Finger Licking Good - Breeding Season Seed Mix

Big Bird's Finger Licking Breeding Season Seed Mix Recipe for 50 lbs: In a large bowl place a total of 5 lbs of seed mix (I used regular canary/rape mixed with 2 lbs of Higgins Song Food and 1 cup hulled hemp seed (health food store). Add one cup wheat germ oil blend (horse product fortified with extra vitamin A, D and E from feed store). Stir frequently for two or three days.

In a large container add 45 more lbs of seeds and mix in the 5 lbs wheat germ oil coated seeds. I used what seeds that I had on hand which was 25 lbs of L'Avian Plus and added more seeds to make up the 45 lbs (regular canary, rape seed, thistle, yellow millet, side kick (3 lbs) and grass seed ( 3 lbs) from Connie Gahman, more Higgins Song Food (3 lbs), flax seed (1 lb), more hulled hemp (1 lb),  and Steel Cut Oats ( 2 lbs). Serious red color feeders should omit rape seed and use more golden millet or grey millet (Wild Wings from Harrisons). (I would have added some grey millet today but I am out right now.)

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This Border male is spreading the word to all who will listen that Big Bird has made something delicious! A German Roller in the adjacent cage is taking note.

Topping off the seed container usually results in a few checking it out but today their appetites were stimulated and everyone wanted to eat at once!

Young Border hen adds her approval!

I will continue serving the wheat germ oil coated seed mix daily till breeding season is over.

What's New In My Aviary - Columbus Fancy

At the National Cage Bird Show this Fall, I got some more Columbus Fancy to add to my collection.

New Columbus Fancy males given to me by Sandra Foote-Gregory.

Bill Zinke gave me a couple more Columbus Fancy again this year. The timid green is thought to be a hen and the blue is hopping around frantically like a hen.

Thanks so much Sandra and Bill for sharing your Columbus Fancy with me!

Now that the males have had three doses of ABBA fertility E, I turned up the lights today to 14 hours. Next Saturday the hens will get their first dose of ABBA fertility E weekly till they lay their first egg. Cocks continue getting it weekly unless single paired with a laying/setting/feeding hen.

Sunrise taken off my front porch looking down my street.

This Weeks Tips and Questions For Big Bird

This non-abrasive scrub pad is a great addition to bird room cleaning supplies. It helps remove waste that seems to fly all over the cage, even on the ceiling! These pads allows you to scrub with out damaging powder coated surfaces. Currently it is on sale for $2.99 at PetSmart.

Questions: 

Wednesday

1.  Is there a cure, supplement, medicine or food; that will aid and cure "balding" of the throat and neck-area behind the bird's head? This is occurring with some of my roller females.

Big Bird: Although feather loss on the throat and neck maybe caused by a number of things such as aggression, mites or even fungus, hormonal imbalance or nutrition; the most likely cause is malnutrition as seed diets are deficient in a number of critical nutrients.

The first line of treatment should begin with a good multi-vitamin such as Biodecken or Orlux Omi-vit (probably not available currently in the US) and balanced food such as Biodecken Novafood. I would also get the Biodecken Immune support and make a cocktail of using both products together and give this daily for at least a week and then three times a week. I would feed them the novafood daily. Biodecken is available from Ricardo Sanchez 214 998-7474 or ricardo@ricardosanchez.cc


 Tuesday

1. Peter writes: "My feed store has Calcium Borogluconate 23 % (sterile injection for treatment of milk fever in cattle) is that the same or comparable to the one you are talking about"?

Big Bird: Compare the ingredient labels. My  Calcium Gluconate 23%, manufactured for Agri Laboratories St. Joseph, MO,  lists each 100 ml contains: active ingredient Calcium gluconate (provides 2.14 grams calcium) ..... 23 grams and water for injection and inactive ingredients boric acid (as a solubilizing agent) 3.5 grams and electrolytes per 1000 ml: calcium 1069 mEq: Hypertonic osmolarity (calc.) 6.782 mOsmol/l pH 2.5-4.5. It also is sold as a sterile injection for treatment of milk fever in cattle. Perhaps the name reflects the boric acid which it contains but compare the labels carefully. I have used liquid calcium gluconate on the birds for many years, originally I could buy it over the counter as it was a treatment for calcium deficiency in children. That product is no longer available over the counter.

