December In The Bird Room --- Month by Month Journal

December was warm and sunny outdoors, and also sunny in the bird room.
I actually shipped birds this month!  Amazing!
I usually order bulk seed for the coming breeding season, but found postage costs were rising higher and higher!
I determined not to fall into the old habit of simply ordering smaller bags off Amazon.... and experimented with several new sources with online stores.  Some good, some bad.
Generally, I still recommend Herman Bros. Seed, WingzStore, and MyParrotFood.  All have online stores, plus great personal attention to phone orders.
November was my Canary Fun and Games month, where I host a few games on Facebook.... oh, it was fun!  There were many photos entered in the Photo Contest.... and four winners throughout the month!
I have added several of the winners, plus a new jigsaw puzzle to the Canary Fun and Games page here.

Here is one of the puzzles:
Have fun!

November In The Bird Room --- Month by Month Journal

November was a busy month... on the ranch, so the bird room was given a once-a-day service.  Actually, that is a great thing, as I was not tempted to give them luxury care... and as the natural daylength continued to shorten, the room temperature dropped, and their diet remained on a basic seed diet.
I did continue the Ioford/DufoPlus combo in their water weekly.
     Instead of ordering seed and supplies for the next breeding season, I ordered new BIRDS!  :D
    OH, I am excited about next year!
     I had some LOVELY youngsters this year!  BUT, I ended up with more males than hens.  At first, I was planning to simply hold some over until next year when I would have more young hens.  Then I decided to order a few hens!
     I have spent the past two months observing my American Singers and other canaries.... taking notes and comparing hatch records for the past two years. I made plans and set goals.
     THEN I contacted Ed Medrano for new stock. (Listed in the Breeder Referral List on the American Singer Club website.)
     The birds arrived on a very frosty below zero morning, but settled in well. Most of this video is of their 'bath-time' antics. 

     I loved the look of Ed's birds so much, I ordered a second box!  :)

New Links To Good Canary Information

I keep adding new links to the list of good canary links!
I found several of the older links led to 'Page Not Found' errors. Sorry!
If the website had good information, I am looking for the website on the Internet Archive, and adding the link to the archived pages!  😍  I have MOST of the links updated!

Latest NEW link:

•  YouTube Playlist of My Favorite Canary Videos  

Here is one of my favorites,
the 2013 Gouden Ring Cage Bird Show!
Watch if you are unable to attend
the 2019 National Cage Bird Show in St. Charles, Illinois!

Don't forget these important topics:

• New Bird Quarantine
• The Cycle of Seasons
• The Role of Diet in Canary Colour Part 1 Yellow
• The Role of Diet in Canary Colour Part 2 Red  
• Canary/Bird Clubs 

List of Links to Pages of Canary Information

October In The Bird Room --- Month by Month Journal

There are NEW additions coming... to both this blog, and my bird room!
Oh, it is an exciting time!
PLEASE:  sign up to receive emails of my posts!
You will want to 'watch' and participate in these new things!

First things first:  I did update my Month by Month Care Schedule boxes... and combine them into pdf files that you can print off.
They can be found on the Journal Page!
Remember, I am continually watching my birds, and will update/change my schedule if it is necessary.  
But this is what I did in my bird room the past year.
I made a few changes from last year, but generally June through November remain my 'molting/growing/resting' months.  December through May are my 'conditioning and breeding' months.

 The NOVEMBER Canary Fun and Games will begin on Facebook November 3rd!!!
Join in the fun.  I collect no emails or names.... and the sole purpose is just TO HAVE FUN!
Visit my Facebook page:  Savoy Singers Aviary


I am experimenting with taking photos and videos in my bird room!

Okay, I leave you with all that to think about!
More to come!  :)

Archived Canary Classics Site of Interesting Canary Articles

This looks to have been a great list of interesting and informative Canary Articles!
I am happy to say it can be read as a Wayback Machine archive!

Required Reading List for Canary Owners

Archived copy of http://www.canaries.org.uk

I have not followed every link on the page, but the ones I did read were available!

September In The Bird Room --- Month by Month Journal

This month has been like a VACATION in my bird room!
The birds are happy and healthy.  The young ones are beautiful!  The adults are content and active.
What I'm doing in the bird room:
DIET:
Although there are less feathers floating around, the birds are still in The Molt, so I feed a seed mix that is a little 'higher than normal' in the amount of oil and protein seeds.  I begin with the Canary Roller Mix by Leach Mills, and add a portion Song Treat by Sleek n Sassy.
The basic mix contains canary seed, rape seed, flax seed with 1/3 part of the Song Treat which contains nyjer and rape seeds, oat groats, several small millets, and hemp.  The final seed mix has quite a few  'oil and protein' seeds.
My canaries LOVE the Ioford/DufoPlus combination 2 days on alternate weeks with Nekton Bio, during the molt. 
I also feed apple slices, grated squash, and alfalfa greens.

(Our alfalfa field in bloom ->>> )

CLEANING:
Yup, I've begun deep cleaning the bird room!
We have had many days of rain this past two weeks, so I have set the extra cages outdoors to let Mother Nature do the first cleaning cycle.
My plans!
Oh, I am excited for next year!
This year has been a good one for my birds!
I had mixed results, with many new birds purchased last fall dying!
I also had a few pair of older birds, which produced less than normal during the season.
But, I see so many promising youngsters!  :)
I have an opportunity to take steps ahead! 
More on my 2020 plans next month.


NEXT MONTH:
I have a few new things coming next month....
and we will be playing the Canary Games!
Stay in touch... watch my FaceBook page:

August In the Bird Room --- Month by Month Journal

August is the month for both  DIFFICULT and EASY chores in the bird room!
I am now watching the flights to chose which youngsters I am keeping for myself!  It is EASY to watch the young birds.  It is HARD to set aside those I feel able to part with!
And of course there is the molt... and the extra mess as a result.  Feathers are everywhere!
I am adding comments to my hatch record, and making notes on song traits of the young males.  I am comparing this year's hatches with last year.

This is when GOOD RECORDS prove their worth! 
Record Keeping -- Worth Your Time! (including FORMS)

I am also reading and re-reading some of the best articles and book chapters on genetics.

While I will not enter a show this fall, I also review the 
OMJ/COM Standards of  Coloured Canaries.


I am testing a new molting supplement, but as always, my canaries just LOVE the Ioford/DufoPlus combination!  They just can't wait to take a little 'spit bath' and all come to take a drink as soon as the waterer is put back up on the cage!