2013 Lone Star State Canary Club Show Winners - Type Canaries

 While the show team put up the stands, I leisurely enjoyed a cup of tea in this delightful Halloween mug! It was a great show and we had lots of fun sharing our canary experiences!

Best Type  Canary - Fiorino Exhibited by Joseph Mikhailion

2nd Best Type Canary - Fife Exhibited by Ninez Giles

3rd Best Type Canary - Columbus Fancy Crested Exhibited by Javier Martinez

4th Best Type Canary - German Crested Exhibited by Jay & Brenda Varhola

Food To Jump Start And Advance The Song

Question: So what can I feed to advance the song, they are barely singing?

Egg yolk will stimulate singing and help bring the song along. The problem is that feeding just egg yolk can cause weight loss and if they lose too much weight they stop singing altogether and even if you get them to sing again, the song is not the same quality as before the weight loss.

This recipe is much better as the extra fat and carbs prevents the weight loss problem and protein with carbs is more effective at advancing the song than protein alone.

Jump Start And Advance The Song Egg Treat

1 hard boiled egg yolk
1 tsp butter
1 tsp honey
1 tsp poppy seed
1 slice Zwieback toast (similar to melba toast, check grocer baby section)

Every other day feed 1/2 tsp per bird. You do not want your birds pushing the song so evaluate them the following day and determine if tomorrow they need another dose. Thanks Almin for sharing this recipe!

Previously, I also mention using Biodecken "Jingle" or if unavailable Boost vitamins or if unavailable some product containing vitamin E at 1/2 strength and then evaluate the next day.

Sweetening Up The Song - Sweet Song Tea

 Lucca, my Belgian Malinois, likes to help train the German rollers. Maybe because before I stack them I remove yesterdays old dry bread and Lucca is happy to dispose of it for me!

 He is vigilantly keeping a close watch on them.

 Lucca loves hollow roll and if they are really good, they put him to sleep.

Often I stack the teams with a last year bird tutor in the middle. Especially when there is a tempo problem like to slow hollow roll, too fast hollow bell and high flutes.

 If they get the tempo right I move the tutor to the top but keep reinforcing the tempo till they give up and sing the right tempo.

A few minutes ago, my favorite team let out a rare obnoxious high pitch route rou ou. I was watching the birds at the time and for the life  of me, I couldn't figure out who did it. Then promptly it came again route rooou. I thought that sounds familiar like a rooster crowing. I look over to see Lucca laughing as he promptly jumped on his real sound rooster toy!

Yesterday I use a new water concoction which Almin shared with me that is to sweeten the song and I am quite pleased with the result!

Sweet Song Tea

1 Liter boiling water
2 tsp fennel seed or 2 fennel tea bags
2 tsp brown sugar

Cool and use for the birds water periodically and 3 days before the show.

More Lipochrome Winners Brampton Show

 Lipochrome White Recessive - 94 points Exhibited by Tullio Ferri 2nd place

 Lipochrome Red Intensive - 94 points Exhibited by Arturi & Ramundi 3rd place. Note the depth of color, the evenness of color, and beautiful matching color in the wings and tail.

 Lipochrome Yellow Intensive - 94 points Exhibited by Frank Giordano 4th place. Note the depth of color, evenness of color, and matching color in the wings and tail.

While admiring the lipochrome winners, Louis Demelo showed me his lovely recessive white, pictured below, that made the top bench with 93 points.

Near Perfect Red Factor Frost - 94 Points at Brampton Show 1st Place

Colorbred Judges: Freddy van Hauwermeiren, Belgium and Dominik Adams, Belgium

Note the depth of color and evenness even in the face, he is absolutely perfectly colored! Top that with phenomenal evenness of frost throughout the bird especially notice the frosting across and down in the breast and how the frost starts on the head directly above the eye! Also note the excellent coloring in the wings and tail which is particularly difficult in frost birds because of the usual wider and longer feathers. I have judged a number of red frost lipochrome but this bird is the best Red Frost I have ever seen!! In my head, I keep a file of the best and now this bird is with me always!

1st Place Lipochrome  Red Frost - 94 points - Exhibited by Arturi & Ramundi

First Isabel Cobalt Exhibited in Canda at 18th Annual Colorbred Show in Brampton

This whole row of colorbred canaries are various kinds of Cobalt! There were 41 Cobalt exhibited!

When Rado Pagac, President of COM Canada, saw me admiring the Cobalt, he graciously pointed out a truly special bird.

Gorgeous Isabel Cobalt!

Because it was his bird, he gently took it out of cage and gave me a better look! Like other cobalt, pigmentation goes clear to the vent.

Note the nice pigmentation in the wind and tail feathers!

Great striations on the back too! Thanks So Much Rado!

Hamilton Roller Canary Show Brampton Canada

 A view of some of the thirty one teams of rollers exhibited at the show.

 Tony Schlott preparing a team to go in for judging.  For a full day Saturday and half day Sunday, I set and judged the teams. The sound was so beautiful that I didn't have any fatigue because the lovely song kept me energized! When I listen to them, I relax and become unaware of anything or anyone in the room.Its just me being enveloped in heavenly sound!

 Many trophies and ribbons were awarded to a number of club members. Especially fine teams were exhibited by Nick, Alan, and Tony!

 Alan Timari pictured with his wife and children won the grand large traveling trophy! His wife and brother and his wife ran the luncheon. I had delicious salad topped with chicken. Thanks so much for making it so special!

 The youngest exhibitor was ten year old Lucas Di Stasio. Lucas set in the judging room for many hours and soaked up roller information. His passion for the hobby is encouragement to us all!

Too Soon it was time to go back to Kansas but before I left Tony gave me two Braeburn apples from his orchard to eat along the way home. They were the best apples I have ever tasted! Thanks Tony!

As I look at this photo, I can't believe that Peter is still smiling. He and family picked me up at the airport Friday at 5:30 and what is normally 10 to 20 minutes to the hotel took four and 1/2 hours! Also a special thank you to Anna, Tony's wife for all the record keeping and the behind the scene details that help make this a fantastic show! I really enjoyed my time there and look forward to keeping in touch with them!