Coloured Canaries

[Redwing]

Have only had her a few months so havn't had her through a moult Bleeding Green. What will happen if I don't give her red factor? will she change much or can't you tell until after the moult.
Finchbreeder, her colour is accurate in photo, but I think because of the light under the pagola the young one is not quite that bright. Will take another photo on weekend.
Have mastered the one photo at a time process!! This is Rusty (Dad) at the back and another baby.

[Redwing]

Sorry this will take a few goes. Another one of Mum

[Buzzard-1]

Colour fed Lizzard . That's my 2 bobs worth.

[bleeding green]

That (hen) bird was definatly colour fed imo. Look how the red has turned to yellow in the baby. Red factor breeders sometimes feed colour in the egg when they have young so to bring out the red in the babies. And the father isn't all that red either.
If you don't feed them colour in the next moult the red on hen will turn orange, and the father will turn more yellow. They lose more red each moult when they are not fed colour.
It's hard to gauge the size of them from those photos, but I think lizards are a relatively smaller canary and a bit slender too.

[finchbreeder]

Definately look colour fed, as said by BG the colour will go from horrible red (no I'm not a fan of colour fed birds) to pleasant orange. The more intense the orange without colour feeding the better your breeder was at colour selection for breeding. And you can colour select for whatever colours you prefer. Rusty certainly looks cinnamon to me and so do both the young I have seen so far. So looks like you may have two little girls there. Still not sure that those markings are not "green" lots of green birds are heavily marked with striping. But it could be lizzard blood, again I would not say good lizzard but, if it is. Lizards I am pleased to say have remained a smaller canary. While many people have followed the budgie breeders and completely changed the size rules for borders for example. Hence my preference for Glosters (though they are also starting to be ruined by upsizing) and fifes. Yes I like my canaries petite. What is it with so many show bird breeders that bigger is better. Just look at some of the people waddling round and you will know this is not so. No I don;t think anorexic is better. Just healthy and normal, weather you have feathers or skin. Off my soapbox now to paraphase Deb.
LML

[Redwing]

So... to summarise. Mum and Dad are both cosmetically enhanced with red factor and are now best left alone to see what happens when they moult. Bought him because he was an amazing singer' not for his appearance and then as you all know one thing leads to another and had to buy a friend for him. Seemed to make sense to buy a girl who matched him as I knew nothing about canary genetics. Have probably done it all wrong, but at least didn't commit the ultimate sin of choosing ones who look like they're bulked up on steroids!! They are to my untrained eye neat compact looking birds without being anorexic. Will keep plodding away at the photo posting one at a time and then show you family number 2. In the meantime are they worth keeping together as a pair for further breeding? Didn't let Mum have second clutch once the babies feathered up as I didn't know if I was producing babies that noone would want. In the meantime she's producing drifts of shredded paper each day and anyone who sits still long enough is at risk of having their chest feathers plucked.

[bleeding green]

Orange canaries to me look like negleted birds. especially in borders, not so much in the heavily veregated. Just my opinion.
I didn't notice straight away but on second look I think FB might be right reagrding the frosted father.
Not too sure about the pairing but personally I would have put that male with a not so heavily marked female. But if they are lizards than I think all lizards are marked that 'heavy'.

[finchbreeder]

Like I said. It is all a matter of personal taste. I like cinnamon very much and so I like what I see. Apart from the excess red. Only time will tell how red nature made them. Or if you particularly like it go for it. Get some red food from a bird/pet supplier that sells it. Many people do like the red factors in all their varying shades from pale apricot (nice) to bright red (well I think you already know what I think of those ) Sorry I'm a computor tragic and don;t have a camera. So will when the kids get home for Christmas see if I can talk nicely to them and get photos taken and posted to show you my cinnamon/red hen (yes I confess she is part red factor but not enhanced) her offspring from last year who is red without cinnamon cause dad was yellow. And my new boy who is green, that will better show what I mean about heavily marked green. He is a gloster corona (crested to non canary tragics) And I would not think you would have trouble selling canaries in the colour of the babies I have seen so far. So if you and they want to go again and they are not going to get to crowed, go for it. My new boy and mum have a youngun in the nest. That was fast, case of release into avairy, pleased to meet you beautiful how about it. And next thing I know a chick. Cause I haven't had him long enough that the other eggs were fertile.
LML

[Redwing]

[Would love to see some photos of yours finchbreeder when you get a chance. Have Googled Greens to try and see what they look like but couldn't find many good images. Do you know a good site to look at? In the meantime this is one baby from 2nd clutch. Mother yellow and father (in background but not a good photo of him) ?blue. Thought this one would be white and then when fully feathered the hint of yellow on primaries and outer border of tail appeared.

[Redwing]

2nd baby from same clutch who also developed the hint of yellow with what I think is a ringin from when the two girls both laid in same nest in background.