Pairing Up

Ensuring Breeding Success

Having decided which cocks to run with multiple hens and which birds i'll run as pairs and trios I separate all of the cock birds into single cages in early March - ensuring a dust down and spray with antimite powder prior to putting them in their breeding cages.

The hens are given a further two weeks in the flight cages to ensure they're in tip top condition. I then place the hens in the empty cages, complete with nest pans. With the odd pairs I run after a day or so I'll pull back the wooden divider - just enough so the cock can call to and feed the hen but not enough to enable him to enter her cage. After a few more days I'll pull the divider back letting the cock in - in most cases the cock will tread (mate) the hen immediately - even when this does not happen I'll leave the cock bird in, unless the hen is overly aggressive to him (which usually indicates she is not quite in condition). The cock remains with the hen throughout the rest of the season.

With trios and the other hens I'll watch the activity of the hens more carefully - when I see a bird showing an interest in the nest pan I'll run the cock bird in - again the cock will normally tread the hen within the first few moments of being in the cage - after he has mated I will return him to his cage, which is away from the hens, before running him with a second, third, fourth or even fifth hen later in the evening. I'll continue this process until the first egg is laid.

Setting eggs, Incubation and Hatching

The first eggs will usually arrive within 6 to 10 days of mating - any earlier than that and there will be a strong chance that they are infertile (or clear).

A fife hen will lay between 4 and 6 eggs in a clutch (although I have had hens lay only 2 eggs in a clutch), normally eggs will be laid each morning until the clutch is complete. The majority of canary breeders, and I am no different, will remove each egg as it is laid and replace it with a plastic dummy egg. The full clutch can then be replaced for incubation - this should ensure that all the chicks hatch on the same day.

Incubation takes between 12 and 14 days - I keep a look out for shells on the floor from 12 days. On the first sign of the chicks I offer some greenfood (spinach or watercress) and egg food, after three days I offer soaked seed.

Fifes are generally good parents and will rear a nest of chicks without any fuss as long as a fresh supply of green and egg food is available (I offer mine first thing in the morning and on my return from work).

The first few days of a young fifes life are critical -whilst not wanting to disturb the hen too much I make daily checks on the young chicks to ensure that all have full crops (the crop is just below the beak of the bird and enables you to see that young birds are being fed) the other check is on the number of chicks. I have found on a number of occasions a two or three day old chick that has been accidentally ejected from the nest seemingly dead on the cage floor - simply take the youngster in your hand and blow warmly on it - remarkably I (and indeed I know of many birdkeeping friends) who have "revived" birds in this way - to return them to the nest and see them raised to adulthood.

At two weeks old young fifes will start to venture out of the nest - I replace the round egg drawers with small plastic trays so the young fifes have easier access to their food. At 16 -17 days young fifes will start to pick up there own food, although most are still reliant on the parents to provide the main feed of the day.

It's at this time that the fife hen will show signs of wanting to go to nest again - to encourage this I provide a second nest pan at the opposite end of the breeding cage. Where there are pairs the cock will continue to feed the young fifes as the hen starts her second round in earnest, when running cocks with multiple hens this is a crucial time, too early and the hen may stop feeding her young, too late and she may lay again without having been mated.

Most books offer advice that young canaries should be removed from their parents at 21 days - I prefer to remove my young when I'm confident that they're feeding themselves - be that at 19 or 23 days.

The birds are then rung with split aluminum rings, with the details logged in my record book, before being transferred into their weaning cages.