CANARY AND CAGE BIRD NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 222, 19 August 1937, Page 16

CANARY AND CAGE BIRD NOTES.

CANARY BREEDING FOR BEGINNERS. (By “Unflighted.”) Of tho accessories required to complete a breeding cage perches must he mentioned first. Perching, which is best obtained in 3ft lengths, cogts about 2s for 24ft, and may be had *in three or four different shapes and sizes. Smaller varieties of the canary such as the border, gloster fancy's and lizard, do not require perches ns large as those used for varieties such as the crest, Norwich and Yorkshire. But whatever the breed of canary kept, it is a mistake to use perches of only' one shape and size. Under such conditions the bird cannot vary its grip sufficiently. There is no harm in obtaining lengths of perching of one kind, but as perches are fitted to tho cage a point should he made of varying their shape and diameter. One, for instance, should be oval, one round, one oblong or square.

HOPPERS AND DBINKERS. A useful type of metal seed hopper is the “piano” shape, from which the glass front can be taken out for cleaning without necessitating removal of the seed. Drinkers should always be of glass, the most generally useful type being the flat-sided “hat” glass drinker of medium size. Other requisites comprise white glazed pottery partition egg drawers, grooved top and bottom, to be held in position under tho wire door, finger drawers that can he placed between the wires at the end of the perch, small glass or glazed earthenware pots to contain sand, and wire cuttlefish-hone holders.

A further necessary item is an enamelled hath or two, about 6in x 6in x 7Jin. Nest pans will also he needed, but these will he mentioned later when we come to consider breeding operations. For cage bottoms coarse-cut pine sawdust which absorbs moisture is cleaner and better than sand. When yve put birds into a cage we must supply them with a piece of cuttlefish hone. This is bc-st secured by & holder against the wire front in such a position that it can be reached from a perch. Also a small quantity of sand should be provided in a special receptacle placed upon the floor. It must he placed away from the perches so that it is not fouled by the droppings of tho birds. .The best place for it is the centre of the floor or a corner of the cage. SEEDS AND OTHER FOODS.

Compared with other forma of live stock canaries are inexpensive to keep. All they require is seed, green food, a ' little soft food, a ■ little fruit, • and water. The domesticated canary has to live mainly upon dried seed, which is deficient in lime, and lime is essential to the bird’s health. Cuttlefish bone contains lime, but more is contained in oyster-shell. For this reason it is well to add pulverised oyster-shell to the sand we give in tho sand pot. Sea sand may he used witli advantage, for it contains valuable mineral salts. Of the seeds the one mostly used is canary, which at the presnt time is expensive

because it is scarce. But tho beginner sliolud on no account attempt to economise by buying inferior food of any kind for his birds. Whatever is given to them should bo of the best. The seed should be ripe, clean, bright, and free from dust. Tho largest canary seed used to be considered the best, but size is not of so much importance. A small canary seed may contain less food than a larger one, hut its food value is not inferior; and our.birds will bo none the worse for the extra work involved in shelling and eating a pound of the smallest as compared with a pound of the largest. Whether, as regards nutritive value, there is any difference between Mazagan or Turkish canary seed and super mammoth Spanish the writer does not know, but he has used a lot of the smaller kind, and, judging by the condition of his ]>irds, should say there is not much between them. So in advising the new reader to buy only the best seed one does not mean the largest and most expensive, but the host quality. And in feeding your birds always remember that a mixed-seed diet is better than a oneseed diet.