Breeding Season

[elferoz777]

Zeddy

That is an outstanding result from 3 hens.

I have 65 chicks from 13 hens at the moment with 6 fertile eggs due on 19/12, 8 fertile eggs due on 21/12, and one hen making a nest, so would say I will end up with about 72 chicks from 13 hens. That is the most chicks that I have bred for many years, and next year I will cut back to about 10 hens.

Elferoz

There will be lizards available in about July, and you are 2nd on the order waiting list.

Thanks Canary!

[rpetersen]

Riyaad

You have also had an outstanding year. Congratulations.

I had another 6 chicks hatch today. Another 2 nests due on 21/12 and another nest due on 30/12.

I have my best hen making a nest which will be my last nest of the year.

It is now a waiting game to get the fledged chicks through the moult, and select the best birds for the show team, and which birds to sell.

Thanks Canary,

I am struggling a bit with my last few chicks in the nest due to the heat. What do you do with the heat situation?

Riyaad

[Canary]

Riyaad

I have a small fan in my bird room that I put on during the day on hot days over 37C. It is forecast to be 39C here tomortrow and I will put the fan on the lowest setting to circulate the air in the morning and when I come home at lunch time I will probably put it up to the second setting.

If it gets to 42C then in addition to the fan I will spray the birds with a spray bottle. I use cool water from the tap .

I will put some photos up tomorrow of the fan and bottle I use.

[Canary]

Fan.jpg

water spray.jpg

I also have this High Low thermometer in the room.

thermometer.jpg

[rpetersen]

That great Canary I have thought about putting a fan in my bird room but was advice not to because the fan will have an effect on the birds if you direct it to them. I will have a go at it. maybe just not to have it in there direction. Here in South Africa especially Cape Town some days can be very hot. Like today it will be 33degrees Celsius.

[Canary]

Well it has been over a week without an update. Too much Christmas food and drink, plus a virus got through on my computer, even with the latest anti-virus software that is updated daily, which I have finally got rid off.

Anyway, since the last update on the 18 December, there has not been a lot happening. Latest count is 65 border chicks and 15 lizard chicks. There are still 4 fertile lizard eggs due on 5/1/13, and one lizard hen has just been set on 4 eggs, however, I feel that they may be infertile as she did not accept the cock.

Looking at the overall results:

13 hens
145 eggs, some with 5 and one laid 6 eggs in a nest.
88 hatched (60%), with 8 eggs still to hatch off which 4 are definitely fertile.
6 dead in shell.

Overall fertility rate of 98 fertile eggs /145 eggs = 67%. I am very happy with that rate as in previous years, prior to starting later on 15th September, the fertility rate was under 50%.

There were 2 hens who had 17 eggs between them, that did not hatch one chick, and all eggs were clear/infertile. They did help in raising chicks though when other hens left their nest, or I placed some chicks under them to raise.

So after allowing for these 2 hens, that will be culled next year, the fertility rate was 98 fertile eggs / 128 eggs = 76% fertility.

In the UK they have been keeping records of their Border fertility which has been a major problem. I read yesterday that last year their result was 38% fertility.

Overall, one of my best breeding season with 80 chicks fledged. It is now a matter of getting them through the moult, then selecting the show teams of Borders and Lizards, and training them. A bird that looks great now will sometimes come through the moult and you wonder what happened. The opposite happens as well, where a chick that had not taken any attention before the moult all of a sudden is the "swan" and you think where was that chick hiding.

At the moment I am cleaning out all the cages following the breeding season so that the chicks will moult clean with a maximum of 3 birds per breeding cage now which will be reduced to 2 birds per cage by the beginning of the show season. I believe that by having 2 birds together they are more settled and present better for showing than having a single bird in each breeding cage. There are sometimes some squabbles and full on fights between 2 dominant birds and usually it is 2 hens together, however, they will usually be settled when placed with a male partner.

[Zeddy]

Hey Canary


Quick Q whats the best way you have found to sex your young birds?
I have a few left from the season and would like to know what is what and be sure what cockbirds and hens I have


Thanks

[BlackCobra]

Hey Canary


Quick Q whats the best way you have found to sex your young birds?
I have a few left from the season and would like to know what is what and be sure what cockbirds and hens I have


Thanks

I use to use the blow method, the cocks sex organ sticks out forward & a little skinnier & the hens dosnt so much & is fatter, after a little while you will be able to sort real easy, once you get use to sexing them that way it becomes very easy to sex, I still keep an eye on the birds to make double sure.

[BlackCobra]

Well it has been over a week without an update. Too much Christmas food and drink, plus a virus got through on my computer, even with the latest anti-virus software that is updated daily, which I have finally got rid off.

Anyway, since the last update on the 18 December, there has not been a lot happening. Latest count is 65 border chicks and 15 lizard chicks. There are still 4 fertile lizard eggs due on 5/1/13, and one lizard hen has just been set on 4 eggs, however, I feel that they may be infertile as she did not accept the cock.

Looking at the overall results:

13 hens
145 eggs, some with 5 and one laid 6 eggs in a nest.
88 hatched (60%), with 8 eggs still to hatch off which 4 are definitely fertile.
6 dead in shell.

Overall fertility rate of 98 fertile eggs /145 eggs = 67%. I am very happy with that rate as in previous years, prior to starting later on 15th September, the fertility rate was under 50%.

There were 2 hens who had 17 eggs between them, that did not hatch one chick, and all eggs were clear/infertile. They did help in raising chicks though when other hens left their nest, or I placed some chicks under them to raise.

So after allowing for these 2 hens, that will be culled next year, the fertility rate was 98 fertile eggs / 128 eggs = 76% fertility.

In the UK they have been keeping records of their Border fertility which has been a major problem. I read yesterday that last year their result was 38% fertility.

Overall, one of my best breeding season with 80 chicks fledged. It is now a matter of getting them through the moult, then selecting the show teams of Borders and Lizards, and training them. A bird that looks great now will sometimes come through the moult and you wonder what happened. The opposite happens as well, where a chick that had not taken any attention before the moult all of a sudden is the "swan" and you think where was that chick hiding.

At the moment I am cleaning out all the cages following the breeding season so that the chicks will moult clean with a maximum of 3 birds per breeding cage now which will be reduced to 2 birds per cage by the beginning of the show season. I believe that by having 2 birds together they are more settled and present better for showing than having a single bird in each breeding cage. There are sometimes some squabbles and full on fights between 2 dominant birds and usually it is 2 hens together, however, they will usually be settled when placed with a male partner.

Wow Canary, Grats on your breeding success this season, I haven't had canaries for a while & you make me jealous, lol.
I have always had a bird love of canaries.

[Canary]

Zeddy & Graham

A lot of my young birds are all whistling now and that is the first way that I tell if they are cocks.

As Graham has said if you blow the vents of an adult bird first, then you will see the difference as Graham has explained. It is a bit harder with the young birds but is the second way.

The third way is after they moult the cock birds are usually a bit brighter in colour than the hens, and again it is not always the case.

The only sure fire way is in breeding season if they lay eggs. Some hens do whistle, and this year I had a Lizard hen that was sold to me as a cock and I saw it whistling its head off on numerous occassions. I was sure that it was a cock and it laid eggs and has now raised chicks.