CAGE BIRDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22819, 28 August 1937, Page 7 (Supplement)

CAGE BIRDS

SPRIN G warmth is welcome after winter cold. The blossoms on some of the peach trees are beginning to break, while several kinds of plum trees are already showing white petals. Bird fanciers, however, should beware. More than likely within the next three weeks, we will again have a really cold Bn Canary fanciers in particular should not be over-anxious to pair up their birds until at least another month has elapsed. Clear eggs to a canary fancier usually mean a bad breeding season, for, missing chicks from the first round throws his breeding arrangements out of stride for tho rest of the season. Egg binding also is often caused by forcing tho birds to breed before they are ready. A canary fancier can gain nothing by pairing up his birds a fortnight or a month earlier than necessary. He has from now to Christmas to produce two rounds of nestlings. It is really not worth while allowing the success or otherwise of tho whole of your canary breeding season to rest upon the uncertainties of tho weather for tho next three or four weeks Avoid disappointment by delaying pairing up your birds until tho weather is really more settled. Budgerigar fanciers are advised to pair up their birds during the last week in August, and after a week, introduce tho husks or boxes they are using as nests If you are brooding several different pairs (in different compartments, of course) you can be more sure of the hens going to nest at approximately the same date if you put the pairs together on the same day, and delay giving them their nesting husk for seven to ten days after they have been paired up. Then, within a week of the introduction of tho nest, you can count upon eggs being laid.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS "Anxiously." Whangarei.—Budgorlgar: The symptoms point' to Indigestion. This may bo brought about by an incorrect soed mixture, unsuitable grit or possibly poisonous greon food. Have you been giving your bird any green stuff on which spray from an orchard may lief Another possible cause is damago to the head producing concussion, possibly brought about by moreporkH disturbing the birds at night, and causing them to fiy headlong against some projection or solid perch. You will appreciate that it is rather difficult to diagnose such a case as yours from a distance. Are you sure mice are not fouling the seed? K.U., Devonport.—Budgerigar: Mate yellow to yellow, using the best colours available. Pair the sky blues together, pair the cobalt with an olive/cobalt cock, which I recommend your buying. Before there is a considerable degree of relationship exchange with another fancier for the same colour. Exchange your surplus birds for other colours which yon may want. 1 suggest you give one away for a good green cock to mate with your bright green hen. It is not so much a matter of making the best uso of the colours you have as on determining what colours you want to produce and then using the' colours you havo in your possession together with others you obtained by purchase or exchange, to secure belter results. G. 0., Raetihi.—Goldfinch.: Sco above reply for soxing. "Waikowhai," Mount Rosklll.—Mules: When colour-feeding is permissible according to the rules and an exhibitor takes tho trouble to colour-feed his birds, it appears to mo that ho should got consideration for this. It. is not, so much a matter of being fair to (ho other exhibitors—they really havo an equal opportunity to do tho same. It docs requiro a little skill, however, to get tho

By TAILFEATHERS

Letters requesting information regarding the care of cage birds will be answered in this column each week. Readers are invited to write to Tailfeathers, New Zealand Herald , Office, Auckland.

bird evenly coloured. 1 did not personally examine it, but suggest you write to Mr. J. Priscott, Hood Street, Hamilton, who will bo abio to give you full particulars. Be assured that your inquiries are always most interesting. Wheozing among canaries can usually be attributed to asthma, consumption or some trouble in the bronchial tubes or lungs. If the wheezing has been chronic for some time and a chill has not been the actual primary causo, try putting a little iodine in the drinking water. Feed a little condition food or a little bread and milk, whichever you prefer, and add two or three drops of cod liver oil emulsion. Handle the bird and see if it is in good bodily condition. If thin, give a more nourishing diet. A little honey added to the food is a decided advantage as a conditioner. You aro already aware of the usual tonic foods and greens such as dandelion leaves and roots. "Sky-Blue," Onehunga.—Budgerigar: I am afraid that your bird has caught a slight chill. It is safer to hawj him outsido on a wall than to place him in a window, where thero might bo a draught. Place the bird in a wurtn position where there will- be a degree of heat in the early hours of the morning. Covor his cage with cloth as a protection against draughts. Feed him millet sprays which have been soaked for twenty-four hours in water in which several drops of a veterinary phosferino have been placed. Givo him tho seed heads of annual poa, which grows in moist places and is now available in small quantities. A few drops of eucalyptus poured on a saucerful of boiling water will assist, but extra heat is tho best medicino for the chill. P. 0.8., Epsom: Budgerigar.—lf the bird has been out of the nest for at least ten days, it will be Quito safo to put it in a cage ty itself. Tho bird raising and lowering its claws indicates that something is irritating it, and 1 am inclined to think that kerosene on the perch would bo tho cause. Perches should bo of a soft wood and regularly scrubbed. If tho bird destroys the soft wood with its beak, so much the bettor —it is exerciso. Red mite very seldom attacks budgerigars. Tho cage that you illustrate is very good for a start, but a small enclosuro about a foot squaro made entirely of wire netting on tho end of tho cago whore tho bird can get a littlo of the elements, rain, wind, sun, etc., on his plumage, would improvo it. A.E.M., Mount Eden: Canary:.—Ypur bird evidently likes to bath more than once a day. I would suggest that you hang a bird bath on tho outsido of tho rage nnd lot him bath as often as ho likes, taking tho bath away, however, between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, so that there is no chance of bis catching a chill owing to imperfect drying late in tho afternoon. This will probably break him of tho habit of using the water bottle so much. "Anxious," Waiuku: Budgerigar.—Please give full namo next timo. Remove the superfluous cock bird at onco, otherwise you might causo cither tho hen to bo killed or one of the cock birds. You will have no further troublo then. A.L., Whanguroi: Budgerigar.—You do not mention sea shell sand, which is nocessary, in addition to cuttlefish, nor do you mention any form of iodine tonic salts, which supply minerals possibly lacking in tho present diet. Silverbtet as a green food is good, and a few clumps in tho back garden will last for months. The blue cock and tho green hen would produce youngsters all green and, even if tho hen wcro yellow, the youngsters would still bo green. To a largo extent, tho colour of tho progony depends upon ttio breeding of tho lion; that is, tho colours , that woro in her ancestry. A M Frankton. —Mules: Feed the mixture' to the finch cock when the canary hen is with him and sitting. A little red "J 1 '' 6 '' is not detrimental to canaries. In fact, many mixtures contain a proportion of this se( j l '- Your difficulty might bo in keening hack the canarv hen—she may come into breeding condition much boforo the goldfinch. sionally, some mule breeders take a clutch of canarv chicks from the hen and use her for mnHng for her second nest You are more likely to succeed, however, if you put both the birds together now and do not give the hen forcing condition food. Keep her on a plain seed diet as much as possible. Tho goldfinch would not mope if put in a smaller aviary within sight of tho other birds. Canaries will breed much bettor, one pair to each onclosuro. If the sexes arc equal in numbers they might be successful in an aviary. A cortain amount of fighting usually takes' placo among canaries all nesting together in an aviary, and often eggs or youngsters are lost during tho disturbances. Put tea-tree in tho nights,- and this will probably bo satisfactory for tho goldio hen if sho has plenty of moss, horsohair, etc. Bettor to use a German Boiler cock with your Roller hens, I or you will loso the typical Boiler song. I