Sharing Bread With The Girls

Seems like the birds are moving right along toward breeding season. My cock birds got their second once weekly dose of Abba Fertility E yesterday, while the hens will get their first dose when the cocks get their 4th dose.

In the meantime, it is a good idea to introduce the girls to a mild wheat product. Wheat products like wheat germ are good conditioners but tend to encourage the hens to lay too quickly, so I like to hold back a few more weeks before giving wheat germ or even sprouted wheat. If you want to use the stronger wheat products earlier, limit the amount and frequency.

Soft white bread is placed between the bars of this German Roller flight cage.

Immediately, the girls start investigating and nibbling.

After tasting a few bites they sometimes take a bite from the lower part.

They like to stretch first one way and then the other.

Bread helps bring some thinner hens into condition and also is very effective in taming them.  Tamer hens are less protective of their chicks and tolerate Big Bird meddling better.

Thin cocks may not come into condition at all so in that case they should be fattened just a bit. Otherwise you want to avoid the cocks becoming too fat and interfering with fertilization.

Bird Cage Cleaner

Recently, I hired Sarah and Toney to clean my aviary. In the past, I have done it myself using Poop-Off on the cages but these guys quickly went through what poop-off I had on hand!

In a panic, I ran over to PetSmart and yes they had small expensive bottles of Poop-Off but not the more economical gallon size that I usually buy. Sitting right next to Poop-Off was Nature's Miracle Bird Cage Cleaner, an Eight in One Pet Product, at a much more reasonable price so I picked up three bottles and Sarah just remarked that it works pretty good! The bad news she has opened the third bottle now and I must be off to PetSmart to get more!

Lovely Feet

When assessing breeding stock, it is important to not forget to take a good look at their feet. Healthy birds should have smooth glossy feet like young birds even when they are several years old.

The 2010 blue banded Border hen pictured above is looking especially fit, without the tell tale blue band color she could easily pass for a young unflighted chick! She seemed to smile when I said, "Dearie, you just don't look your age."

This picture is the lovely foot of a 2009 Border hen who has bred and feed chicks each year.

I have noticed that my birds feet are especially nice this year which I attribute primarily to using Biodeckon multiple vitamins with added Biodecken immune support 2 or 3 times a week and feeding Biodecken Novafood  dry every other day since purchasing these products from Ricardo Sanchez (ricardo@ricardosanchez.cc, 214 998-7474) at the National Cage Bird Show Mid-November.

Catching Up On My Reading - Irish Fancy

Since today was a cold day with a high temperature of 28 degrees F and a light snow was falling here in Wichita, Kansas,  rather than play ball outside with my dog Lucca, I decided to sit by the fireplace and catch up on reading some bird magazines. The magazine I chose was a special one from Germany.

When I was at the Northwest German Roller Canary Club show, Almin had a stack of these German bird magazines that anyone could take with them. Seeing the Irish Fancy on the cover, I knew this one was meant specially for me! To my delight, some of these Irish Fancy articles were in English!

Report from Cage & Aviary Birds England with picture of a cinnamon yellow marked yellow Irish Fancy the leading unflighted novice exhibited by G. Bird.

Lovely Clear Yellow cock, best champion unflighted and best Irish Fancy National Exhibition (England) exhibited by Brian Bennett.

The Irish Fancy Canary originated in Ireland in 1974. The bird is shown in its natural state and no colour feeding is permitted or necessary. The Irish Fancy Canary is available in all colours including white and blue which are all found in other "type" canaries and is bred in the traditional way of yellow to buff feathering. The bird is free standing and devoid of problems such as lumps that have bedeviled many other breeds.

The Irish Fancy Canary Club of America was founded in 2009 by Brian Byrne and Paul Cruise. They imported 12 pairs of Irish Fancy from Maurice O'Conner of Birmingham, England. ( M. O'Conner won best champion adult, second best champion, second best adult, best champion adult.)  In the US, the impressive offspring from birds that Brian and Paul imported have been shown at several local shows usually placing in the type division winners and also placing well at the National Cage Bird Show the past two years.