Sorry about the losses Harvey, Often it is caused by inexperienced parents and as others have said, they may perform well the next round.
Couple of points though:
If the last one is still alive you will need to put an infertile egg (or even a marble) in the nest to stop it being squashed like the first round.
I don't understand why you are putting "more paper" into the nest - have you done something like this previously?
Lastly, I know it is very exciting to see how the birds are progressing, particularly with open cup nesters, but we must not over do it.
You can simply chech that there is food in the crop after you have put in the aternoon feed.
We all hope your luck improves soon.
Not Again
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Diane
- ..............................
- Posts: 7402
- Joined: 05 Apr 2009, 14:23
- Location: Northern 'burbs of Adelaide
- Location: Northern 'burbs of Adelaide
I think you have tried and now might be the time to put this hen in another aviary on her own and just enjoy her for being a canary.
Time you had some good news, so off to look for a canary hen for you young man.
Time you had some good news, so off to look for a canary hen for you young man.
Diane
The difference between Genius and Stupidity is, Genius has it’s limits
The difference between Genius and Stupidity is, Genius has it’s limits
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jusdeb
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Posts: 9796
- Joined: 12 Mar 2009, 19:43
- Location: Dubbo, NSW
- Location: Western Plains NSW
Maybe she is not comfortable in a cabinet ( I assume thats where she is ) maybe she feels there is not enough room between herself and you when you feed / water etc. maybe this is why she is sitting so tight .
Swap her out perhaps and see if she breeds better in the aviary ...just a thought .
Swap her out perhaps and see if she breeds better in the aviary ...just a thought .
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
David Brent
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Harvey11
- ...............................
- Posts: 397
- Joined: 26 May 2011, 16:48
- Location: Newcastle
Pics of my Canary hen back in the avairy with her mates.
My Canary dealer said she will be no good for breeding any more with the problems i have had but i still want to keep her.
And a few pics of her friends.
I have a few to many birds in the avairy at the moment,the Society finches are being moved on as they are all males.
Harv
My Canary dealer said she will be no good for breeding any more with the problems i have had but i still want to keep her.
And a few pics of her friends.
I have a few to many birds in the avairy at the moment,the Society finches are being moved on as they are all males.
Harv
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jusdeb
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- Joined: 12 Mar 2009, 19:43
- Location: Dubbo, NSW
- Location: Western Plains NSW
She looks happy in the aviary , shame she isn't going to be a good breeder however she is nice to look at and enjoy .
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
David Brent
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Canary
- ...............................
- Posts: 474
- Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 20:04
- Location: Sydney West, NSW
Harvey & Brett
Sorry to hear that they are all dead. Don't give up. The hen raised the last chick, so I don't think it is a problem with the hen.
Did you do anything different with this nest of chicks from the first nest? I usually try and eliminate problems to find the cause.
It could be a number of things, and I don't know what your method or routine is, but in no particular order some ideas might be:
1. You might be looking in the nest too much, which may cause the hen to sit too tight. I usually candle the eggs at 7 days, and then don't touch the hen or chicks again until they are about 5-7 days old to put a ring on their leg, and that is it. I know some people that do hand feed their chicks each night to make sure that they have food in their crop and that works well for them.
2. How many times are you feeding the hen egg food. I feed my birds 3 times a day, at dawn - about 5am, midday and 5.30pm when I get home. I give them most at dawn, a little at midday and a small amount at 5.30pm, which allows the hen to feed the chicks before dusk. You do not have to feed them at midday, and I am guessing that you are still at school, so feed the hen a fair amount when you get home from school. You will get to know the correct amount by the leftover food that you are throwing away. In my case it is always better to throw a small amount away then have an empty food dish. In your case I would not like to have food in the dish from 5am to 3.30pm, as it would be off. One comment was that the chick did not appear to have much food in its crop.
3. The eggfood may have got stale and when it goes off the chicks will die quite quickly.
4. Sometimes the umbilical chord can get infected, but that is usually 1 in a nest.
5. Did the chicks all hatch on the same day, so that they are the same size. 1 day difference makes a huge difference in the nest and the biggest chick will get all the food while the smaller chicks get none and die.(I have lost 1 chick this year, and it was due to it hatching one day later than the other 3 in the nest.) I also look at switching chicks to other nests sometimes, if I see that a chick is small and not getting any food.
It is a matter of finding a system that works, and sticking with it. You managed to raise the last chick to a fledgling so know you can raise the chicks. I have been using almost the same system since 1979. I have varied a few things, when another breeder has mentioned something that worked, and generally I go back to what has worked for me.
Keep you chin up. If birds were easy to breed they would be the same price as mice.
Sorry to hear that they are all dead. Don't give up. The hen raised the last chick, so I don't think it is a problem with the hen.
