Part 4

With breeding birds the molt usually comes immediately after the breeding season and may begin as early as the latter part of July. Normally it comes during August, and on the average should be at its height in September. Young birds molt the juvenal body plumage after leaving the nest, but retain the first growth of wing and tail feathers for a year. In healthy birds the entire molt requires about two months.

Canaries usually need no special care during molt. Though in an abnormal bodily state at this time, healthy individuals will come through the period in good condition. Birds are somewhat dull and stupid when molting and should be disturbed as little as possible. Bathing may be permitted once or twice each week, but if birds do not wish to bathe they should not be sprayed with water. It is well to add egg food or moistened bread to the ordinary fare once or twice each week during molt. For ailing birds a very slight quantity of sulphur may be added to the egg food, or a weak saffron tea given instead of pure drinking water. A few linseeds in the seed supply give a gloss and sheen to the new feathers not otherwise obtainable.

When canaries fail to molt at the proper season molt may sometimes be induced by covering the cage with a dark cloth and placing it in a warm protected place where the bird will not be disturbed.

Old birds or those weak in physical vigor often fail to renew their entire feather covering, a condition for which little remedy may be offered. Usually this incomplete molt is a sign of extreme age or breakdown, though if the bird lives, a supply of nutritious, easily assimilated food and careful protection during the next molt may result in improvement.

A great change in temperature or a sudden chill may check the progress of molt and occasionally cause serious trouble. If a bird shows signs of distress, it should be placed at once in a warm, protected place. Ten drops of sweet spirits of niter and a few shreds of saffron added to the drinking water are beneficial.

COLOR FEEDING.

That the color of canaries may be deepened or intensified by certain foods given during the molt is well known and has attracted much interest. Turmeric, marigold flowers, saffron, cochineal, annatto, mustard seed, and other agents rich in natural color are often used for this purpose, ordinarily in combination with red pepper as a base. For a long time methods of preparing and feeding color foods were kept secret, but now they are outlined in many manuals on canary feeding.

In selecting canaries for experiments in color feeding preference should be given to strong, vigorous, male birds. During digestion and assimilation the concentrated food used puts more or less of a strain upon the system, and birds that are old or constitutionally weak may not thrive, or may even succumb under the treatment. Color food may be given young canaries at the age of 7 or 8 weeks to produce a deep color at their first molt. Birds with color that is naturally full and rich should be selected. Those having greenish markings or those descended from a male parent well marked with green are preferable. Pale birds seldom color well.

A standard color food may be prepared as follows: To the ordinary egg food (one hard-boiled egg chopped fine with an equal bulk of bread crumbs or unsalted cracker crumbs) add a teaspoonful of ground sweet red pepper. Mix until the food shows an even reddish tint throughout. Care should be taken to see that the supply of ground sweet pepper used is fresh and clean and that it is not artificially colored. Each bird to be experimented upon should receive one small teaspoonful of the prepared food daily. The quantity of pepper in the mixture is increased gradually, until two heaping teaspoonfuls are used. Addition of a little brown sugar and a few drops of pure olive oil is beneficial, and a small quantity of hot red pepper gives a better flavor. The food should be prepared fresh each day, and in mixing allowance must be made for variation in the size of eggs used.

Some breeders increase the proportion of sweet red pepper until 4 teaspoonfuls are added to the usual quantity of egg food. Half a teaspoonful of this concentrated food is allowed each bird. This method may be used during a short, quick molt. The usual supply of seed must be kept in the cage, for canaries can not subsist on the color food alone.

Those who do not care to use such an elaborate preparation in color feeding may substitute pieces of the common sweet red peppers sold in fresh vegetable markets for the bits of lettuce ordinarily given as green food. Canaries eat these readily, and from the effect of this food eaten during molt become noticeably deeper and richer in color.

