The conditions of detention of the singing Kenar. Canaries at home. Canary Feeding

Quite often, people choose small birds as a pet. In a small apartment, they do not take up too much space, they do not need daily walks, they do not spoil furniture, and communication from them is much more than from fish or turtles. Among all the feathered animals, budgies are the first most popular, and the canary is the second. About the representatives of the latter species, we will conduct a speech.

Types of Canaries

Most people mistakenly believe that this bird is only yellow. Most often, they really get them as pets. However, the canary bird actually occurs in three varieties.

Whatever canaries are chosen, the maintenance and care of them is the same. And although caring for them does not present difficulties, every future owner of these birds must know the basics and details.

Right house

First of all, you will need, of course, a cage for canaries. It is better to choose it in a simple form, without decorative excesses, domes and other details. The birds themselves are beautiful and do not need additional accessories, and it will be more difficult to clean the house. What sizes to buy a cage depends on your goals. For the content of a single kenar singer, a rectangular cage measuring 45/30/25 cm will be enough. If canaries are to be bred, three whole cells will be needed:

described above - the kenar will live in it during off-week time;
cage 70/30/40 cm, in which the birds will breed;
a cage up to a meter long, where females and the younger generation will be after nesting.

An ideal choice would be box-type cells. On the one hand, they should be lattice (or mesh), and on the other - plywood, plastic or made of plexiglass. Any should have two doors: one will have a nest or a swimming pool (it’s easier to clean and change), and the other - to care for the cage.

Cage equipment

There must be a few poles in the house - canaries love to flip from place to place. It is good if they are made of natural wood - willow, hazel or bird cherry. The poles should be at different heights and have a thickness of 8 to 15 mm, otherwise the birds will be uncomfortable on them. A cage for canaries should include at least three feeders: for mineral fertilizing, grain and soft food. Mandatory bathing, better hanging - these birds love to "splatter in the water." No hanging - put in a cage at least a ground bath, not too light or attached so that the canaries do not turn it over. Drinking bowls should be positioned with their spouts inward and fasteners outward. So it will be more convenient to fill them. That, in principle, is all the canaries need. The maintenance and care of them will consist in cleaning and feeding - as we see, there is nothing complicated in this. The main thing is that everything is done regularly and accurately.

Place for the cage

It is very important for the canary, the maintenance and care of which you undertook, to properly put her house. Drafts are dangerous for colds, so you should not place them close to air conditioners and balcony doors, and the window leaf on the selected window sill should be closed. The kitchen is also prohibited: humidity and temperature are constantly changing there. And the smells of cooking and cleaning surfaces will not benefit canaries. Other pets, if you have them, should not be able to drop the cage or even get to it. In addition, it is desirable that the rays of the sun fall on the house - at least for a short time: they are useful for birds. In summer, you can put the cage on the balcony, be sure to shadow part of the house, so that the canaries had where to hide from the sun.

Cleaning question

Since the canary is not a dog that can be taken out on the street so that she “does her job” there, future owners of this bird should think in advance of the question of how they will perform regular cleaning in the cage. To make your task as easy as possible, you should somehow line the pallet of the home of your feathered pet. For this purpose, you can use sand, which absorbs excrement. It can also be easily replaced if necessary. However, keep in mind that canaries are very active birds that are likely to spread sand around the cage. Therefore, it is best to forgive the bottom with absorbent paper - it is not difficult to change it, and there will be less garbage.

Release or not?

The last question remains, which concerns your canary. Maintenance and care include care for her health and safety. So if you arrange a pet walks around the apartment (especially if you have a cat or dog at home), then you can lose your feathered friend. Open windows are a risk that the bird will fly away. Hot surfaces like irons and burners also pose a danger to the canary. Not only that, even a curtain in which the bird can become entangled, or a narrow gap, from where it cannot get out, threatens her with injuries. So most kenar breeders are advised not to let the birds out of the cage.

