch on the top edge, also encouraging them to bend down to sing.

These German rollers have been separated out as hens but they still enjoy their privacy perches.

Meals In Minutes

2011-10-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Typically by mid to late September, I quit making my regular egg food and focus on extras that can be prepared in minutes.

This morning, I prepared the above soft food mix. It is cous cous prepared with olive oil and poppy seeds and covered with boiling water, fluffed and let cool. (Sometimes, I feed this straight and keep a bowl made up in the aviary refrigerator.) To this I added Orlux Golden Patee, and Raff Universal Extras (insect blend) and some Orlux vitamins.

I served this first thing in the morning accompanied by simple fresh greens consisting of radish tops and baby bok choy. Even the finicky Borders were quick to try it!

My approach to feeding new things to my birds is the same as I learned from my husband Pat. Pat cooked all the meals while our children were growing up, often serving something new and definitely different. When the kids picked at it, he offered them a choice: Eat It or Wear It!!

Later today and tomorrow, I will note the bird's condition. Is the feathering tight? Are the tails narrow? Are any favoring a foot, like they do when the protein is too high?

My First 2011 Show

2011-09-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Show Season Is Here!

My first show is The Canary and Finch Society, Sheraton North Houston at Bush Intercontinental Airport, 15700 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Houston, TX 77032 Hope to see you there!

Attention: You must Call Brendon at extension 1267 for an in house reservation!
Guest Room Rates: $69,Check out is at 2:00 pm. Reservations must be made by Friday September 15, 2011
Phone: (281) 442-5100

REGISTRATION 7 am - 8:30 am JUDGING 9 am - 3 pm

SHOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

JUDGES:

Clarence Culwell-Finch,

Bob Wild-Type

Linda Hogan-Color

In conjunction with CFS Show, Gulf Coast American Singers American Singer Division
Check in Friday 7PM-9PM Judging Saturday 9AM-3PM
Judge: Tricia Hartnett
Contact: Alicia Baker: baker-alicia@hotmail.com 281-320-9936

Spanish Timbrado Society of America
Judge: Alberto Berrios
Contact: Dorothy Eggers - deggers@comcast.net 281-487-1321

Auction featuring top notch Pairs.
Show Chairman Debbie Eaton oscar23@aol.com

Visit our website for additional info:
http://canaryfinchsociety.tripod.com

Promoting Peak Condition

2011-09-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, I started using Raff's Universal Extra which I purchased from Connie Gahman (gahmanzoo@verizon.net 215 536-1599). It is an insect product but also contains a number of other ingredients such as bakery products, cereals, minerals, and yeast. The formula is designed so that it can be feed straight from the box without danger of protein overload (favoring a foot). My birds accepted it straight but I thought this would be a great base for one of my marvelous new conditioning dishes!!

So I started mixing, first I added hemp hearts from the health food store. Since these are hulled and will not sprout, they are not treated or aged. Birds love them, even more than the shelled hemp but the cost prohibits feeding too often.

Then I added Peggy's Bee Pollen and a number of other Raff products that I had on hand including Verdurello (vegetables), Delicate (Rearing food), FruttOvo (fruits and eggs), and other products including Sidekick Treat Seed (Wings), and Song Food (Bird of Paradise, Wichita, Ks).

My birds loved it!! And better than that, the condition immediately improved as evidenced by the narrowing of the tails and tightness of feathering. On the borders, in addition to the improved feathering and width of tail, the backs raised and heads rounded greatly improving their confirmation. I am feeding this mix now twice a week!

Some of the Raff products may be hard to locate. In that case, I would use the Universal Extra with hemp, bee pollen, sidekick, song food and orlux pate or eggfood.

Another great conditioner is this Vitamin available from Bird Supply of New Hampshire. A measured amount is added to Orlux eggfood and feed twice a week. This also immediately improves the birds condition.

This Years Hatch Puffing-Up In The Flight Cage

2011-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you have some chicks not thriving in a cage of youngsters, it is not necessarily a sign of illness. The most common reason is that the young females are being caged with young males and are not getting enough to eat.

It is important to separate the sexes as soon as possible. Watching their behavior can be a clue but a faster method is to just take a few minutes and catch the birds and check their weight.

Move the thin ones away from the others into groups with like thin ones. Add lots of perches to limit their need to fly. Feed the thin ones some fattening foods such as bread and sunflower chips/pieces.

Too fat birds get less oily seeds, more greens, exercise (reduce number of perches and move perches so they have to fly more), and in extreme cases petamine breeding formula, greens, and water.

I also use the KD (ladygouldianfinch.com) in the water on two consecutive days each week to keep them healthy.

Last Chick Of The Season Update

2011-08-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

Finally, the late July German Roller chick has left the nest! It is quite a pet as we, Pat and I, have been hand feeding every couple of hours through the day since it was born. I was out of town giving some technical lectures for three days and Pat had full duty. He also feeds when I work. He thinks this chick is the easiest to feed ever!

Here I am trying to encourage it to nibble in hopes it will soon get the idea of feeding itself!

When I approach the cage, even on the first day out of the nest, he is busy in his swing.

But as soon as I approach he begins begging!

Full, it happily flies back to its swing.

Kansas Thunderstorm seen off my deck that blessed us with a couple of inches of rain and some relief from the unseasonably hot days!

Promoting Natural Flock Immunity

2011-07-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

KD powder, a blend of organic acids, hydrogen ions and surfactants, is added to drinking water to not only keep the water free from germs but also to protect birds from germs. By acidifying their drinking water and thus also the contents of the crop, it lowers germ count in the water and promotes natural health while nurturing a strong natural resistance in the flock.

During most of the year, I treat the water on two consecutive days with KD powder. Typically, some of my birds would try to continue nesting on the floor and some would look shaggy and out of sorts during the molt. I am very impressed by how much better the birds are when given their weekly KD treatment in the water!

I am still learning about how to use the product but it seems to me that the only time I am not going to use it weekly as described is when the hen is setting. I observe them not sitting as well when given to a setting hen and it does help discourage hens from sitting after breeding season. It is invaluable for the feeding hen and I start it on them as soon as the clutch is hatched and continue daily till chicks are weaned. I think that sometimes the hens digestive system can be upset by the soft food and by giving the KD powder daily in the water she will feed better.

KD is helpful in treating "carrier-type" diseases such as E. coli, Black Spot, Megabacteria and Strep infections. KD protects healthy members from scumming to the disease and strengthen the flock's natural resistance against them. This enhanced natural resistance does not occur when antibiotic-type medicines are given in the early stages of an outbreak.

I purchased my KD powder from ladygouldianfinch.com.

Lucca doing a play bow. I am his favorite toy!!

Happy but ready to go inside out of the heat.

And ready for a morning nap!

Hot Hot Hot But Still Hatching

2011-07-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

107 degrees outside and still one more German Roller chick hatched July 22nd!! This definitely is the last one for the season!!

Hatched July 8th! This special pair, failed to produce any chicks all season until given Orlux Fertility vitamin daily in their water.

The larger of the two German Roller chicks above turned out to be a good looker with the special mark on the side of its head.

Current Pictures Late Chicks

2011-06-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Colorbred Chick #1, yet to be identified! Clues Notices the white outlining the feathers and although it is red ground color it is not color fed until the baby molt.

Congratulations Ralph who was the first person to correctly identified the Stafford (Chicks number 2 and 3) as Crested chicks!! Way to go Ralph, he correctly identified them from the earlier picture post!!!

Hats Off To The Ladies - Feeding Co-op!!

2011-06-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

These are Mario's five chicks hatched June 21st. Unfortunately, with hot weather and temperatures soaring outside over a hundred degrees, Sunday evening my aviary heat pump/AC decided that after 14 years it just could not do it anymore. Thanks to prompt services, I got a new digital one installed Tuesday morning. That sudden burst of heat caused any sitting hens to loose interest in breeding and setting, so the ladies have had it for this year too!!

The hen that hatched Mario's five chicks, has continued to feed through the crises. This is a very unusual nest in many ways: Mario fertilizing the eggs, Five out of five hatching so late in the season, the second hen accepting two of the chicks as her own even though she did not hatch any, and now the third hen with the heat has deserted her eggs and to my delight has started helping feed both nests!

High Five - Five Out Of Five Hatch June 21st

2011-06-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Mario has done it again, five of five!!!

It is really getting late now for pairing. Mario's wing butts show new feathers, he is clearly molting. But I could not resist trying to get a few more chicks from him....so I put four extra hens who had not been paired this season in a breeder cage and four nests. Three immediately built nests and the fourth I lost patience with and removed her. The first hen laid five eggs and hatch five!!

The second hen only laid two eggs and to my surprise, once the other hen hatched these five chicks, she abandoned her eggs and was trying to sit with the other hen on the five new chicks! So I moved the two smallest chicks to her nest and she is feeding them in her own nest! It is much harder to get a hen to foster chicks when they did not hatch under her.