Color feeding to be successful must be started as soon as the canaries are ready to molt, and feeding must be continued until no more pin feathers can be found anywhere on the body when the feathers are carefully blown aside. The color food actually supplies an enriched color element that otherwise is lacking. Until the artificial color is firmly fixed in the matured feather it fades easily when exposed to strong light. The birds chosen for color feeding should be kept in a dim light away from the windows and with the cages shaded. Open-front cages are easily provided with a screen of paper or cloth, but care must be taken to leave space for ventilation. Direct sunlight must be avoided. Bathing must not be permitted more often than once a week, and the birds should be disturbed as little as possible.

Should a bird refuse the color food, the seed supply may be removed for a short time morning and evening and the color food substituted. Usually in a day or two the stimulating food will be eaten eagerly. Linseeds should be given (as during the regular molt) to impart a gloss to the new feathers. With proper care there will be little trouble in producing fine, healthy birds with rich, highly colored plumage. The enhanced color lasts only during the continuance of the growth of feathers, and if color feeding is not resorted to at the next molt the canary will again be plain.

BREEDING.

The breeding season for canaries begins properly in March. Though birds often show signs of its approach as early as January, it is better, because of the effect of changing weather conditions upon callow young, to postpone nesting activities until later, if possible. Some canary fanciers keep canaries paired throughout the year, but the more common practice is to separate the sexes except when breeding. The beginning of the mating season is marked by ringing, vigorous song among male birds, accompanied by much restless activity. Females, indifferent until now, respond with loud call notes, flit their wings, and otherwise evince their interest. Birds may be paired without these preliminary signs, but usually this tends only to lengthen the breeding season without material benefit. The instinct to breed may be stimulated when necessary by the addition of egg food and green stuff to the diet.

Canaries in captivity are polygamous when opportunity offers, and many breeders place two or even three females with each male. Others, however, keep canaries in pairs, as they are more readily handled, and when the young are hatched the male is able to assist in caring for them. Where two females are kept with one male the birds should be placed in a cage divided by slides into three compartments. The male is placed in the middle, and a female on either side. During half the day the male is thrown with one female and during the remainder with the other. This arrangement necessitates the use of three sets of seed and water cups in each cage. When the females begin to incubate the male is removed or excluded from both.

A cage suitable for one pair of canaries should be equipped with a sliding wire partition. The male and the female are placed one in either compartment and the two left to make acquaintance. The male will begin to feed the female through the wires in a day or two, or perhaps at once, and when this is observed the slide may be withdrawn and the birds kept together. If a cage is used that has no slide, there is usually some bickering between the birds at first, but birds are rarely found that do not in the end agree. A cage thus used without a slide should be new to both birds, in order that neither may resent the presence of an intruder in a cage which it has been accustomed to consider its own.

Soon after pairing the female will be seen carrying feathers in her bill or searching about the bottom of the cage. If a little nesting material is given her she will be content to arrange and rearrange it for a few days. As soon as she shows serious intention of building, enough material for actual nest construction may be supplied. If a considerable quantity is furnished at first it is merely wasted. The material may be held in a small wire rack suspended on the outside of the cage or placed inside. Bits of string, cotton, slender blades of dried grass, dried moss, cow’s hair, or other soft material will serve well. No long strings or long hairs should be given, as these may cause trouble later by entangling the feet and legs of mother and young. Everything furnished should be clean and free from dust. Some canaries are expert nest builders, while others construct a slovenly structure that barely serves to contain the eggs. Some fanciers prefer to construct nests for their birds, and with certain birds this is necessary as some females may refuse to build.

Canaries build in anything that offers support. A nest box of wood, or, better, an earthenware nest pan, may be fastened to the side or back of the cage midway between the two perches. The rush or willow nests sold by many dealers, while serviceable, may harbor vermin. The earthenware nest pan is best, as when the breeding season is over it is readily cleaned and put away for another year. Failing this, a box 1¼ inches or more deep made of thin wood may be used. The nest box or pan should have a lining or bottom covering of felt. This may be pasted in the earthenware pan, and may be soaked loose without trouble when it is desired to renew it. The nest receptacle, of whatever description, should be suspended an inch above the level of the perches. This prevents the young from leaving the nest too soon. The receptacle should not be near enough to the top of the cage to interfere with the movements of the occupants. If the nest is not too near the perches the male is not so likely to be obtrusive during incubation.