How to feed a canary?

In the wild, the bird itself feeds on itself, in the right doses, paying attention to grains, herbs and insects. In captivity, she is unable to control her diet, so the owners will have to buy special food for canaries. And to replace it with, for example, food for parrots is impossible - the composition is not the same. Choose should be average at the price of feed. During molting or nesting, the usual food should be replaced with a specialized one: this way “difficult” periods will be easier for birds to experience. In the finished mixture, you can add sunflower seeds and crushed buckwheat. Do not forget that eating canary and soft food. A couple of times a week, she will have to give a boiled egg.

Health vitamins

Feeding the birds only with grain and ready-made mixtures is like sitting on oatmeal and pasta all the time. Remember that the canary eats greedily and with pleasure. In summer, it’s easy to pick up the foliage of a dandelion, lettuce, sorrel or a young plantain spike. Out of season bell peppers, apples and grated carrots are suitable. After all, in the same pet store you can buy greens for germination. Just zealous with the amount of vitamins is not worth it, as the stomach of the bird can negatively react to such a "care".

Minerals - a must!

Some seemingly inedible things must also be included in the food for canaries. First of all, it is coarse river sand, which birds need for digestion. It can be bought at a pet store. If you don’t find it, pick it up on the beach and scald it several times for disinfection. To provide birds with calcium, ground eggshell or chalk is given (can be hung on a hook). Charcoal is also needed - canaries heal in case of malaise. A pharmacy is perfect. All these dressings are put in a dedicated feeding trough. Do not forget to change them weekly - the birds pollute the contents of the dishes.

Caution: Obesity!

Oddly enough, for such moving birds, the problem of excess weight is also relevant. Therefore, you need to limit them in grain nutrition. One canary is enough for a couple of spoons of the main feed per day, so try and adhere to this norm.

Breeding canaries

If you are interested in obtaining offspring from your pets, decide how you will act. There are three possibilities:

Create a permanent couple. In this case, the canaries will constantly live in one cage. This option is especially suitable for those who have a small "bird farm".
If there are several females, the male can be planted to them in turn. In this case, you need a cage for each canary. Maintenance and care, therefore, will become more troublesome and will take more time.
To equip a spacious aviary, which will contain birds together - 3-4 "girls" for each "guy". In such conditions, the canaries themselves will deal with their "matchmaking", and only one room will have to be cleaned. Just remember to put the males in their cages when the nesting is over.

In nature, all mating games begin in the spring - with warming and the appearance of a sufficient amount of food. Home breeding canaries can occur at any time.

We have already talked about the houses necessary for successful breeding. Now let's talk about material for building nests. Pieces of thick threads no longer than two centimeters are quite suitable, so that the canaries do not get tangled in their paws. Near the nest, you need to equip an additional perch, on which the female will move before takeoff. Otherwise, she may pin down an egg or a chick.

Mating season

The signal of readiness for pairing will be a short, sharp, inviting song of the kenar, and the female responds to it (if it agrees) with a squeak. At the same time, she begins to collect building materials that are suitable, in her opinion (twigs, feathers, etc.) and tries to twist the nest in some secluded corner. Having noticed these signs, the canaries need to lengthen the daylight: later to throw tissue on the cell. At the same time, the proportion of vitamin feed should be increased in the diet of birds: greens, sprouted grains, vegetables, fruits. If in the canaries the courtship process was successful, the first testicle will appear in a week, after which the female will rush for another 2-3 days.

For two weeks the new mother will hatch eggs. The male does not participate in this process. The chicks that turn a month old are already completely independent. They are moved to a meter aviary, where they can fly. As soon as it becomes possible to determine the sex of the youth, all the males sit in their own apartments, as they are aggressive towards members of their gender and can fight to the point of mutilation. Female canaries quite get along in a common cage.

