BIRDS & BIRDKEEPING
CANARIES
I TRY to breed my canaries traditionally, at least so far as the seasons of the year are concerned. My conditioning begins in late December and continues through until March, giving the birds a full 10 to 12 weeks in which to attain peak breeding condition. Slow and steady wins the race, particularly where the larger breeds of canary are concerned. I do not use lighting and I keep the heating levels just to maintain temperatures above freezing. Nature can do the rest.
It's a formula that has worked well for me over the years, and (touch wood!), I rarely suffer bad breeding seasons. Canary breeding is a numbers game to a certain extent, and I considerHaving said that, most years I produce about 80 or so, which fills my available cage space. If you can produce 40, then you can go on to produce more, as the birds are clearly fit and willing to breed. Joe Cluderay used to say: “You will have enough bad seasons over the years, so when things are going well, keep them coming!”
