I was recently asked what I fed for soft food during breeding season. I like my homemade mix and birdie bread, but also feed a commercial egg food mix for saving time. I have found the commercial mixes are similar, but after testing three readily available brands, I prefer the Higgins brand. The birds seemed to like it, the chicks did well, and it's price was in the middle.
Here is a pdf of my Soft Food and Birdie Bread Recipes!
If you are looking for my RECORD-KEEPING forms, and found broken links, here is a list of the forms, with proper links!
Q ) This is a very common question: If I put this pair of canaries together, what color will the chicks be?
This is a question posted online many times: what to expect (variegation) from
pairing two birds... such as clear, self or variegated. This is a
fairly basic subject.... without definite answers if the birds are not
of your own breeding. The grandparent birds' appearances do influence
future generations. So, these basic guidelines are simply a starting
point in guessing what the offspring will look like.
However, these guidelines are a good place to start! They are quotes from several of the best books there are! The photos below are from The Practical Canary Handbook: A Guide To Breeding & Keeping Canaries by Marie Miley-Russell and Canaries and Related Birds by
Horst Bielfeld. These books also cover other aspects of pairing two
birds, such as color, feather type/quality, and other traits.
| TOPIC | BOOK QUOTE |
|---|---|
| types of variegation ➞ |  |
| predicted variegation in chicks ➞ |  |
| predicted variegation and color in chicks ➟ |  |
Topics in this post:
Hens laying few or no eggs.
Chicks dying at week of age.
Increasing egg laying and fertility.
Color Intensity really is Feather Type.
American Singer song varies with individual bird.
A customer searching for American Singer canaries had a few questions and I am sharing my thoughts with my blog readers. I reference articles and show results found on the American Singer Club website.
Dear M---,
Q #1) When I asked WHY you wanted American Singers, you said you wanted yellow birds. And you were disappointed when a breeder sold you dark birds including heavily variegates and a green self.
First, American Singers are not predominately yellow. The American Singer canary is a cross between a German Roller and an English Border Fancy. The American Singer canary comes in all colors and melanin, including clears, variegates, and self birds in yellow and white grounds. There are provisions for red factor colored American Singers and I have seen cinnamon birds on winners lists in the past 20 years.
The point show score system points does not give points for color, and there is to be no preference by judges for color. If you look over the list of recent show winners, you will see a few clear birds, but many more self or variegated birds. You may be interested in looking over the current year's list of winners at the ASC song contests in 2021.
Second, there is the term of 'yellow' being used for hard feather type, or it may be called intensive. 'Buff' is the term for the soft feather type. Traditionally, most canary breeds and types are bred with a yellow (or hard feather) bird paired with a buff (or soft feather) bird.
The purpose of breeding 'hard/intensive' to 'soft/buff' is to produce the best possible feather qualities. A hard feather bird carries color to the very edge of the feather, and produces a tight smooth line. A soft feather bird will have a paler edge to the feathers, and produces a more fluffy, rounded outline. Pairing one of each type does keep a very nice feather and carries good bright color in both feather types.
I think this is one important aspect of breeding that is most often ignored by novices and more experienced breeders alike, of all canary breeds!
An article on the American Singer Club website is quoted as "Some breeders claim we have bred the yellow out of our American Singers..." and goes on to describe a buff - rich description of feather. I agree with this, and have seen the buff - rich effect in my own American Singers. For a good, short article on this topic, see Yellow Ground Color in Canaries.
 |
| Buff/Soft Feather |
All breeders have personal preferences for different song notes... AND for birds with certain appearances or color. Of course , that is as it should be. But to say: 'American Singers should be yellow' is not a part of the American Singer Club constitution. At the very beginning in the 1950's, song contests were divided into color classifications, but within a few years, the classes in song contests became Old and Young.
 |
| Yellow Variegated Buff |
*** Photos of Birds For Sale ***
Please read : TERMS of SALE
I have not taped any videos from the birdroom in 2021, and these blog posts have been few and far between. I post a few things to my Facebook page, so make sure you follow Savoy Singers Aviary on Facebook. :)
Another chick faded away after being rejected by his parents. He was eating on his own, but not enough I suppose. I tried hand feeding, but he was not willing. I forced in a little formula, but he only lasted a couple of days.
Two casualties and 73 lively and healthy chicks makes me happy! My final number may not reach 100, but anything over 65 gives me enough to chose ones to keep for next year!
The weaning flights are filling up. Most of the hens have either hatched or will soon hatch their second nests. It won't be long and I will be sorting and evaluating the youngsters.
Hope everyone has some promising youngsters! I'll be back with a video soon!
