Sep 16
30
Loretta’s Canaries and Finches
Loretta’s Canaries and Finches
LorettasBirds@gmail.com
About 20 years ago (1996) I bred Canaries and Finches. I had a spare bedroom with cages from floor to ceiling on all 4 walls! It was a lot of FUN and brought me great JOY.
After my husband of almost 41 years passed away in May, 2016, the house was very quiet! Too quiet! I thought back to how happy I was when I was breeding canaries and finches. They always made me smile.
So if you know me, (read my About Me page), I was going on a mission to just buy one male or a pair of American Singer Canaries to cheer me up each day. Of course, they were from a 30-year breeder, and he had beautiful canaries from JUDGES of bird shows…. and I came home with 3 pairs!
Here’s all 6 together:
Below, see my Variegated – Dark green and yellow male I named Henry!
My yellow male from Texas I named Tex!
And my GREEN TIMBRADO Singing Canary from Mexico, I named Timber! (He’s from 2015)
And my 3 FEMALE Canaries
All White I call “Mama” (She’s from 2015)
All White I call “Baby” because she’s the daughter of White Mama
AND Variegated Green and Yellow, I call #1 (First born in 2016)
That same week, I also put “on hold” 2 pairs of Australian Gouldian Finches from another breeder about 1 1/2 hours from my house! One pair of “red heads” and one pair of “black heads”. (See image below)
Then I purchased a pair of Zebra finches… Only ONE pair, you ask? Yes… I had incredible fortitude and held back!! 🙂
Well, the “normal” grey zebra finches got to work right away, building their nest, and entertaining me so much that I wanted to get OTHER COLORS! (BTW, they had 5 babies, but 2 died – because they are new parents. They should do better on their 2nd clutch.)
Here’s a couple of their first babies! Aren’t they just ADORABLE? (Now they’re in a large flight cage and they are maturing and getting their colors… the males get orange cheeks and black bar across the breast. So beautiful!)
So my treasure hunt continued. I found some WHITE zebras and a male PIED I named “Iggy”! Update April 2017: So far all their babies are GREY Normals! I’m still looking for some other SPECIAL colors!
Here’s a pair of white zebras. The Male is “Feisty” and the Female is “Fran”!
I have another pair that look almost identical named “Shaun” and “Sterling”.
Below are Society Finches. The female is in back and the male (in front) is a “Crested”, meaning he has what looks like a Toupe on his head! Isn’t he adorable? Their babies are Gorgeous, too!
And let’s not forget the Canaries! Three pairs? Pppfffft! I HAD to get more YELLOWS because that’s the most popular color people want! Here’s the 2 pairs I just got a few days ago from New Jersey!
AND then I found some beautiful RED factor… that look peachy and GORGEOUS I just HAD to have them! They’re coming next week from Montana!
Update April, 2017: Purchased more Red Factors. This Male is Color Fed and is just Stunning!
Tomorrow is Oct. 1, 2016 as I sit here typing this…
So if you happen to come across my blog, and read this post, I’ll probably have 200,000 birds by then! lol
Ohhh Nooooo… STOP ME!! I’m ordering MORE birds!! lol
If you’d like a bird or two for a pet, or if you’d like to breed a few, here’s some information that may help you! . . . Enjoy!
Description
Canaries can be the easiest pet birds to have. Even the smallest apartment has room for one. They are simple to care for and do not require much attention.
Canaries are solitary in nature, so a lone male is perfectly content by himself and will sing whether you are there or not. It can be your only pet or part of a household menagerie.
These birds are a type of finch that is native to the Canary Islands, after which they are named. The wild canary, which still exists, is brownish green and looks like a sparrow. In my opinion, they are the best singers! Captive bred for 500 years, the yellow mutation has long been the most popular. Today, canaries are available in many colors and a range of sizes, shapes, and patterns.
Cage
If you are keeping a canary as a pet for its singing ability, just buy any cage that you like. It must be constructed of metal and at least 18″ long and 10″ wide. Canaries exercise by flying back and forth, not up and down!