Did you do anything different with this nest of chicks from the first nest? I usually try and eliminate problems to find the cause.
It could be a number of things, and I don't know what your method or routine is, but in no particular order some ideas might be:
1. You might be looking in the nest too much, which may cause the hen to sit too tight. I usually candle the eggs at 7 days, and then don't touch the hen or chicks again until they are about 5-7 days old to put a ring on their leg, and that is it. I know some people that do hand feed their chicks each night to make sure that they have food in their crop and that works well for them.
2. How many times are you feeding the hen egg food. I feed my birds 3 times a day, at dawn - about 5am, midday and 5.30pm when I get home. I give them most at dawn, a little at midday and a small amount at 5.30pm, which allows the hen to feed the chicks before dusk. You do not have to feed them at midday, and I am guessing that you are still at school, so feed the hen a fair amount when you get home from school. You will get to know the correct amount by the leftover food that you are throwing away. In my case it is always better to throw a small amount away then have an empty food dish. In your case I would not like to have food in the dish from 5am to 3.30pm, as it would be off. One comment was that the chick did not appear to have much food in its crop.
3. The eggfood may have got stale and when it goes off the chicks will die quite quickly.
4. Sometimes the umbilical chord can get infected, but that is usually 1 in a nest.
5. Did the chicks all hatch on the same day, so that they are the same size. 1 day difference makes a huge difference in the nest and the biggest chick will get all the food while the smaller chicks get none and die.(I have lost 1 chick this year, and it was due to it hatching one day later than the other 3 in the nest.) I also look at switching chicks to other nests sometimes, if I see that a chick is small and not getting any food.
It is a matter of finding a system that works, and sticking with it. You managed to raise the last chick to a fledgling so know you can raise the chicks. I have been using almost the same system since 1979. I have varied a few things, when another breeder has mentioned something that worked, and generally I go back to what has worked for me.
Keep you chin up. If birds were easy to breed they would be the same price as mice.
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Brett
- ...............................
- Posts: 289
- Joined: 28 Mar 2011, 15:24
- Location: Newcastle
Hi Canary
Harv was hoping you would respond.
After reading your last post i think we where doing a few things wrong.
1 we where just mixing the egg mix with the seed,and i feel the egg biscuit was going off.We got it from local pet store
2 The first babies where born in a plastic nest at the back off the cabinet,the second lot where born in a cane nest at the front of cabinet.
same nesting material.
3 2 babies hatched one day then 2 the next.
4 we tryed not to look in nest to much..
I think the egg biscuit was the problem,i did not know it went off
Should we try again this season????????
Harv is a bit down
Thanks Canary for all your help
Brett/Harv
Harv was hoping you would respond.
After reading your last post i think we where doing a few things wrong.
1 we where just mixing the egg mix with the seed,and i feel the egg biscuit was going off.We got it from local pet store
2 The first babies where born in a plastic nest at the back off the cabinet,the second lot where born in a cane nest at the front of cabinet.
same nesting material.
3 2 babies hatched one day then 2 the next.
4 we tryed not to look in nest to much..
I think the egg biscuit was the problem,i did not know it went off
Should we try again this season????????
Harv is a bit down
Thanks Canary for all your help
Brett/Harv
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Canary
- ...............................
- Posts: 474
- Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 20:04
- Location: Sydney West, NSW
Brett & Harvey
I would definately be trying again. I see that you have put the canaries back in the aviary. Leave them for a week and then give them one more nest before Christmas. I know some breeders who get 3 nests out of their hens and are still breeding after New Years. I do not set any hens after mid-December, so that they are hatched by New Years.
Firstly, get some dummy eggs or marbles and take the eggs out as the hen lays them and replace with dummy egg/marble up until the 4th egg, or last egg if she only lays 3, then place all the eggs back in the nest.
I usually have my nests on the side wall of the end breeding cabinets and the back wall of the middle breeding cabinets. It doesn't seem to make any difference.
I make my own egg food mix. I have never used the prepared mix from the shop so cannot comment on the quality. I have used the same recipe for many years passed down to me from an old breeder who told me that he got it from another old breeder, so has been working for years.
1 hard boiled egg, remove shell and mash up with a fork(Must be hard boiled for at least 10 minutes - do not feed if yolk is at all soft or runny - eat it and hard boil another egg).
3 arrowroot biscuits crushed to a fine powder with a spoon
2 tablespoons of Farex baby food (original multigrain)
1 tablespoon glucose powder
1/4 teaspoon D3 Vita multivitamin powder
Mix it all together and keep refrigerated in a plastic container with a sealed lid.
I go through the above mix each day with 9 - 10 hens. You might reduce the quantities as you only have one pair of canaries. I make it each night after dinner and leave it in the fridge ready to feed to the hens/chicks in the morning. It will last 2 days in the fridge. I buy a tray of 30 eggs for $6 at Woolworths, so 1 egg a day. I also feed at midday and at 5.30pm.