How to transport canaries

Sometimes you need to transport your birds. If transportation over short distances is expected (within the hometown, maximum to the country), this can be done by planting canaries in small transport cells measuring 15/7/7 cm. Note that the road should not last more than three hours: lack of space is bad will affect the birds. To make them feel calmer, you can cover them with a dense rag - "make the night." Food and an incomplete drinker must be in each cell necessarily.

Health monitoring

The owner of the canary must always carefully monitor his pet, in order to determine in time that he is not emaciated or, on the contrary, has he recovered, has the molting period approached. Other health problems can only be determined by a veterinarian. We will find out how to inspect the bird on its own. So, the canary is neatly taken in the palm of the hand, its head is fixed with the index and middle fingers, and the body is turned upside down with a belly. Very quiet, easy, the owner blows into a place not covered with feathers. It is called aptheria. If panicles of new feathers or hemp are visible, this means that the bird is molting. You may need to feed her with special food. If the apterya is completely covered with fat, then your canary needs a diet and a transplant into the cell more quickly - a kind of gym.

Well-groomed, grown in appropriate conditions and eating a canary (photo convincingly proves this) is unusually beautiful. And you will sing with pleasure!

Fans of bird singing like a canary, keeping and caring for such a feathered friend is a special responsibility. The melodious voice, colorful plumage, the ability to duplicate various sounds brought her world fame. Good care and proper maintenance will help to have an always cheerful and cheerful singer in the house.

Canary birds - species

The birds belong to the order of passerines, they come from the Canary Islands. Breeders brought a huge number of their species with a variety of colors and manner of singing. The canary bird has a body size of 12-14 cm, often has a yellow color. There are three main types:

How many years canaries have been living at home?

On average, at home it is 10 years, with perfect care, a bird can reach a 15-year milestone. The fundamental factors of long-term well-being are quality food and a suitable environment. In olden times, it was believed that singing signals the health of the singer. The more beautiful and longer the trills, the more comfortable the feathered friend lives in captivity.

Canary - conditions of detention

Birds require care from the owner. Keeping canaries at home is most comfortable in small cells. They are placed in bright places where there are no drafts and burning sun rays. Canary - maintenance and care:

placing them together with other brothers (especially large ones) in the same room is undesirable - the singers are very shy;
they are very afraid of feathered capture, sudden movements, screams. From this, they are stressed and may die;
the bird is released to fly around the room. At the same time, the windows are curtained with cloth, basins are hidden with water so that the pet does not drown, as well as hot irons and pans;
at night you can cover the house with a dense cloth so that the pet is not disturbed by extraneous noise;
daylight hours for them should be 14-16 hours - then the birds eat well and sing. If birds are kept in shaded places, they do not have time to eat the daily feed rate, feathers drop out. In the winter, singers include lamps that provide additional lighting.

Canary - keeping temperature

In the room where the canaries live, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of 16-18 ° C, it is better to arrange the cage so that the birds do not lack fresh air. High humidity, a sharp change in heat and cold are dangerous for the feathered organism - they can become ill. Therefore, keeping canaries in the kitchen is not recommended. In summer, it is advisable to move the birds to the loggia or to the garden - they like to take air baths.

Canary cage

To accommodate a single bird, a small metal cage with dimensions of 45x30x25 cm is needed. The housing for breeding individuals should be larger - 70x30x40 cm. It is better to choose the shape of the house square or rectangular - in the round shelter the singer feels unprotected. The canary bird cage should contain the following equipment:

Retractable pallet. It helps to carry out cleaning and does not slow down the bird during the procedure. Otherwise, the pet is stressed and worried.
River sand. Put on the bottom of the house, it contributes to excellent digestion.
Drinking bowls10 cm in diameter and 5 cm high.
Three feeders. For grain, mineral nutrition and soft foods.
2-3 perches with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm from the branches of fruit trees, which must first be doused with boiling water.
Flat bowl for bathing. Singers love water sessions. The bathing suit is attached on the outside of the cage, after each procedure it is removed.