Prolonging male fertility can be a challenge but I credit molting Mario's fertility to using ferti-vit (orlux parent company - ordered from Bird Supply of New Hampshire). This product has vitamins and amino acids and so effective but not overpowering. I plan to use it next year for conditioning. I will also use it on short term (likely three consecutive days, now and then) to tighten up feathers on the show birds.

Lucca loves to open the boxes of bird supplies arriving frequently at our house.

As I write this post, Lucca is helping me?

Maybe this chew toy will keep him pacified while I write.

Identify These Late Chicks

2011-06-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Chick number 1 is a colorbred. What kind is it?

Chick number 2 is a Stafford. What is it?

Chick number 3 is a Stafford. What is it?

Chicks number 4 and 5 are German Roller canaries that are very special as they are Mario's last two chicks with a hen from Almin!!

Lucca loves to play in the hose and tub in our back yard!

A quiet moment chewing!

Where's The Beef - Dropping Animal Protein In Weaned Chicks Diet

2011-06-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Chicks that are weaned are flighted or caged together in groups. Since some birds in the aviary are still breeding, I can not cut the lights to discourage picking and aggression. So I have cut the amount of animal protein in the diet.

Protein is protein and the same amino acids whether from animal or plant source but animal protein is more digestible and has a more dramatic effect on the birds. Certainly we need protein as feathers are mostly protein but I do not want the aggression, foot favoring, or weight loss that can accompany feeding larger amounts of animal protein. I soften the effect by increasing the vegetable protein instead of animal protein and increase the portion of carbohydrates in the diet.

My regular nesting food is now being diluted half and half with cous cous.

Take a look at the mixed nestling food, it is very light and fluffy.

I am also feeding Tropical Bits a 20% protein product designed for softbill's that is all vegetable protein. Tropical Bits is made by Scenic.

Recently, I added these two Raff products from Wings, Connie Garman. The Verdurello does not have animal protein but the FruttOvo has a small amount of egg.

I am hoping the Borders will take to the green one especially as they much prefer vegetable to animal protein.

A bonus in dropping animal protein and increasing the carb's in the diet is to make sure the chicks are a normal weight and not too thin. As you know, when the first chick leaves the nest, I feed quartered hard boiled egg as the chicks quickly learn to nibble on the cut edge but once separated from the parents, I move them to higher carb foods such as white bread, oatmeal, wheat germ, plain ABBA green 92. I stop the pure hard boiled egg as on a high protein diet, they lose weight. Thin birds are prone to going light.

Learning To Eat Seed

2011-06-10T08:18:00.001-07:00

Not camera shy, this German Roller is first to eat sprouted seed! Sprouted seed is an excellent way to introduce seeds.

This shot shows a deep chest and gives me great hope that he will be an excellent singer!

In just a few bites, other rollers join in the feast.

During the weaning phase, my sprouting mix has a high percentage of millet. Millet being a high carbohydrate seed helps to balance the protein in the diet.

The Graduate - Feeding Station

2011-06-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

Border Graduate Senior Picture

From feeding sitting in a nest at the feeding station, chicks graduate to my hand.

At this stage the chicks prefer to nibble rather than open wide for a scoop of food. I use one or two toothpicks to encourages their natural nibbling tendency at this phase. (All of the shots are challenging as I am actor and photographer, if I was not taking the picture, I would be feeding with my right hand.)

After eating, the amount varying as he eats some on his own, I keep him on my chest or shoulder and at this point I open the cage door as when he has been sufficiently coddled, he will fly and I want that to be back in the cage.

When first training this step, I get him on my thumb and he will naturally go for the first available perch provided which in this case is his cage door. After just a few times, he will fly from my shoulder back to his cage. Supplemental feeding at this stage is very helpful to put weight on chicks.

This morning Lucca is watching as I write this post..

Using A Feeding Station

2011-06-08T10:35:00.001-07:00

Hand feeding is one way I tame my birds. Taming makes my birds easier to work with whether simply catching a loose bird or training in a show cage or being comfortable with my "checking" on newborn chicks. (These photos were difficult as I was both the feeder and the photographer!)

One feeding method I used this year I call a feeding station. I attached an empty nest on the outside of the cage, at a comfortable height for me, and then lifted the chick's nest out of the cage and set it on the empty nest on the outside of the cage. Regardless of where the chicks were located, I used the same empty nest to sit their nest on while I fed them. I could easily feed three chicks at once just rotating who got the bite!

At the beginning of a feeding they all want to eat! Should they not, I gently brush upward under their chin to get them started opening up wide. Once one starts the others will usually follow.

As they fill up they are less demanding till they stop eating and at that point, their nest is placed back in their cage. If I have the time or recruit Pat to help me, I hand feed them every two hours if the hen is feeding poorly or twice a day other wise.

Full, the chicks are ready to return home.

The chicks pictured in this post are German Rollers and very special to me as Mario is their father!

My favorite hand feeding formula this year is a mixture of Kaytee Exact and Scenic brands hand feeding formulas.

Big Bird Is A Too Busy _ But Will Try To Post More

2011-06-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Remember how sad Big Bird was last summer when our 14 year old Belgian Malinois Tosca developed a fatal hemorrhaging malignant tumor, Meet Lucca, Tosca's Great Nephew!!!! See liter at Sue Haase web site. Lucca is Mr. Blue and is he ever a busy boy!! Lucca was born March 5th in Lake Tahoe area. I flew to Denver and picked him up on May 10th. (Sue had traveled by car to Denver for a dog show.)

I was so embarrassed when he took one look at me and growled and kept it up for an hour. Finally Sue put him in the Sherpa bag and I walked to security. I really thought if I took him out of the bag he would bite me... But when I took him out to walk through the metal detector he nuzzled up to my double chin and it was true love, just not at first sight! He bonded with me just like that and he wants my constant attention!

Naughty boy gets in the garden!!

Playing with Bella, our other Belgian Malinois.

Loves water!!

Questions and Tips From or For Big Bird!

2011-05-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Please use this post for current questions and tips.

Tips:

Re-Cycle Healthy Hens Who Failed To Produce Chicks This Season

Do you have some canaries who have not produced this season but seem healthy? Get some orlux fertility vitamins (I ordered mine from Bird Supply of New Hampshire) and give as directed daily to unproductive hen and chosen cock until the hen lays her first egg. This product contains a full range of vitamins including higher doses of vitamin E and amino acids, perfectly dosed.

Mario Remebers Big Bird On Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T09:49:00.001-07:00

This is one of the best Mothers Day ever for me!! Remember how much I loved Mario, the sweet singing hollow roll German Roller import, who stole my heart while quarantined in my bedroom this Spring? As soon as the light came on at 6:30 AM, I would start counting and many mornings I only counted to three before Mario started his beautiful serenade!

I was really heart broken when he came down with the terrible sickness that killed five of the ten imported birds in the shipment.

As previously posted, I cured five, including Mario, by treatment with Doxycycline 20%, Tylan, and Megamix in sugared (one teaspoon sugar to a liter) drinking water. This went on about three weeks and then I treated five more days with KD Powder. I quarantined an additional week but with the season getting away from me and wanting some chicks from these new imports, I paired Mario with two pure DKB German Roller Hens.

Normally, birds treated with Doxycycline are not bred for six weeks after treatment as one side effect of the drug is temporary infertility. With all the Baytril and Doxycycline and Tylan,, going on for several months, I was worried that it might be June before I got any chicks this season and perhaps I would just have to be patient and wait till next year and be happy five are OK.

The nest pictured hatched four of the five eggs today just in time for Mothers Day. Mario has beaten the odds again and all of the first hens five eggs were fertile and maybe the last egg will hatch tomorrow!

Two plastic eggs which I will move to the middle to help support the newborn chicks.

One fertile egg remains pictured in the middle here.

16:00 Breaking News: 5th egg hatches!

Weak Border Chick

2011-05-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

Usually when I hand feed, I leave the chick in the nest and giggle the nest or gently touch the top of the chick's head or under the chin and like magic the chick will open up for easy feeding.

This Border chick , however, was so weak that no matter what it would not beg me or mom to feed it. I expect the chick to start begging by the time it is 4 hours old. So in this case where the chick will not willfully open up, I had to place it on its back in my hand and pry the mouth open to get the feeding started. Chicks will still swallow even when they will not open up. Usually a couple of the forced feedings and it will be strong enough to open up to mom or me in the nest.

Note its bad yellowish skin color.

After being full, I wash the vent with warm water to encourage it to expel fecal material and then place it back in the nest.

So why was this chick that weak? Well, I normally candled eggs but this nest was due on Monday and two eggs were obviously infertile so I broke them, the next egg was partially developed dead chick and instead of candling and water testing the last egg, I broke the shell and oh no a live chick and blood...Seeing blood, I expected to find a dead chick when I check the nest 4 hours later but it had finished hatching but a little premature. Luckily the yolk was absorbed...