Make sure that you throw out any old eggfood in the container in the cage.
I also feed sprouted seed to hens with chicks. I buy a prepared seed mix from Elenbee at Seven Hills (It is mainly Canola/rape seed). I soak the seed for one day and one night (24 hours). I make sure that I rinse it thoroughly 3 times a day. I use square Legos Tomato Paste bottles with old stockings on the top held on with rubber bands to rinse the seed. After soaking for 24 hours, and rinsing regularly under cold water, I then drain and leave the bottle on its side on the water heater. The heat helps it to sprout. Keep rinsing 3 times a day and leave the drained bottle on its side on the water heater. When it sprouts about 5mm I rinse thoroughly in a sieve, allow to drain and keep in an old sprouts /cherry tomato plastic container in the fridge. I feed the hens with chick about enough to cover a fifty cent piece in the morning after the egg food has been in for about 1 hour, and also in the evening with the egg food. I want to make sure that the hens are feeding the chicks the egg food first in the morning. Sometimes you can see a hen that hasn't touchd the eggfood and is waiting for the sprouted seed.
It is important to rinse the seed well and you will be able to smell the difference when it is good and when it goes off. When it is good it has a nutty smell. When it is off it smells rotten/mouldy/gross. Do not feed if it smells off.
Throw out any leftover sprouted seed as well.
As I said before the hen raised the chick in the first nest, so I don't think she is the problem. If there is only 1 chick in a nest leave a dummy egg or marble in the nest.
Best of luck. The above has worked well for me for many years.
I would definately be trying again. I see that you have put the canaries back in the aviary. Leave them for a week and then give them one more nest before Christmas. I know some breeders who get 3 nests out of their hens and are still breeding after New Years. I do not set any hens after mid-December, so that they are hatched by New Years.
Firstly, get some dummy eggs or marbles and take the eggs out as the hen lays them and replace with dummy egg/marble up until the 4th egg, or last egg if she only lays 3, then place all the eggs back in the nest.
I usually have my nests on the side wall of the end breeding cabinets and the back wall of the middle breeding cabinets. It doesn't seem to make any difference.
I make my own egg food mix. I have never used the prepared mix from the shop so cannot comment on the quality. I have used the same recipe for many years passed down to me from an old breeder who told me that he got it from another old breeder, so has been working for years.
1 hard boiled egg, remove shell and mash up with a fork(Must be hard boiled for at least 10 minutes - do not feed if yolk is at all soft or runny - eat it and hard boil another egg).
3 arrowroot biscuits crushed to a fine powder with a spoon
2 tablespoons of Farex baby food (original multigrain)
1 tablespoon glucose powder
1/4 teaspoon D3 Vita multivitamin powder
Mix it all together and keep refrigerated in a plastic container with a sealed lid.
I go through the above mix each day with 9 - 10 hens. You might reduce the quantities as you only have one pair of canaries. I make it each night after dinner and leave it in the fridge ready to feed to the hens/chicks in the morning. It will last 2 days in the fridge. I buy a tray of 30 eggs for $6 at Woolworths, so 1 egg a day. I also feed at midday and at 5.30pm.
Make sure that you throw out any old eggfood in the container in the cage.
I also feed sprouted seed to hens with chicks. I buy a prepared seed mix from Elenbee at Seven Hills (It is mainly Canola/rape seed). I soak the seed for one day and one night (24 hours). I make sure that I rinse it thoroughly 3 times a day. I use square Legos Tomato Paste bottles with old stockings on the top held on with rubber bands to rinse the seed. After soaking for 24 hours, and rinsing regularly under cold water, I then drain and leave the bottle on its side on the water heater. The heat helps it to sprout. Keep rinsing 3 times a day and leave the drained bottle on its side on the water heater. When it sprouts about 5mm I rinse thoroughly in a sieve, allow to drain and keep in an old sprouts /cherry tomato plastic container in the fridge. I feed the hens with chick about enough to cover a fifty cent piece in the morning after the egg food has been in for about 1 hour, and also in the evening with the egg food. I want to make sure that the hens are feeding the chicks the egg food first in the morning. Sometimes you can see a hen that hasn't touchd the eggfood and is waiting for the sprouted seed.
It is important to rinse the seed well and you will be able to smell the difference when it is good and when it goes off. When it is good it has a nutty smell. When it is off it smells rotten/mouldy/gross. Do not feed if it smells off.
Throw out any leftover sprouted seed as well.
As I said before the hen raised the chick in the first nest, so I don't think she is the problem. If there is only 1 chick in a nest leave a dummy egg or marble in the nest.
Best of luck. The above has worked well for me for many years.