How to care for a canary at home?

A lot of care does not require a room canary, care and maintenance consists in feeding, disinfecting the home. Without proper housekeeping, a singer can become ill and die. Home care for canaries should be as follows:

drinkers and feeders are washed daily and wiped dry;
once a week, the cell is cleaned with a detergent;
once a month, the house and equipment are disinfected with kerosene;
water is changed 2 times a day;
give birds a swim twice a week, in the bowl should be fresh water;
dirt from poles must be removed with a knife and hot water.

Canary - keeping and caring for birds:

the tips of the claws of the pet are shortened with manicure tongs by 2 mm as they grow;
in July - September, the bird molts, while it may stop singing. At this time, she needs care - a vitamin-enriched menu and plenty of sunshine. Birds are placed on the balcony or in the summer aviary.

How to feed a canary at home?

Feeding canaries at home is simple, the basic part of their menu is grain - seeds, oatmeal, flax seeds or dry mixes, which are in a specialized department. The daily volume is 1-1.5 tsp per individual (in the molting season - 2 tsp). From time to time, boiled cereals are introduced into the menu - rice, millet, mixed with grated carrots, chicken eggs, bread crumbs.

Shell, chalk, calcium gluconate, charcoal are suitable as mineral top dressing. Additionally give green feed:

foliage of lettuce, spinach;
parsley;
apples
cabbage;
bell pepper.

Diseases of canaries, their treatment

With poor care and nutrition, birds can become ill. - symptoms and treatment:

Inflammation of the eyes.It is manifested by secretions, the eyelids are washed with a solution of boric acid or infusion of chamomile, in severe cases, antibiotics are needed.
Diarrhea. Diarrhea occurs after an excess of soft foods. Care consists in using strong tea, activated carbon, antibiotics with boiled water (Supronal, Terramycin).
Cold. It is manifested by cough, shortness of breath, nasal discharge and cloudy eyes. Treatment is carried out with infrared radiation, heat, a drink with antibiotics.
Obesity.When overeating, songwriters become sedentary, shedding poorly. It is necessary to provide them with a diet - a week on millet, to give the opportunity to fly.
Smallpox. Dangerous virus, recognized by yellowish nodules on the head, intermittent breathing. The bird is planted, the house is disinfected, there is no chance to save the pet. As a preventive measure, they are vaccinated.
Foot disease. Manifested by white growths on the legs. Feet smeared with streptocid or tar ointment.
Ticks Birds constantly clean feathers, weaken. Excreted using insecticides.

Reproduction of canaries at home

Before breeding canaries at home, pick up a pair of energetic and motile birds aged 1-4 years. They are enhanced feeding, give eggs 2-3 times a week, a lot of greens. Straws, blades of grass to build a nest are placed in the pairing house and a pair is planted. A week later, the female begins to lay one egg a day (there will be 3-5 in total), hatches them. Chicks appear on the thirteenth day. Mother begins to feed them egg food. On day 10, their eyes open, on 12 - feathers unfold, on 18 - they leave the nest. In a month it is already possible to distinguish females from males.

Home canary is a subspecies of a reel from the Canary Islands. The bird is found in the Canary, Azores and the island of Madeira. More than V centuries have passed since man tamed a bird. As a result of selection in the fin, the voice apparatus has changed. Singing a home canary is different than singing a wild species.

Canary: maintenance and care at home

Varieties of Canaries

In most cases, yellow canaries are given as pets. But this does not mean that the plumage of the bird has only a yellow color. There are three main types of home canaries.

Color canaries. The color of the color canaries is diverse: yellow, red, green, gray, white, variegated. Gray canaries are especially noteworthy; they are born when the green and yellow breed mix. As a result of crossing, the color of birds varies from matte black to silver. The red canary is the most catchy, this color is rarely found in nature. Motley canaries have a wide range of colors, their usual name is harlequin.