Near Fatality - Listless Chick

2011-05-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

This Stafford mosaic chick with a dark crest is especially promising.

But the smaller chick on the right is listless!! Neither one open their mouths to beg me to feed them.

Note the red color apparent between its wings. It also felt cold and very lethargic. These chicks seem to be doing well the day before when I banded them.

Turning the chick over, an abnormal yellow/green color was seen especially toward the vent. I washed the abdomen and found that a thin yellow green film was covering the abdomen. Carefully, I peeled it off. This film can seal the vent and result in death.

When chicks are just banded, there is a danger of diarrhea which may be associated with too high protein diet or infection of either parasites or bacteria.

Looking around the cage, I saw pure hard boiled egg which normally I stop once chicks are banded. I also noted just a couple of hours earlier that the other hen sitting on eggs in the same cage, had gotten off the nest temporarily and feed the chicks, so three adult birds where overfeeding them.

E. coli smells and not smelling any odor. I decided to correct the diet and add KD powder to the water. I reduced the concentration of the egg food by adding an equal part of ABBA green 92, added more greens, oatmeal, and dish of straight ABBA green and took away the pure hard boiled egg.

Today the chicks are fine!! I will keep them on KD powder in the water and keep checking the vent and washing it, massaging it to assure it is indeed open. After washing the vent and making sure it is open, I encourage the chicks to walk in my hand, this movement encourages a full chick to expel its fecal material.

Got a Question or Tip To Share with Big Bird?

2011-05-01T09:52:00.001-07:00

Please post your current questions or tips here!

I like to use muffin tins with nesting material to store eggs at room temperature till I set the hen. I have so many eggs now I am using a piece of paper to divide each hole. On one side of the paper is one cage number and on the other side the other cage number.

Normally, I set eggs on the fourth or fifth day. In the bottom left, each have six eggs, the reason being that the chicks needed to be moved and I was called in and worked an 11 hour shift at the hospital and just could not get to it before I had to leave...

Do you recognize this plant? Thanks for the fantastic responses! Yes it is canola rape. This is in my front "flower" bed and actually lived through an unusually cold winter.

Questions:

Monday

1. Mary is concerned that her chicks may be starving:

Hello again:

These seems like strange questions for me to ask, after raising canaries for 45 years successfully. My brand new parent birds now have 3 of their 5 eggs hatched – two yesterday and overnight.

They are both gathering food, and the cock feeds the hen diligently when she is on the nest -- and the hen appears to be feeding her young while sitting on them to keep them warm…but I have not seen her stand on the edge of the nest to feed them. Also, I am not HEARING the peeping of the youngsters, nor do I see much egg food in their crops when the hen is off the nest. They do raise their heads…but I am worried that they are starving.

I am contemplating supplemental hand feeding. I purchase a 1 ml. syringe with which to feed and made some eggfood up with boiled water mixed in it…but I find that I cannot load this tiny syringe with the food. The water seems to separate from the eggfood and run out, and the food itself is just not going into the syringe. It is extremely frustrating.

The questions that I have are: why am I not hearing the peeping of the chicks? And What is the best way to put food into a syringe? The little beaks are so small that this is really the only thing that I can find that would go into their mouths. I have had absolutely NO luck trying to find a glass medicine dropper!! I have tried practicing with the two flat toothpicks that you mentioned using, but I am just not adept in holding the food with them.

Again, thanks for your help –

Mary Roberts

Mary

One of our blogger's gave me a small aluminum tool that is used
for putting split bands on canary legs. It is a small light
weight scoop and is easier to handle than my toothpicks.I think
they got it from Red Bird. Help blogger's?



Check comments for a tip on improvising a small spoon from a straw from Debbie!


I doubt if you can get an egg food to go through the syringe even
if you cut off the tip a bit. Get either sonic or exact hand
feeding formula. If that is not possible use some powdered
vegetable protein powder from the health food store. Not as good
but will work.

I would not worry about a hen feeding on the nest or off nor
whether she feeds less in volume and more often or is a stuffer.
Both ways work..I go by seeing a fluffy chick and pink not yellow
skin tone. When the chick is not fluffy or has a yellow skin tone,
I hand feed.

Questions and Tips From or For Big Bird!

2011-04-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Tips - Providing Variety Stimulates Feeding

Especially when chicks get banding age, it becomes a big job for the hen to keep them fed. Seems like they are always begging her for something to eat all day long!

Continuous feeding of nestling food can be a problem if it is too rich. When it is too rich, the chick's skin tone will become red instead of light rosy pink and if not reversed they will develop diarrhea, sealed vent and die... Adding plain dry nestling food, greens and oats are helpful to reverse the problem but I also like to add some alternatives to egg food.

Cous cous with poppy seed is a real favorite. I just add some olive oil to cous cous and poppy seed, cover with boiling water and stir occasionally. Birds love poppy seeds so no wonder they love this dish.

Another favorite is quinoa (keen-wah). Quinoa is a grain that is especially balanced in amino acids.

I rinse the quinoa well and place in a rice cooker and cover while cooking. When it is nearly done, I turn it off and let it finish cooking just setting covered in the rice cooker. It should be light and fluffy. If it is a little sticky the birds will not like it. In that case, simply mix with some of the cooked cous cous and poppy seed and serve that way.

I also add both cous cous/poppy and quinoa to my egg food.

Questions:

Thursday

I have a year old hen, mated and sitting on five eggs in her first nest. She has just begun to incubate them in earnest, but is sitting so tightly that she will not come out to eat or drink. I have tried tempting her with a boiled egg, carrots and greens. No luck. Then I tried a bath, which she loves. Equally no luck. The cock bird is a 4 year old that has never been bred before, and he doesn’t feed her much at all while she is on or off the nest. Otherwise, he is behaving well and does not harass her, or the nest, so I have left him in the cage, hoping that he would learn to feed her, and then be a good feeder when the chicks hatch.

I am concerned about the health and general welfare of the hen..do you have any suggestions?

Thanks so much…Mary Roberts, Templeton, IA

Answer:

Typically good hens just set and set and set. They refuse most extra foods, even their previous favorites and baths. Since they are compatible, I am sure when the time is right she will beg him to feed her and the chicks.

I like to feed sitting hens hemp seed. It is high calorie and they will eat it even when nothing else does the trick. Either dry hemp seed in hull or hulled hemp which is available at health food stores will help keep the hen from losing weight.

Is The Smaller Chick Getting Enough To Eat?

2011-04-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Normally, I take the eggs out as they are laid and put one plastic egg in the nest after the first egg is removed. The eggs are replaced after the fourth egg is laid. With chicks hatching on the same day, they all have an equal chance to be fed.

Here the eggs were not removed and the fourth chick is so small compared to the largest that it might not be getting fed well. I supplement it with Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula for all birds.

When chicks are doing well, they have a nice rosy pink color and around the rump you see a fat layer being deposited just under the skin. Click on this photo and note the fat layer.

What a relief to see a small fat layer forming on the small guy on his rump (click on photo and look carefully as the fat layer is visible in photo on the left side), he is doing well in spite of his small size.

On My Watch - Chicks Hatching

2011-04-19T10:32:00.001-07:00

As soon as the aviary light come on (6:30 AM), I provide fresh food for the parents to feed their chicks. A couple of hours later I make my rounds and look at each nest that is due to hatch. This chick is doing a fine job. Notices how sharp the egg edges are where he nibble away to gain his freedom.

He uses his neck muscles to raise the head and the shell, like a hinge, opens up and his head is free!

Out at last, this whole drama only took a few seconds!! It is important now to remove the old shells as you do not want them to cover any of the other two eggs that will be hatching soon.

I also turned him over and added a couple of plastic eggs for support.

In another nest, trouble was brewing!! Note the edges are not sharp but rather dented in and dry. This chick is trapped and without intervention this egg will never hatch!!

First I moistened the dry dented area and then gentle went slowly around the shell breaking the same middle area just like a normal chick would do.

Hopefully, the chick is ready but only trapped. If you see blood, it is not ready and if that happens I stop and put the egg back and hope that it will get the blood in the membrane absorbed and safe to help out later. In this case the blood had been absorbed and the chick was ready to hatch.

If any part of the shell is stuck to the chick, moisten with a little water before removing to avoid damaging the fragile chick.

If the egg yolk is not absorbed (called a yolker), the chick is premature and will likely die. This chick has absorbed the yolk and once back in the nest developed normally.

Don't you just love happy endings!!

Survivor - Fab Five Episode

2011-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Happiness is..............

Mario and Company!!!

This double photo is hanging in my hallway and each time I go up to my room where Mario and Company are being temporarily housed, I remember the many things I am happy for but right now near the top of my list is the survival of Mario and Company!!

Mario after 24 hours off antibiotics and on KD Powder (ladygouldianfinch.com) in the water. Today, I am adding liquid calcium as besides acidifying the crop and killing organisms it also aids calcium absorption.

