Part 7

These siskins are considerably smaller than even very small canaries, and they have an unattractive wild song. As might be expected, their coloring, size, and song characteristics are transmitted to the hybrids resulting from crossing with the canary. The fancier, through selective breeding back to desirable canary stock, endeavors to eliminate the unwanted siskin characteristics and at the same time retain the effect of the red coloring which produces many shades of apricot, orange and copper. PLATE 31

MAHOGANY CANARY AND SISKIN 1ST CROSS

The canary and siskin hybrid is always a very dark bird and usually small in size. Depending on the depth of color they are usually called a copper, bronze, or mahogany. When these hybrids are mated back to pure canary stock, the chicks obtained are called second cross and generally have a much more attractive appearance. PLATE 32

ORANGE-CINNAMON CANARY AND SISKIN 2ND CROSS

The deep orange coloring of this second cross hybrid was obtained from a fertile canary and siskin first cross that was mated back to canary stock carrying some cinnamon blood. The orange tint has little, if any, tendency to fade and is often as bright as that temporarily obtained through color feeding. In a second cross bird such as this, the siskin heritage is usually very noticeable in the song. PLATE 33

APRICOT CANARY AND SISKIN 3RD CROSS

When the second cross canary and siskin is mated back to pure canary stock again, the apricot coloring is one of the possible results. This bird illustrates the way in which the Red Siskin coloring has been diluted and evenly spread throughout. The apricot stock is used by breeders in crossing with unrelated hybrid stock in order to intensify desired coloring, form, feathering, and size characteristics as well as to further introduce the color to type birds such as Border Fancies. PLATE 34

FROSTED PINK CHOPPER CANARY

The frosted pink canary is usually considerably removed from the first canary and siskin cross and it represents much progress. Many fanciers are concentrating on this pink coloration rather than the deep orange colorings in their work toward producing the red canary. PLATE 35

DILUTE HEN CHOPPER CANARY

The dilute factor was discovered by accident some years ago by a fancier keen enough to recognize something of its potential value. When this factor is present it dilutes by graying or thinning out otherwise standard colors. If it were not for this dilute factor in the bird illustrated, the cinnamon markings and the yellow would have been noticeably deeper in color. PLATE 36

Breeding Information

SELECTING THE BIRDS

The chances are you already own one of the birds you plan to use for breeding. For best prospects the male should be healthy and sleek, a good singer, and between twelve months and four years old. The hen should also be healthy and sleek, from one to five years old, and should differ from the cock bird in coloring. For example, with the cock a yellow, the hen could be a lighter colored buff, or vice versa. Pair yellow and buff, green and white, cinnamon and white, yellow and green, and so on. Your hens should be vigorous and if not overbred (used for more than two nests the previous season) it is a good thing to use those with proved capacity on your first attempt.

Most breeders allow the hens to have flying exercise daily. For this purpose a flight cage or room is best, and if you intend to mate several pairs, it is a good investment. Its size can depend on the space available. A very useful flying cage is four feet long, two feet high, and one-and-a-half to two feet deep. Place the seed at one end, the water at the other, and keep the perches widely spaced in order to insure exercise. Smaller flights can be used satisfactorily, and if a spare room is available its whole area can be used. Many successful breeders use attic space divided into flight rooms with hardware cloth and screen doors. The floor of each flight room is covered with gravel.

BREEDING CAGES AND NESTS

One of the best breeding cages for canaries is metal, box-shaped, with two sliding partitions in the middle, one of regular cage wire, the other of sheet metal. It is about twenty-four inches long, eleven inches high and eleven inches deep. The bottom and tray are removable, and there are sliding doors in the front of each compartment. In addition, there should be a swinging door in the upper rear corner of each end.

Nests are hung in the corners by these doors, so that the top of the nest is about one inch higher than the perch. The nesting material should consist of specially prepared nesting hair, moss, shredded burlap, short pieces of string or such material. Line the nests with warm cloth pads. Use two when necessary. Sew the pads to the nest using short stitches inside and long outside to prevent the hen from catching her feet in the stitches. As a precaution, dust the lining thoroughly with insect powder.

We shall be glad to supply plans for home built breeding cages, flight cages, and outside aviaries on request. Write us what you have in mind.

EARLY SEASON CHORES

Select a shielded location for the breeding cage. Wild birds seek seclusion and privacy when they nest, and will often leave the nest and eggs entirely if disturbed, and relocate in a better hiding place. Although canaries have been bred in cages for hundreds of years, this tendency to desert the nest and nestlings persists. The breeding cage should have a solid foundation and the perches should be tried individually to be sure that they are steady and firm.

Provide a flashlight for the breeding room. It will come in handy for brief nighttime checkups on the birds; for removing the male, which is best done at night; and for candling the eggs after the hen has been setting for about six days. Provide a small cardboard box half filled with a dry cereal such as corn meal, or with cotton. This receptacle is for the first few eggs and its use is explained in the paragraph "Round One." Another early season chore is to secure three or four dummy canary eggs. Such dummy eggs can be purchased from pet dealers, but a small {~VULGAR FRACTION THREE EIGHTHS~}{~DOUBLE PRIME~} diameter marble or wooden ball will suffice. Their use is also explained under "Round One."

GETTING THE BIRDS READY

Early in January the birds should have their nails trimmed, if overlong, to prevent punctured eggs or accidental harm to the nestlings. Allow the hen as much flying exercise as possible. If you have no flight cage, the added exercise she will get in the breeding cage, with the partitions removed, will be helpful.

In early February the regular seed diet should be supplemented with egg food. This is prepared by sieving a 30-minute boiled egg and mixing with toasted bread crumbs etc., to a crumbly consistency. See "Egg Food" in "General Care" section. A little poppy seed sprinkled over the portion given each bird is beneficial. A daily teaspoonful of this mixture for each bird is sufficient until the early part of March. About once a week scatter a little ground oyster shell on the cage floor with the gravel, and keep a cuttle bone in the cage at all times. A few tender dandelion leaves, when procurable, are relished once a week. Some breeders like to use freshly sprouted seed at the stage when the sprout is a quarter of an inch long or less and also greens they raise themselves from the regular bird seed mixture. The early part of January is a good time to practice raising these greens. Just be sure that there is no evidence of mold growth on the sprouted seed when it is fed.

Small diameter perches for the chicks just weaned can be secured in advance. A visit to your shrubs or grape arbor will easily provide a handful of suitable length perches of moderately rough surface, from ¼{~DOUBLE PRIME~} to {~VULGAR FRACTION THREE EIGHTHS~}{~DOUBLE PRIME~} in diameter. Starting about the first of March a little niger seed should be given the hen in a treat cup two or three times weekly. This oily seed should help prevent egg binding. At this time both the solid and wire partitions can be put back in the breeding cage, and the cock changed to his half of the cage.

THE MATING

At mating time the hen is lively and alert and will usually call loudly. The cock will sing lustily and dance on the perch with lowered wings while singing. When these signs occur, remove the solid partition, leaving the wire partition in place. When you see the cock feeding the hen through the bars, remove the wire too, and let the birds run together. They may quarrel for a short while, but will soon become devoted. Place the lined nest in the cage along with a little nesting material.