Decorative canaries. Distinctive features of birds are unusual plumage and body shape. The name of some breeds of decorative canaries speak for themselves, for example, curly and humpbacked.

Singers. Canaries of all kinds sing. Singers have beautiful tones in the melody, their voices are more musical. Dull birds are traditionally considered the best singers. Kenar breeders especially emit green and yellow individuals. Red birds are spectacular, but their voices do not caress the ears. Variegated without scarlet shades in feathers sing wonderfully. Performed by arias only male. The bird sings throughout the year, with the exception of molting time. The most remarkable performance in February-March, when there is a mating season. The female only sings along: short, rare, less melodic. Caring for canaries of any kind is the same. The conditions of the pet should be known to everyone who decided to get a bird.

Canaries are quickly tamed, gullible, educable. They easily get used to the owner; under comfortable conditions, they reproduce without problems.

Canary Cage Size: length 35 cm, width 22 cm, height 29 cm. The distance between the rods of the cage should not exceed 1.5 cm. Otherwise, the bird may stick its head between the rods and get stuck. A door on the side, a double bottom made of stainless steel is a characteristic of a good cage. The double bottom will allow you to easily clean the cage, changing the sand in it, and facilitate the necessary regular disinfection.

The place where the cage is standing should be well lit: a dark corner will not fit, direct sunlight is also unacceptable. In the cage, it is necessary to establish a perch - round stems 1.5 cm thick. Stems with a rough surface are most suitable. They are installed at such a distance from each other so that the bird jumps from one to another when the wings are flapping.

Cell cleaning requires a thorough approach. The entire contents of the cell: pan, feeders, tins, drinking bowls, clean at least 2 times a week, pouring boiling water several times. The next step is the treatment with a disinfectant solution, for example, chamomile infusion or a potassium permanganate solution. Dry with a solution. The pallet is covered with white paper, it is changed every 2-3 days. Clean, river, dry sand is also suitable as bedding.

Feeding troughs are most convenient if they are hinged and extendable. Putting the feeder at the bottom of the cage is not practical, as the birds spread the food. Mounted feeders enable the bird to eat in a comfortable position, and the owner less clean.

Canaries love water treatments. Bathing is good for birds. Water cleanses the skin and strengthens feathers. For swimming, you need a special tank and water at room temperature. The water tank can not be left in the cage for a long time, after bathing, the tank is removed. The bathing suit needs to be washed every day. A month after birth, the pet is ready to get acquainted with water procedures. Accustom the birds to swimming gradually. The sooner the process starts, the better. After all, then the pet will be spared from the fear of water.

A drinker is installed in the cage, filled with water at room temperature. Porcelain drinker material, glass. A drinking bowl is installed between the bars of the cage in any place convenient for the bird.

It’s useful for the bird to arrange flight walks around the room. In doing so, a number of conditions must be observed to ensure safety.

close all doors and windows;
remove hot, sharp objects;
remove pets from the premises.

When creating a comfortable environment for the bird, you should think about good lighting and a long daylight. In winter, additional lighting can be provided by installing a lamp next to the cage. Birds wake up at sunrise, so at night in the summertime the cage is covered with cloth. This measure will allow the pet owner to sleep longer.

Feeding

In the wild, the Canary finch, following instincts, eats greens, grains, insects in the right proportions. Home conditions oblige the owner of the bird to take care of a balanced diet.

Breeding

The female will lay the first egg 10-12 days after intercourse. Further, clutching occurs every day, usually a couple has up to 5 testicles. After the appearance of the first egg, it is replaced with a wooden one. So do with each next testicle up to the last. When the female lays the last egg, all previously taken are returned to the nest. If the eggs are not replaced, the chicks will appear on different days, which will lead to the danger of death of the youngest.