The other male has a great hollow roll which he likes to sing and sing.... Outside of loose feathers, he never had any symptoms of the illness.

This hen never showed any signs of the illness. Originally she was placed on top of the stack of three by the window. When she did not like the show cage, she was moved to her own private tray.

This grizzled cap hen had full gasping symptoms and now she is symptom free and showing signs of coming into breeding condition.

This hen is laying eggs occasionally but she was the sickest survivor having gasping, loss of appetite, and threatening eye problems.

During treatment with antibiotics the birds diet was restricted to seeds, antibiotic treated water, soft white bread, oat groats, my homemade dry nestling mix and some soft food. No greens or apple. As part of the party, I picked them this lovely seeding chickweed and later I will serve a slice of golden delicious apple for snack.

My joy just keeps expanding!!!!

Top two photos Happiness is .... are by Los Angeles artist Joe Hoynik.

Triangular or "Pinched" Eye - Ornithosis

2011-04-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Chlamdia is the causative agent of ornithosis, which is also known as psittacosis in parrots. Canaries are much less susceptible to the disease then parrots who often die. Instead some canaries become "healthy" carriers and appear "clinically normal". Introduction of new birds is the most common source, reminding us that quarantine of new birds is critical.

Outbreaks are intermittent and generally present as recurrent respiratory disease especially if they are exposed to psittacine birds. Often it goes unnoticed in carriers until an aviary has widespread breeding failure.

Full treatment with Doxycycline /Megamix requires 30 days and often results in thrush which will need to be treated. Treatment does not protect from re-infection. The best control is good nutrition and good management practices. Short three day treatments can be used during breeding season when infertility is high.

Side Note: After reading and studying a bit on this disease, I am pretty sure that my new imports do not have chlamydia infection. I have had them on Doxycycline/Megamix for nearly two weeks (500 ml water, 1/8 tsp 20% Doxycycline, 2 ml Megamix, 1/4 tsp tylan, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, Doxycycline and megamix purchased from ladygouldianfinch.com) .

When the treatment with this antibiotic is for ornithosis, the birds get quiet and fluff up (indicating the maximum antibiotic has been given and the birds are puffing up due to thrush infection which then needs to be treated).

The last couple of days, the imports have been very quiet and since I do not think it is ornithosis, I am not going to treat till they get thrush. I am ready to go to four days on KD treated water and just watch and hopefully the import nightmare will be over.

I will still quarantine them an additional couple of weeks without extra treatment just to be sure I am not risking my aviary birds. Once in the aviary, I will keep them in one section somewhat away from the others.

Got A Question For Big Bird?

2011-04-09T05:58:00.001-07:00

Post your questions here.

Wednesday - Chicks Break and Soil 2nd Clutch Eggs

Question:

Hi, I have an annual problem in the breeding season, my hens with the cocks go for the first clutch and everything goes well until the second clutch, I introduce the second nest when the chicks are 15-18 days old, the hen builds the nest and lays her eggs, now here's the problem the chicks jump from there nest and sit in the second nest on top of the eggs, end of day i get broken eggs, poop on eggs and hen wont be able to sit on eggs. I move the chicks away but it seems hopeless as they jump again into the second nest. Is there any way to deal with this problem. Thanks heaps in advance for taking the time to help other, also for sharing with us this valuable and extensive information. By the way I raise scotch fancy canaries.

Answer:

Chicks can change nests anytime starting with their 14 day but to see them it will likely be 18th day or so. Extra nests are important but often the hen wants to old one! It is critical that you remove the eggs each morning as soon as they are laid to protect them from breaking and soiling. I put one plastic egg in the nest when she lays her first egg and that is sufficient for the whole clutch. I use a muffin tin and line it with nesting material (shredded burlap) to hold the eggs till the chicks are out of the cage. You can hold the eggs at room temperature for a week till you can get the chicks out of the cage. Should an egg be soiled, let it be as it will still hatch.

When I see a chick on the floor, I again introduce quartered hard boiled egg to start the weaning process. Most chicks are eating on their own and weaned by 21 days. They are ready for a first cage with no perches. This helps encourage them to eat as they have food right at their feet. Often when I hear of weaning problems, people will report that the chicks just sit on the perch and cry. Birds like to perch on the highest perch. Even weaning chicks go for the highest perch instead of staying on the floor and eating.

Monday - Non-feeding Hen

Question:

I had 2 chicks hatch out and within 24hours they died, they was coming up for food, no black spot and no food in their crop ?

Answer:

Sometimes hens will not feed but most will do so once the chicks are two or three days old. A few things that encourage the hen:

1. Make sure there is good lighting.

2. Feed the hen first thing in the morning, be there when the light comes on and not late!

3. Offer 1/4 hard boiled egg in addition to nestling food. I cut them so that there is a sharp ridge which tempts them to nibble on it. When chicks are banded give only the nestling foods and add greens etc till the first chick leaves the nest and then add the quarter hard boiled egg again to start the chicks weaning. Offer a small dish of brewer's yeast.

4. Once fresh food is in the cage, leave her alone for a few hours. Avoid eye contact with the hen the first few days because if she stress her instinct is to protect her chicks from you rather than feed.

5. If you find that the chicks are not being fed, supplement feed with Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding formula till the hen takes over her duties.

6. Add KD Powder to the drinking water (ladygouldianfinch.com).

Saturday

A. Cocks Go Out Of Condition

1. I keep borders and live in England and have a bit of a problem, I hope you could share your wisdom.
2 weeks ago the cocks were singing vigorously and feeding their feet, but the last few days seem to have lost interest and won't mate when I run them with a hen.The hens are just carrying on building,laying and sitting without being mated.
I think I may have overdosed the supplements, particularly vitamin E. Do you think they can be brought back to the right level of condition or have I ruined this season?
Hope to hear back from you, Regards Laurie.

Laurie, All is not lost!! Breeding takes a lot of energy and can stress the birds so that any with suboptimal health can quickly go out of condition.

First Look at the width of each birds tail. Wide tails are seen in out of condition birds. Piped (narrow) tails are more likely in condition or can get that way easily. Catch each cock and look at the vent development. Feed border veggies with Breedmax daily to all potential breeders. Get the Orlux brand special optimal breeding vitamins and use them as directed. It is very important that they be getting the two most important breeding proteins methionine and lysine.

Also see if cocks are too thin or too fat. Thin ones increase high calorie foods fatty seeds like sunflower and high carb seed like oats and restrict flying by putting perches about every 4 to 6 inches. Fat ones will not come into breeding condition give them lots of flight and all the greens they will eat and lower fat seeds like canary and oats, give them some hard boiled egg if they will eat it. In the US, we can get Petamine which is a complete diet but rather powdery with a few seeds. My fat ones get Petamine, greens and water.

Second, how many hours of daylight are your birds on? Extend suddenly to 15 hours (includes 15 minute dimming time.) Do not

Third treat the water two consecutive days a week with KD Powder. This is one of Dr. Rob Marshall's from Australia products and I see it advertised on Google in the UK too. This will acidify the crop and promote peak health. Likely you will see the tails pipe in a couple of days. This product is really essential in the aviary as it kills organisms and promotes natural immunity. Try very hard to get KD Powder. (If you absolutely can not get KD Powder use organic apple cider vinegar (has sediment, from health food store) and 40 ml use to a gallon of water and use twice a week.)

Fourth use dividers to place cock on one side and hen on the other and feed goodies to cock and see if the hen will beg him to feed her. With a large number of problem birds, a larger flight can be divided and all none sitting hens can be on one side and any potential cocks on the other. Many times the problem is hens not begging and fighting among cocks will bring them in and stimulate the hens too.

B. Michelle writes about a problem with Foul Smelling Droppings.

Normally the droppings should be odorless and foul smelling droppings indicate an infection most commonly, if it really smells foul is E. coli. This gram negative organism is present in feces (mice and humans and even cockroaches are some of the possible sources).

Contaminated water is often a problem, make sure you are not using a garden hose or water holding tank. Thoroughly clean drinkers. The birds will need to be treated with antibiotics. Contact Joanne at joanne@ladygouldianfinch.com and get Trimethaprim Sulfa and also get some KD Powder or see your avian vet.

Clutches With Single Chicks

2011-04-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

The very first chick to hatch this season was a Stafford. The first problem was mom did not want to feed it so, a couple of times a day I hand fed it with Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula. After a couple of days, mom started feeding and I was able to stop hand feeding it.

When there is just one chick in a nest, the risk for splay leg is very high. Without out protection, the chick legs can be abnormally spread apart resulting in leg deviation from the hip (spraddle leg) and without intervention, they become deformed or need splints to correct the problem.

As the chick grows, eggs are removed till none are need when it is about a week old.

Crop Stasis

2011-04-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Failure of the crop to empty quickly results in fermentation, visible as air bloating the crop. The food at the bottom looked much thicker than normal too. The chick did beg but not enthusiastically and when he stretched his neck all but the very bottom was air!