The first egg will be deposited from a week to a month after the birds are paired. Normally it is laid in about two weeks. The number of eggs in a sitting may vary from three to six, with four or five as the usual number. The eggs should be removed as soon as laid. This may be done readily with a teaspoon, with care not to injure the delicate shells. They should be kept in a cool place, slightly embedded in fine corn meal or bran or cared for in some other manner that does not allow them to roll about or touch each other. On the evening of the day on which the third egg is laid all may be returned to the nest.

Removing the eggs and then replacing them postpones incubation and development in those first laid and makes the time of hatching more even. The normal period of incubation is 14 days.

Egg binding sometimes causes trouble and may be dealt with as follows: The vent may be oiled carefully with a drop or two of warmed castor oil and the bird returned to the cage. If the egg is not deposited within half an hour the canary should be held for a few minutes with the vent over the steam of hot water. A good method is to fill a narrow-necked jar or bottle with hot water and cover the mouth of the receptacle with cheese cloth; the female is then held carefully for a minute or two in the rising steam. Often the egg will drop at once and be caught in the cheesecloth, or it may be deposited in the normal manner after the bird is returned to the cage.

The male canary is ordinarily a model husband and parent, giving no trouble, but if he should annoy the female during incubation or attempt to injure the young he should be removed at once. It is the natural instinct of an incubating bird to conceal itself as much as possible, and though canaries are tame, this tendency should be recognized and respected. This does not mean that they are to be neglected. Each breeding cage should be equipped with a sand tray which should be cleaned at least every other day. In no other way can it be hoped to rear numbers of birds successfully. Except for this necessary care and the provision of food, water, and bathing facilities, the birds should be bothered as little as possible.

Sometimes trouble is caused by inability of the young to free themselves from the shell or egg membrane, a condition for which there is usually no remedy at the time. With succeeding settings the difficulty may be obviated by sprinkling the eggs slightly with water each evening. Some breeders when the young canaries are 8 days old place them in a new nest, a practice that may be necessary when the old nest is infested with parasites. In such instances a little insect powder should be sprinkled over the body before the young birds are placed in their new quarters.

The young birds leave the nest when 20 to 30 days old. They may be left with the parents as long as they are fed and should never be removed entirely until it is found that they are able to crack the seeds upon which they must feed. It is advisable to continue the use of egg food for a time and gradually to decrease the amount given to get the birds accustomed to a diet of seed alone.

Canaries often rear two or three broods a season and the female may be ready to breed again when the young are three weeks old. It is only necessary to provide a second nest and nesting material and let her proceed. The care of the young will then devolve on the male. Nesting material should be provided at once or the female may pluck the feathers from her growing young. If this can not be stopped the young should be placed in a small nursery cage suspended from the side of the breeding cage in a manner that will allow feeding between the wires. When the young are finally removed they must not be placed with birds older and stronger for a time. They should be watched carefully the first day, and if any one does not feed it must be returned to the parents at once. Though most of the losses among canaries come at this time, with care in food and cleanliness there should be little trouble.

SEX AND AGE.

To determine sex and age in living canaries is difficult and is to be attempted only by one who has had long experience as a canary fancier. The external characters denoting sex are not easily described. In nearly all cases a male may be recognized by his proficiency as a songster, but occasionally female birds also possess a clear, full song. When in breeding condition the sex may be determined readily by examining the vent. In males it is protuberant, while in females it does not project below the level of the abdomen. By daily observation the canary breeder is generally able to distinguish the sexes through slight differences in carriage and mannerisms not apparent to one not familiar with them.