The best perches are made of half-inch round wooden doll rods, available at any good lumberyard. Just cut a 1/4″ slit at each end to secure on the bars. At least once a month, either replace the perch, or clean it with hot water, bleach, and pine oil. Make sure that it is dry before you put it back in the cage. The sandpaper that fits over the perch is not a good idea. Most don’t fit properly and constantly slip, putting the bird off balance.
Lights
A full-spectrum fluorescent light above the cage will provide Vitamin D for your canary. Incandescent full-spectrum bulbs are now available if you have space next to the cage for a lamp.
If your canary is near a window, it will enjoy the view and sunshine but make sure the area doesn’t overheat. Birds must be able to self regulate temperature by moving in and out of the sun.
(Note: window glass will filter out Vitamin D.)
Birds need 10-12 hours of rest per day, so consider a cage cover.
Food
The “white bread” of canary nutrition is a seed mix consisting of 70% Canary Seed and 30% Rape.
Every Day the bird must get a high protein food. Any fruit, vegetable, or green that is used for human consumption, with the exception of avocado, can be offered to Canaries. Canned corn, collards, kale, broccoli, cucumber, apple, carrot, and squash are just a few favorites. Canaries should always have Cuttlebone and mineral grit.
Baths
Canaries love to bathe, and may try to bathe in their water bowl if bathtubs are lacking. You can use a small dish like a Tupperware container inside the cage as a bathtub. The bottom should not be slippery. A clay plant-saucer may work.
Use room-temperature to cool-ish water; one quarter inch of water is sufficient. Remove the tub immediately after use. Provide the bath early so the bird is dry before bedtime.|
Note
Caution! The most important thing for caring for birds is to keep them OUT OF DRAFTS.
The above information (except the NOTE I added) was taken from susans canaries.
It’s a terrific list of bird care items written for the canary owner but applies to any small bird including all finches.
RESOURCES – What I personally use, suggest and where to get it:
Finches like:
Basic seed: Wild Harvest Daily Blend (Walmart)
Millet
Roudybush Nibles – Maintenance.
A scientific blend of nutrition – and ALL my birds LOVE it!
Less messy than seeds, however I still give them seeds because birds love to forage.
Pretty Bird Daily Select – Mini: Red, Yellow and Green “Fruity” Pellets.
Canaries like:
A fortified mixed variety of seeds. (Mine throw out the basic seeds!)
Millet
Roudybush Nibles – Maintenance.
A scientific blend of nutrition – and ALL my birds LOVE it!
Less messy than seeds, however I still give them seeds because birds love to forage.
Pretty Bird Daily Select – Mini: Red, Yellow and Green “Fruity” Pellets.
Kaytee Moulting and Conditioning (Small birds)
I also keep Conditioner on hand for the extra Vitamins/Nutrients
they need in times of moulting, stress, etc.
This also helps babies that have been crammed into their nest
for so long… If they have “stinky butt” (I call it) it seems to go
away overnight once they eat this.
For finch or canary parents to feed their babies,
I mix hard boiled eggs with
Bird’s Choice: Bird Seed (See Below)
Jones Seed Co.
http://jones-seed.com
Bird’s Choice: Bird Seed
One preventative product I always keep on hand is Airsac Mite S76
Birds are very suseptible to getting these mites.
If left untreated they will cough and get white scales on their
toes and legs… and may even lose feathers around their beak and eyes.
It can lead to death. Keep this on hand!
You can get this at Lady Gouldian Finch (Below)
Airsac mite
Where to Shop:
Drs. Foster and Smith
http://www.drsfostersmith.com
Jones Seed Co.
http://jones-seed.com
Bird’s Choice: Bird Seed
Lady Gouldian Finch
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com
Ohhh Nooooo… STOP ME!! I’m ordering MORE!! lol
If you liked this post, please like, comment, and share the love!