You should listen to the eggs from the nest with a spoon, and not with your hands, so as not to crush. Store in a box with soft litter. Female hatches eggs for two weeks. Birds begin to feed their offspring in a day, some, especially caring parents, in a few hours.

The chick food in the first days consists of a hard-boiled egg, finely chopped and mixed with white grated breadcrumbs. After 3-4 days, porridge is added to the diet. Porridge is cooked from rice and millet in milk with the addition of eggs. Keep food in the refrigerator.

It’s easy to cook porridge:

boil a glass of water;
pour a teaspoon of cereal into a glass and cook until the cereal breaks apart;
in boiled cereal add 150 gr. milk;
after boiling milk add 3 teaspoons of cereal and add;
salted and boiled egg is poured into it.

With the growth of the chicks, the volume of the prepared food increases..

A week later, the Kenar joins the cares of the offspring. On the eighth day, the chicks open their eyes, on the twelfth, the chicks try to fly out of the nest. Then the kenar completely takes care of the children, since the female must prepare for the next laying and hatching eggs.

After the established ability to fly, chicks are fenced off from parents by a lattice. In this case, the female and male will feed the young through the grate. The need for separation is due to the fact that, remaining all together, adults pluck babies. Two weeks later, the chicks are completely independent: they know how to fly and eat a mixture of grains. Kenars are planted in one cage, females in another and transferred to normal feeding.

In three weeks Kenara begin to try to sing. Young songs are not as beautiful as trills of adult birds, but they allow to separate males from females. Females do not sing.

One of the breeding methods is keeping one male with two females. This option creates a serious burden on the female. Breeding in pairs gives more healthy offspring and is easier for birds to tolerate.

Colored canaries are bred as well as singers, but they require more attention. Attention should be paid to the selection of individuals for mating. For example, two intensely colored red birds will produce weak offspring with sparse feathers. On the contrary, healthy chicks with bright colors and beautiful appearance will be born from individuals with a pale color.

Crossing of a pale individual and brightly colored is allowed, it does not matter for whom the color of the female or male is more intense. Part of the brood will take the data of the father, part - the data of the mother, there is a probability of the birth of inferior chicks.

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Canary - Contents

The first thing you need for home canary content - cell.
better, if it is rectangular or square, the shape of the roof does not play a special role. To make the animal feel more relaxed, the dimensions of the sides of the house should be at least 40 - 50 cm. Such a cage is more convenient for both the pet and for cleaning it. In this room there should be several poles, as this breed of birds likes to fly from one to the other. In the cage there should be feeders, a drinking bowl and a bathtub. All equipment that does not come with the house needs to be checked for compatibility with it, it will be a shame if the purchased item cannot be fixed and you have to go to the store again and try to change it.

The question immediately arises where to put the bird house. You can’t put on drafts, the pet can get sick. Do not put in the kitchen, sudden changes in temperature and humidity, smells from cooking will not benefit the animal. A dog or cat, if you have one, should not get to the cage and scare the home canary. It is better to choose a place where the bird will be calm. An important factor is the simplicity and convenience of cleaning the cage. The easiest way is to cover the bottom with paper and change it once every few days. Since the kenar sings and usually does it in the morning, if you do not want him to wake you up on the weekend, cover the cell in the evening with a piece of dense fabric. Opinions vary greatly regarding canary walks around the apartment. Oddly enough, such a pet in the room faces many dangers. This includes pets (cats, dogs) and hot objects (irons, pans) and a burning gas stove and open windows and even narrow slots behind cabinets and beds, from where the bird sometimes cannot get out.

Proper feeding will ensure good health. and the mood of your pet. The ancestors of the canary in nature fed on plant seeds with the addition of green parts, as well as a certain amount of captured insects. At home, it’s better for your bird to buy special feeds from well-known manufacturers at the pet store. Please note that this food is specifically for canaries, food for other animals will not work. Everyday food should also be basic, not specialized, for example, to improve molting or for feeding during breeding.