Click on the photo and see the distended crop filled with air in this five day old just banded Stafford chick. (Its bald cap means it is going to be crested!) Immediately, I thought of crop infection with gas producing organisms such as bacteria or yeast or virus or parasites.

In neonates, Candida, thrush, a yeast is a common cause of crop stasis. Chicks with crop stasis have air bloating the crop and often die and those that don't die often have stunted growth.

Treatment is to acidify the crop. Having a sample of KD powder from Joanne at ladygouldianfinch.com, I treated the water with KD powder and immediately added greens (romaine lettuce and baby bok choy) to the parents diet.

KD Powder contains organic acids that works by acidifying the water they drink and thus also the crop. It can be made up in a stronger sanitizing dose to disinfect cages and drinkers or in a low drinking dose to kill germs in food, water and the environment that are causing disease. This gets rid of the infective agent in the crop immediately and promotes return to strong natural health. It is effective against Strep, E coli, Thrush, fungus and virus infections without compromising the immune system.

KD can be used as preventive, administered for two consecutive days each week or in this case, I will give it four consecutive days to treat the problem. It is an excellent product to use at the first hint of problems or as a preventative.

I was amazed when I checked the chick a few hours later and his crop was filled with greens and no gas!

A special Thanks to Joanne for being genuinely concerned with my problems with the imported birds and for including with my order, several additional products to try on them and for sending Dr. Rob Marshall's book Canary Health which was helpful in preparing this blog! I plan on giving the imported birds KD in the water for four days when they finish their antibiotic treatment. I was fortunate, thanks to Joanne, to have KD powder on hand to use for this case.

One day later, the chick is fine. I did hand feed him right before the photo and a normal very very small air is seen at the top due to his enthusiastic gulping!

Update To Whom Shall I Give My Rose Couple

2011-04-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Bachelor

Rose Recipient

The happy Stafford couple, featured in the Valentine's Day Contest, have three newborn chicks! One is dark and two are light skinned! Mom is feeding well as evidenced by the fluffy down!

Conditioner and Dry Nestling Food

2011-04-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

3 lbs Petamine Breeding Formula
3 lbs Flock Raiser or non-medicated Game Bird Starter
5 lbs Sidekick Treat Seed from Wings call Connie at 215 536 -1599 or write gahmanzoo@verizon.net
3 lbs Orlux Golden Pate
3 lbs Orlux Insect Pate
3 lbs Sunflower Chips
2 lbs Exact Hand Feeding Formula
2 lb bag Zupreem Avian Maintenance Pellets or Similar Product
2 lb bag Scenic Hand-feeding powder
3 lbs Harrison's High Potency Mash
3 boxes Millville Wheat Cereal or Similar Product (Cream of Wheat)

My birds are really feeding this dry mix well, in fact several prefer it to my nestling food! I keep it available in all my cages now.

Look What I Did!

2011-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

What a surprise, the German Import hen which has slight lower abdominal breathing laid an egg!!

Surprising but not really surprising as part of the new treatment is feeding conditioning food and in my enthusiasm I have been refilling her dish twice a day, so what do you get when you push....... heat eggs. Typically, heat eggs are darker in color and laid off the perch and infertile even when a male is in the cage!

Update on treatment:

I found the baytril was more effective when given in the mouth but still a slight hint of lower abdominal breathing on Mario and the previously gasping hen pictured above. Mario did get his song volume back and typically starts singing in the morning before I can count to three. Yet, I have learned that even with slight symptoms if I take them off the baytril and even though they look so good when I take them off, they develop symptoms in a few hours.

So knowing that if I keep up the baytril treatment I am only controlling and not getting totally rid of it, a week ago I took the plunge and change the treatment protocol. I am now using an antibiotic cocktail: 500 ml of water, 1/8 teaspoon Doxycycline 20%, 2 ml of megamix, 1/4 teaspoon tylan, 1/2 teaspoon sugar. The doxycycline and megamix are from ladygouldianfinch.com. (Should I get imported birds next year, I will put them on this right away as a precaution.)

This could take up to a month if if happens to be chlamydia. So far it looks good and I now just see a hint of lower abdominal breathing. Some have ask about the birds droppings. They are normal, symptoms are lower abdominal breathing and if not treated gasping and death. Five of the ten remain and look really good.

Fab Five Remain Undefeated!

2011-03-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

Mario this morning

After reading my last post, it seemed like the problem with the imported German Rollers was over. The birds look so good that I waited till the following Sunday and then at 11 am I took them off the Enrofloxyn(Baytril) and watched.

By 3 pm I could see lower abdominal breathing, especially on Mario. How could symptoms reappear in only four hours? After more research it seems that the drug peak levels last four hours.

Immediately, I put them back on the full dose. Mario was very effected showing heavy lower abdominal breathing when he had never shown any symptoms before. He also quit singing totally.

One who was very thin but had never shown symptoms before succumbed immediately to full gasping breathing and when she was not eating and puffed up and dying, I mistakenly tried to hand feed her which resulted in her death.

This is the male who was gasping before I started them on Enrofloxyn. He showed lower abdominal breathing also when I took them off the drug last Sunday.

This male has never shown any other lower respiratory symptom except weak song volume. Loss of song volume is a sign but it is possible that he never was a strong singer.

He was the one who dropped some long feathers signaling he wanted to molt. This stopped almost immediately when I lengthened their days to 13.5 hours. His feathering in the flanks is not as tight as I would like.

This is the bird with the best breeding and the only one now completely free from all symptoms since the beginning.

The capped hen who recovered from gasping during the first round. She really seems to have gotten over it.

Frustrated and disappointed I am totally focused on these birds while the others are waiting but not patiently waiting. I have spent quite a bit of time visiting and thinking out loud with Doyle and Margaret and then I left a message on the phone mail at ladygouldianfinch.com. The very next morning, Joanne called and we went all over the case and what might be done.

She was very helpful and at the conclusion of the call she said that this problem of the birds relapsing when being taken off Enrofloxyn was perplexing and one she would like to get input from Dr. Rob Marshall in Australia. She would forward my e-mail directly to him.

The very next day, yesterday, she called back and reported that he thought I should consider and rule out Toxoplasma (parasite), fungi and thrush (yeast). I had placed an order to re-order more enrofloxyn, some doxycylineMegamix (back up), and some 12% Ronex S which she was really excited about to use for breeding birds losing chicks. She is also sending me several complimentary items that Dr. Rob recommended included the KD to treat for thrush and a copy of his book. Help just does not get better than that! To personally e-mail directly to Joanne send to joanne@ladyglouldianfinch.com.

Margaret called after that and she had spent some time researching baytril use in dogs and learned that peak dosing is a very effective treatment in dogs. So I am trying that in the meantime while I wait for the package from Lady Gouldian Finch to arrive probably Saturday.

This morning I gave a second peak dose, each bird got .4 cc straight enrofloxyn in a teaspoon of egg food in addition to the full dose in the water. Preliminary results look good.

The best news is that Mario sang a little to me about an hour after this morning peak dose!!

Big Bird Singing "Happy Days Are Here Again"

2011-03-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Today, for the first time in two weeks, Big Bird is Singing because at last, the imports are over the hump and on the road to recovery! Indeed it is a HAPPY DAY!

In review of my four casualties and another breeder who lost three in his shipment, all but one were from the same breeder in Germany. Of seven from that breeder, this is the only survivor. Finally today, he is breathing normally for the first time in two weeks. Originally I thought it was a hen and put it in with the capped hen. Then I saw him feeding her and acting macho and later that afternoon he was exhibiting labored breathing. The capped hen the following day had the same symptoms.

The capped hen is looking great now! Her symptoms were never as bad as the male above whom she caught it from.

Mario, on top of the stack, sings to me every morning. When the table light comes on at 6:30, I see how far I can count before Mario starts singing. Today, I only counted to 2 and Mario was serenading me as I lay snuggled up in my bed. His hollow bell continues to be excellent as well as his hollow roll. He is also trying to bring a schockel laughing hoo hoo hoo but he has given me only one good flute duu duu in two weeks. Thinking about my other roller males, Mario is the best overall singer I have!! Perhaps in a couple of weeks, he will be making calls in hens cages in the aviary!

My good friend, Tony Schlott from Canada, has talked with Mario's breeder. Turns out two of the hens are his sisters and the best bird is not Mario but the one that I previously had on the top of the stack! Looks like I really hit the jack pot on the surviving birds!

Bottom bird still has not sang much but what I have heard is very good. I have found a few long feathers and the battle here is whether he is going to give me a full molt in about a month or if I can use his breeding hormones to block it.

The bird on the right was previously the top bird in the stack but it started having loose feathers in the flanks and not being so happy in the show cage and I think now the problem is he is a she! Moved her yesterday and she has tightened a bit but will watch her today as I might need to move her to her own separate tray... It is always good to separate birds at the first signs of stress as often just de-stressing will prevent them from getting sick. Why wait till afternoon, I think I will do it right now after I publish this blog.

