Showing a Fife Canary

Selecting your bird for a show

Two weeks before the show, examine your bird to decide which class it is to go in. Fill out the schedule for the show. Clean out the cage including the sides, if you don't, everything you do in the next 2 weeks will be wasted.

Fife Fancy Federation Classification

Give your birds a good bath, clean the feet and tail, make sure the feather's in the tail are all the same level, if not, you have to make them the same e.g. cut using a sharp pair of scissors.

Examine the head for pin feather's, you can get these out using a tooth brush or rub lightly with your fingers over the head. Bathing or spraying everyday will make the bird preen and this softens the feathers.

If the breast of the bird has a slight split or dimple, wash the birds breast using a shaving brush, brush lightly upwards towards the beak, this will usually sort it out.

If the bird has soiled feathers wash them in warm water using a shaving brush or sponge till the mark as gone.

The day before the show wash the birds feet.

Getting the cage ready for a show.

Wash the cage and perches in hot soapy water. Polish the cage.

The only cage acceptable is the DEWAR CAGE.

It must be PAINTED BLACK.

GLASS OR PLASTIC small round drinkers can be used.

Show cage perches must be 1/2" (13 mm) in diameter with 12-grooves in the spiral.

The perch settings in the cage should be placed five empty wires apart.

The first perch to be on the drinking hole wire.

Mixed or plain canary seed can be used.

Oat husks to be used as cage floor covering, this can be purchased from your local seed merchant.

Cage labels to be directly under the perch, away from the drinker.

Closed, split, numbered or two coloured leg rings can be used, but only one ring must be used on your bird. No personal initials.

The Day of the Show

If you are going to the show very early, put your birds in the show cage and the carrying case the night before. Leave the top open all night.When you arrive at the venue, enter your bird with the show secretary. Put on your drinkers and make sure you fill with water, as this will be the first drink your bird will have had for 10 hours.