Many of you know I am avid KU Basketball Fan! Last Wednesday, I went to Lawrence for Senior Night and took my Grandson, Kevin out to eat and to the final home game this season. For Christmas, my daughter Kellie gave me three sets of tickets to KU Basketball games and with all my recent bird stress with the imports, this last game was really special!

Beautiful Rhodendrum I photographed at the Wichita Lawn and Garden Show. Top photo Dendrobium orchid from the same show.

Questions and Tips for Big Bird!

2011-03-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

Please post your questions and tips for Big Bird here.

Mario and Company

2011-02-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

Mario was singing so beautifully this morning, I just laid there for 30 extra minutes and listened to his wonderful song. With all the trouble, if even only Mario makes it, it will be worth all the pain of dealing with sick birds.

Mario loves the baby bok choy! Before the end of the day, he will have eaten it all including the stem!

Mario loves bread. He eats some and shreds the rest. Yesterday I gave him 1/4 slice twice and he torn it all up and ate quite a bit of it. I want him to eat it and gain some weight because the three dead birds were all extremely thin.

Mario's Company. Mario is the Cassonova in the middle!

Top bird, might be a hen but not sure.... She looks like it as her eye is high compared to the center of her beak.

Bottom bird is quite large and is starting to sing. He is very soft and it is a little soon to tell how good he is. Whenever he starts to sing, Mario drowns him out!

This is the hen that was separated in the tray away from the others because she was timid and appeared she would be stressed if placed with other birds. She is doing fine and like myself, she is enjoying hearing Mario sing, could an arranged marriage be in her future?

Tony Schlott in Canada, is fluent in German and is contacting the breeder for me to get pedigrees, so that I can make better pairing decisions.

Mario wants me to thank Tony, who grows many varieties of apples for his observation that in his tests rollers prefer golden delicious apples to any other variety. Mario agrees with Tony's findings!

Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother - BIG BIRD!

2011-02-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I noticing some more problems in three of the remaining seven imported birds. One bird was tail bobbing and I noticed the lower abdomen rising and failing with each breath even when the birds were not under stress. These signs point to respiratory disease which maybe caused by a number of infectious agents such as bacteria, fungi, and virus.

Although I rarely treat birds with antibiotics, I keep some on hand in the refrigerator just in case. My stock included tylan, an excellent antibiotic for Mycoplasma but unfortunately it was several years outdated, oops will order more... I had in-dated
Enrofloxyn (baytril) which is effective against Mycoplasma and Salmonella. I wished I had amtyl or amoxitex which are amoxicillin and tylan, the two together give a broader range of organisms that it is effective against. Doyle did not have it either so will order that too..

Remember the cage I called two hens. I later observed the bird in the foreground feeding the capped hen. Even though two hens will feed each other, after watching them more, I believe he is a male.

When I noticed the capped hen deep breathing, I separated the two birds. Too late, the male started the open mouth heavy breathing just a day after the hen. Both were not eating and with both of them sick, I moved them back together and now the capped hen after a couple of days on antibiotic is looking much better. I moved their cage to a night stand on the other side of the room.

A third sick bird is showing feather loss around its eye in addition to abdominal breathing. Feather loss around the eye is another symptom of respiratory problem. Luckily, It has been separated from the others from the start as it was molting very heavily.

A closer look when I was putting some Terramycin ointment on its eye, showed considerable swelling of the sinus under the affected eye. Birds, unlike humans, have separate sinus cavities so it is possible to have infection on one side and not the other.

With the capped hen being definitely better, I am hopeful that my antibiotic is working and in time these birds will become healthy.

No doubt about it, Big Bird is earning her Tiger Mother Badge!! The Fight for Life is On!!

Update following day: Definite improvement black cap hen-no signs of lower abdominal breathing, the male in her cage has its mouth barely open and no gasping-much better, eye problem remains a problem, lots of swelling. Yesterday, I added 1/4 teaspoon to one cup of water of childrens cold and cough medicine to the antibiotic treated water. Either another day on the antibiotic or this addition was very helpful. Today I added 1/2 teaspoon to a cup and we will see if that is even better.

New Birds Update - Working Toward Perfect Health

2011-02-24T03:58:00.000-08:00

The middle bird of the stack sings frequently and has a beautiful song, not perfect but very very nice! He is quite a Casanova, as he likes to look me in the eye and serenade me, singing and swaying, even when I am as close as two feet from his cage. Usually, my birds are known to me by their band numbers but I confide that Casanova has a nick name, Mario!

Bottom bird has started singing a little but too soon to evaluate. Over all the seven birds are doing very well with no more problems! My daughter, not a bird lover, asked how much longer are the birds going to be in quarantine? Ideally six weeks or longer. The most critical time is the first two weeks. Although treatment for mites kills the living mites it does not kill the eggs so a second treatment at 10 days is necessary and then I will need some more time to make sure that none are sickly.

Since most of the birds were molting upon arrival, it is important to get the molt finished as quickly as possible and not precipitate another molt. Since a drop in day length will cause birds to molt, it is important to extend their days rather than shorten them. I started them on 7 am to 6 pm but will lengthen probably next week.

Along the same intent of shortening the molt, the birds started on a high carbohydrate diet. The basic seed is L'Avian as it has a higher proportion of canary seed than other mixes. The first day, I also offered canola rape with some canary seed soaked in cod liver oil just to be sure they eat canary seed. Once I had an imported roller who nearly died on me till I figured out that he only ate canola rape and no other seed. I examined all cracked seed and seeing cracked canary seed in a cage, it was stitched to L'Avian.

In addition, they were fed cous cous with poppy seed as mention in the previous post. This is easy to digest and would likely be eaten just because it had poppy seeds in it! Any time I have trouble getting birds to eat something, I put poppy seeds in it... I always start the day with fresh feed and water and then add extras as the day progresses with the most important first thing in the morning.

Next, I offered some fresh soft white bread. One heavily molting bird took to it immediately and I expect in a few days most will eat it. They only have to try it once, just a bite and they will eat it! Bread, being high carb is very fattening and all these birds need to gain weight to come into breeding condition. Males some thin fat layer but not an obstructive "beer belly", hens pleasantly plump.

Since the birds are doing lots of preening, I wanted to give them something high carb to chew on. Steel cut oats is perfect as they love to play with it and shell it. This I give mid afternoon for snack.

I am feeding baby bok choy and they are eating it stem and all. I give them one leaf as I need to make sure they eat a high calorie diet and add some body mass. Along with baby bok choy they are enjoying a slice of golden delicious apple each day.

After the water treatment with ivomec, they received a 24 hour treatment with ABBA high fertility Vitamin E once a week. I have not done this before to stop molting but I decided it was a good addition. It appeared to help as I noted tightening feathers the following day. The daily water is poultry vitamins 1/4 tsp to a gallon of water, 1 tablespoon liquid 23% calcium gluconate (cattle product) and a generous splash of multiple vitamin B.

As it appears molting is under control and finishing, I can add some other snacks including sunflower pieces with brewer's yeast and the dry nestling food containing insects from Linda and Kevin Brown Jeepers Peepers Aviary that was originally posted on October 28, 2009 on this blog, bee pollen and some border veggies. In addition, when I am sure they are not going to come down with something, I will add ABBA mineral grit. Sickly birds should not be fed grit as sickly birds may over eat it, impact and die.

I have window shades up during the day for sunlight and additional table light on a timer so that the room is bright. Yesterday was such a beautiful day, temperature 70 F, that I also opened the windows for fresh air. I enjoyed a nap and occasionally would awake briefly to Mario singing!

"Caveat Emptor"

2011-02-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Anytime we purchase birds we are motivated by the desire to fulfill the Impossible Dream but at the same time there are always risks. As I chase my dream to produce German Rollers like I heard in Germany, I was willing to gamble to get more DKB banded birds. One bird, in front ,was dead upon arrival.

One more died within 24 hours of arrival.

One remains ill and is likely going to die. The two sick birds had dyspnea, labored gasping breathing without clicking. Third bird died two days later.

All new birds should be treated for air sac mites upon arrival. In my experience, the most effective treatment is .5 ml of Ivomec in 8 ounces of water. This is the only water for 24 hours and the treatment is repeated in 10 days. Should you have sick birds, consult your vet for assistance.

All birds must be quarantined, even without the obviously sick and dead ones to prevent disease from wiping out your other birds. The good news is that seven, although ragged appear healthy!

My aviary is attached to the house but has separate air and heating etc. My bedroom is my favorite quarantine station as I can lay on my bed and observe them for hours, hopping up frequently to nurse them!

Most of the birds are finishing a molt. Notice the pin feathers on the top of these two hens heads. (hens pictured above)

Stack of healthy birds. Number two in the stack is actually singing! He has good hollow roll and bass and a wonderful lu lu lu hollow bell.

Another showing extensive molting.

This hen is separated as she was a little thinner than the other two hens.

Closer look at the Bird immediately above.

As I want them to finish their molt, I will feed high carbs. This is cous cous with olive oil and poppy seeds. Cous cous and poppy seeds are generously coated with olive oil (calories) and boiling water added and fluffed with a fork.

With only one remaining sick, I will soon be through the rough part and dreaming again......

My granddaughter Mary pictured on the bottom row far right with blue dress, has something unbelievable to share with her ballet class about her grandmother (Big Bird)!

Questions and Tips for Big Bird!

2011-02-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

Please post unrelated questions and tips to this blog post.

1. Owain from the UK says "You talk greatly about vitamin E for bringing birds into condition what foods are vitamin E in"?

Vitamin E is commonly called the fertility vitamin and is an excellent breeding conditioner. Since it is a fat-soluble stored vitamin it is important not to overdose. Care should be taken not to do every method but chose just one.

A number of foods contain some vitamin E. One of the best natural foods sources is Wheat germ and birds will eat it either raw or toasted, just as it is. I feed it often to males but have found that it causes hens to lay eggs prematurely before they are fertilized. Other food which contain much less such as Spinach are a safe level even for hens.

Another successful approach is to treat seed with products that are high in vitamin E, such as Cod Liver Oil. Mix one tablespoon cod liver oil with approximately 2.5 lbs of straight canary seed. Let stand overnight before feeding. Use this cod liver oil coated seed to supplement the males regular diet to help males come into full condition.

Many people like to use wheat germ oil. Mix 1/3 cup wheat germ oil to 25 lbs of canary mix and then add some bird vitamins. This is a light enough coating that it can be used for both males and hens but should not be given to hens after they lay their first egg.

Critical Concept: Conditioning males can continue through the breeding season but hens should not receive concentrated products containing vitamin E after they lay their first egg.

2. Laura writes: I have recently acquired a new hen about a month ago. Was very excited about the possibility of her improving the quality of my waterslagers. I have about 40 birds who have always been very healthy and problem free. As soon as I got this new hen, I noticed soft down feathers on her cage bottom. I thought it strange but figured she was starting to lose her brooding patch feathers. I've been keeping a close eye on her and have her separated from my others birds. Turns out more by more she is actually pulling out her chest feathers. She seems healthy in every other way, eating and pooping normally, normal activity, no signs of mites, not fluffy, just very bothered by her chest feathers, messing with them constantly. Chews them up and then spits them out, turning her chest into sad looking bald patch. I've giving her some nesting material to see if that will stop the feather plucking, so hoping that will help. Any tips or comments would be greatly appreciated. Love the blog - has helped me and by birds tremendously!

Laura, although self-mutilation is common in some types of birds. In solitary birds such as hook bills, it is often stress-induced and has been called the "new bird syndrome". It is not, however, not common in canaries, this is the first case I have heard of.

As you mentioned, it is normal to find soft short breast feathers on the cage floor when the hen develops her brood patch. It is also common for them to play and even chew on feathers and use loose ones to line their nests. At times, they will pluck feathers from other birds sometimes from their own chicks, but not self plucking.

Being a new bird in the aviary, I assume she is isolated from your other birds as there are a number of things which might cause this problem. Please examine the birds skin, is it glossy or dry and scaly? If it is dry and scaly, I would suspect malnutrition which in general is multiple nutrients as single deficiencies are very rare. I would either get the bird on poultry vitamins (package will say vitamins and electrolytes) or a bird vitamin. Also give the birds lots of greens to chew on and spray millet to nibble on. Provide swings to keep the bird busy.

Other causes include mites and other parasites or even bacterial or mycotic dermatitis. In older birds, it might be hypothyroidism or endocrine imbalances.

In My Aviary - Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

2011-02-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

Vitamin E
My male birds have been getting ABBA High Fertility Vitamin E once a week treatment for the last two weeks. Usually I give it three weeks to males before starting the hens on the fourth week. That is just right for the Staffords and colorbred in my aviary this year but I think the Borders and roller males would benefit from two more weeks instead of one more week prior to starting the hens getting it too. Males will continue weekly treatment till the breeding season is over, while hens only get the weekly treatment until they lay their first egg.

Tricking the Hen
At times, when a male will not sing to the hen, I have used a another male in a show cage either close or immediately below the hens cage. When he sings, she assumes the mating position and the poor crooner, takes advantage of his opportunity. I have pulled this trick numerous times sometimes with males who are even a different breeds such as roller male get the border hen to invite mating with the border male in her cage. I bring this up now, because I am aware that my roller and border hens may come in quicker than I would like because of hearing the breeding song of Stafford and Colorbred males. To minimize this, I have moved roller and border hens as far away as possible to cut the risk. Sure don't want the trick to be on me!

Lighting
Lights come on at 7 am to 6 pm which is the same as sunrise and sunset. I will turn up the lights suddenly to 14.5 hours when the males of all breeds are ready. The sudden change will stimulate them even more and the hens will start coming in after as little as one week to three weeks on the ABBA vitamin E.

Diet
All birds are getting L'Avian Plus Canary mix and assortment of greens daily. Fat males are getting petamine instead of canary mix. Males are also getting bee pollen twice a week and border veggies and petamine breeding formula daily. I also will give the hens petamine breeding formula every other day when I have enough males in breeding condition. Since that is the case, all hens got their first dish of petamine today. No nestling food is given to either males or females until pairing and then only till the hen completes her clutch of eggs. Just got my Miracle Supplement in, so I am starting first the cocks but in a couple weeks the hens on dry ABBA green 92 with Miracle added (4 cups ABBA green 92 or other dry nestling food to 1 tablespoon Miracle).

Tom Ressel - Matchmaker Extraordinaire

2011-02-16T00:26:00.000-08:00

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Stafford Bachelor (click on line above to see bird)

Tom writes: While this bachelor probably would never get to go to a bird show, he never the less is a very important bird to have in my aviary because of the intensity of his color. He is a very smooth feathered bird and when placed by the ruler, he measures almost a perfect 5 inches. In that same picture, notice also that his tail is short and closely packed and he stands on the perch at a 45 degree angle which is desirable. I have chosen to breed this cock with two hens this year. Since I have only one crested hen, I will also breed him to a non-crested hen as well.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 1 (click on line of each contestant to see bird again)

I am tempted to keep this little hen despite the fact that she has not been color fed. She has a broad, well rounded head. The forehead has a good rise above the beak. Sometimes it is a little more difficult to see all the small details in the bird but while she appears to have heavy feathering above the eye, in the 4^th picture of this hen, it appears that the head is pinched (or too narrow) at the beak area of the head. I think for that reason I will pass on contestant number 1.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 2

When I saw the third picture of this little cinnamon mosaic hen it was love at first sight. The head has a well rounded appearance at whatever angle it is viewed. The forehead has a good rise above the beak and the forehead is as broad as the head is behind the eyes. This desired roundness of the back skull carries down through the neck and shoulder area which will insure that her crested offspring will have a crest that blends in without any breaks in the back of the neck. By breeding this hen with the bachelor I will be producing some great non-crested birds that stand a good chance of winning the non-crested rosette this next fall and at the same time be producing stock birds that more than likely produce progeny with prize winning crests in future years.

Without a question Contestant Number 2 will receive a Rose this year.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 3

Contestant Number 3 is a pretty little hen but does not have the roundness of the head I would like to see. Nor does she have the rise above the beak that I would prefer. If she was in a bird show, I would ask the steward to take her off the show bench. She does not hold a candle to contestant Number 2. Sorry, no rose for contestant Number 3.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 5

This brings us down to two crested hens for this year’s bachelor to choose from. Sometimes it’s easier to pick out the looser so that is what I will attempt to do. There will be no rose for hen Number 5. The first reason is obvious. Her crest does not lay flat in the back of the neck. All of her offspring would probably also have horns (feathers that stuck out at the back of the head). If I needed another reason, she appears to be more than 5 inches long. NO ROSE FOR YOU LITTLE HEN.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 4

Contestant Number 4’s frosting level is acceptable but she definitely needs help from the Bachelor in the area of her intensity of color. Her crest feathers radiate from the center of the top of her head and finishes at the top of her eye as the standard requires. The crest lies beautifully at the back of the head where the crest meets the neck. One picture shows her chest feathers roughed up but quite likely the photographer is responsible for that.

Contestant Number 4 is definitely a keeper. Bachelor bird will have to make another trip to the flower shop for a second rose.

Congratulations Tom what a fantastic discussion!

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Stafford Bachelor

2011-02-12T11:41:00.001-08:00

The Stafford Bachelor would like your help in finding to whom to give his rose!! Please send your critique of each of the five contestant and the rational for your selection in before February 16, 2011.

The winner will be awarded the coveted Matchmaker Extraordinaire 2011 Award Certificate!

The best complete critiques will be posted. Comments on individual birds may be posted.

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 1

2011-02-12T00:32:00.000-08:00

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 2

2011-02-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 3

2011-02-12T00:15:00.000-08:00

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 4

2011-02-12T00:11:00.000-08:00

To Whom Shall I Give My Rose - Contestant Number 5

2011-02-12T00:03:00.000-08:00

Improving Fertility With Vitamin E

2011-02-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

Vitamin E is well known as the fertility vitamin. To improve fertility, one of several choices can be used, but use of more than one of these methods should be avoided to prevent overdose.

Vitamin E being fat stored, must be given at a proper dose to avoid breeding problems due to overdose. Overdosed hens may fail to hatch chicks because the excess vitamin E causes them to re-cycle too quickly and lose their incubation temperature.

Methods for giving extra vitamin E beyond dietary sources include:

ABBA High Fertility Water Soluble Vitamin E – This is my favorite method as a measured amount (1/2 teaspoon) is mixed with one gallon water. This is used as the only bird water one day a week. I like to start the males on it about six weeks before breeding and the hens about three weeks before breeding. Males receive the one day weekly treatment till the end of the season while the hens receive it weekly only until they lay their first egg. Yesterday, my males got their second dose of the season.
Recently, Donald of South Africa shared that he feeds wheat germ oil directly into the beak. Using a syringe, he delivers a couple of drops into the mouth each week. Feathers around the beak may come out if excess oil repeatedly get on the feathers around the beak. Currently, I have a couple of Border males who are lagging behind. I am trying this method on them instead of the ABBA Vitamin E in the water. After a couple of doses, these males are making improvement. It could possibly be a technique to use on stragglers.
Bird seed can be coated with wheat germ oil. Doyle shared this recipe with me: two cups of fortified animal wheat germ oil (horse) is blended with 5lbs of straight canary seed and set for two days. Then this is mixed with 50 lbs of canary mix. His initial results using this have been quite good.

Breaking News - Miracle Amino Acid Supplement Available in US

2011-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

ABBA Products now has the amino acid supplement MIRACLE from Italy in stock! This is a fantastic product that greatly improves fertility and breeding success!!! Call ABBA 908 353-0669. In their computer it is under AA Miracle. I placed my order along with some ABBA mineral today!

A special thank you to Mike at ABBA for agreeing to again carry this absolutely wonderful product!!

The photo is my old empty container, I credit much of my breeding success to using this product!

Border Breeder Report & Tips From Donald Sanders

2011-02-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

Donald is a Border Breeder in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, their canary breeding season is six months ahead of ours. His birds have started moulting now! Isn't it great to hear a heads up report from him!

Traditional long hair cats (Chinchilla Longhair).They live in Donald's bird room without any problems.

Sprouted seed after 60 hours and which has been washed and patted dry.Will be ready for use at 5am tomorrow morning.

Sprouted seed 1:-3 bottles -from the right new dry seed ,middle soaked and sprouted 24 hours and extreme left the bottle that has sprouted for 48 hours.The blue bottle is the bleach (2 tablespoons) that I put into the seed. The water I use over the sprouted seed is hot water from the tap. This has worked well for me -no fungal growth.If you look at the 3 bottles I use the one one the right first has no water but only the bleach and then I fill it up as shown. The bottle holds about 300ml water when filled only with water.

Donald writes:

Thanks for all the good tips, they really paid off this year! I bred 86 (Border) chicks from 20 hens. It has been so good to see all these chicks and how well the borders fed.

All the people in SA that used the Border Veggie with Breedmax (Belgium) had good breeding results. Breedmax

recommends using 10 grm(1 scoop) for every 150 grams of soft food/Border veggies- it is used every Day as I start to breed I use 10 grms to 100 grms of soft food/Border Veggies.

I do not need to feed any extra calcium but always keep a bottle of liquid calcium handy. If I see that the hen is fluffed up after the second or third egg I then put 2 drops down the beak.Within the hour she has passed the egg and there are no further problems.

The soft food I used was Orlux yellow dry mixed with Border veggies(minus soya) for the feeding hens, the cocks and non incubating or hens that have not laid only BV(Border Veggies) . I use ground soya and this has made the BV very easy. I grate the Broccoli and caulflower. I prepare about (dry)2 cups of ground soya each Sunday. Once it has been soaked and dried (in a towel) I weigh equally amounts for each day. This is stored in the deep freeze. Daily, one pack is removed from deep freeze and allowed to thaw in the fridge. Broccoli and Cauliflower is put into all the food with the appropriate amount of Breedmax put over it.

Once the hen has laid her 1st egg, she does not get any of the above. I normally give her a bit of soft food and 1/4 boiled egg on the morning the chicks hatch.

I feed BV every day for the whole breeding season to the cocks that I run, the other that are in pairs are fed a finger draw full every morning.To all of this I put in 2 cups of sprout seed (2kg black sunflower,1 kg wheat,1kg mung beans and 1 kg black rape)

We do put 2 drops of wheatgerm oil into the cocks beak 2-3 times a week. The wheat germ is one that I buy from a co-op that sells animal and cattle food. The birds are slightly reluctant the first week (first 3 times)but there after they actually pick at the syringe as it approaches.The cocks that get the oil lose a few feathers on the side of the face to no detriment.That is all replaced at moulting. Between these 2 products and Breedmax the birds are really in tune.

This last breeding season (2010)it was recommended that I try 3 products.Oxy-B,Bird Improver and Antifungal.My birds were off colour when I started to breed.I started at 1/2 strength with Antifungal and Bird Improver and Oxy-B at full strength .This was done for a month.just after 2 weeks the hens started to lay. I am giving these products at 1/2 and full strength as above twice a week.there is no prole in the the bird room and all the birds are moulting. THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE VIEWED at www.pigeonvitality.com .

Before breeding I do the doxycycline test.I give the Birds doxy for 5 days,to this I add 10ml apple cider vinegar.When I start(1st morning) I listen to the intensity of the sound in the birdroom. On the 3rd morning I again listen to the intensity of the sound.If the sound has got less or softer I stop after the 5th Day(Finish the course of antibiotic) If the sound has intensified I continue for 30 days or until the birds become fluffed.When they become fluffed it tells you that they no longer need the treatment.

I also do the to the stock birds that battle to come through the moult.(this doxy treatment method is from Dr Rob Marshall's book Canary Health)

I let my stock birds moult out in the breeding cages.Once we get to the start of April I then put them into a mobile flight cage and put the birds in front of the security door that is covered with welded mesh.The sun beats in to their cage for 2 to 3 hours daily.They really love the unfiltered sun and love to unbath .I give them thistles with the soil on and this is devoured. They seem to love the fresh greens more if they have soil on them.

My Moulting soft food mix:
I give soft food (Orlux Yellow Dry)with Breedmax(10grams per 150grm of soft food - including all the extras)broccoli,soya protein powder (5grms per 500grams of soft food)sprouted seed and 3 boiled eggs to my mix.This mix is about

I hope this will be helpful to you, I read your blog on a regular basis.

Thanks for all your help

Best Regards

Donald

Thanks so much Donald for sharing with us!! I am running a small scale test using your wheat germ oil delivered directly into the beak method. I am also going to add the Breedmax dose you recommend to my Border Veggies.

Save A Bird - Water

2011-02-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Evon shares her heart breaking experience:

Wednesday morning regular routine pull all waterers & provide clean tubes and fresh water
for all the birds. Fresh seed to all birds. Egg food to the feeding families.

Than out to shovel and snowblow after the blizzard, 2 1/2 hours.It was an unusually busy
day with additional snow and family responsibilities.

I admit I was tired and the body hurt. Usually I make it back down to the aviary around 4
to refill dishes and recheck birds. This day I refilled the egg food dishes and left.

Before the lights went out.I plugged in an additional heater to keep the birds a bit warmer.
Since the outside wind temperature were dripping below Zero,

Thursday morning this is what I found. (see pic above)I know we don't like to view dead
birds BUT I hope seeing this lovely satinette pair will be a vision for all of you.

CHECK THOSE WATER TUBES!

What you see is the result of haste and a leaky water tube.Usually each cage gets 2 water
tubes one large one small, BUT in my haste, I only put one water tube on each cage.

The birds likely died quicker than expected as I had also turned on an extra heater.

I have been raising satinette canaries for 20+years, this pair was special.I Pray the 3 eggs
this pair left behind will thrive all that depends on a fife foster mom.

Evon, I am so sorry for your loss. All of us have had unfortunate times when things
did not go as planned and we have lost birds.

Once I went to a plant nursery owned by a real Dutchman from Holland. I watched as he tossed plants he had started from seed in the trash. I quizzed him that they were not that bad and he told me "They don't all live here either lady"!I tell myself that story each time I experience an unfortunate bird loss and I am feeling terrible about my part in it, they don't all make it here either!

The satinettes were beauties. I have in the past raised silver brown and gold brown satinettes and I can tell from the photo these were very special and had great striations.