It is better to buy feed of the middle price range, cheap options may be of poor quality, and when buying the most expensive, you will overpay for the "company". Naturally, the feed should be hermetically sealed and the expiration date should not expire before your bird has time to eat it. And yet, it is believed that the canary gets used to one type of feed and hardly transfers to another, so it’s worthwhile to clarify when buying an animal what exactly the bird used to eat.

A common problem when keeping animals in captivity is obesity, so try to avoid overfeeding. For one canary, 1 to 2 teaspoons of grain feed per day is enough. It is useful to periodically add sunflower seeds to it, buckwheat is done. As a soft feed 1–2 times a week, you can give cool chicken eggs by adding grated crackers and carrots to it, the latter as a vitamin top dressing.

Vitamin top dressing is recommended to be given separately, several times a week. In summer, leaves of dandelion, wood lice, lettuce, young ears of plantain, horse sorrel, and other plants are suitable. In winter, you can give a sweet apple, grated carrots, sweet peppers. It should be borne in mind that an excessive amount of greenery causes diarrhea in canaries.

Sprouted wheat or rapeseed has a good stimulating effect on animals. Usually it is used in winter, in the pre-nesting period when there is no fresh greenery. For germination, the selected portion of the grain is thoroughly washed in running water and then left in it for a day. After this period, they are washed again, allowed to drain water and laid out in a flat bowl, covered with plastic wrap, to create a humid atmosphere. The dishes are placed in a warm place. After another day, the grain usually already sprouts and can be used to feed birds. Previously, it is washed again and slightly dried.

You can buy in the pet store a ready-made mixture of seeds for germination "rio", instructions for germination attached to it. It is slightly different from that described above and is based on moistening the seeds every 6 hours. Please note that wet seeds can become moldy, in no case should birds give such food.

Same constantly in the cell must be mineral top dressing. It must necessarily include coarse-grained river sand, after being swallowed by a canary, it is used as a millstone for grinding seeds in the animal’s stomach. Finely ground eggshell, shell rock or chalk as a source of calcium are also needed.

Charcoal is also useful, birds often heal themselves. Suitable activated carbon, which is sold in pharmacies, is suitable. The easiest way to buy such a mixture in a pet store is suitable biogrit or rio. Mineral top dressing is recommended to be placed in a separate feeder and changed approximately once a week, as canaries contaminate it quite quickly. As you can see, the content of such a pet is simpler and cheaper than, for example, the maintenance of large parrots and especially cats and decorative dogs.

Canary - Breeding

Often a lover of canaries is not enough just to keep these wonderful birds. There is a desire to get offspring. In this case, you need to consider that you will inevitably have a whole economy of several cells. Several canary breeding options. You can create a permanent pair of males and females living in the same cage. You can use one male and several females. In this case, all canaries live in their individual cages, and the male, as necessary, sits in the cages to the females. But with this method of keeping and breeding your pets will need a large number of cells. And the third option - canary breeding takes place in a large aviary, where birds live at the rate of 2-4 females per male.

In nature, canaries, like most other animals, begin to breed in the spring. This is facilitated by an increase in temperature and the appearance of excess feed. At home, you can raise birds at any time of the year; creating optimal conditions for them will not be difficult. Usually, first of all, attention is paid to age, these animals become older than a year of age, and you can use them for reproduction up to 3-4 years. It is undesirable to use closely related crossbreeding and crossbreeding of birds of different colors and breeds. In one cycle, the female can set aside several clutches, but you can’t let her do more than 2–3;

For laying eggs in a constant pair, a cage with a side size of at least half a meter, preferably with a removable partition in the middle, is required. It will allow to fence off the nestlings not yet ready for independent life from the newly nested pair. It is also desirable that there should be at least two doors in the cage, on one outside there is a special hanging socket, the second can be used for hanging bathing. If there are not enough doors, the nest base can be hung inside, on one of the walls of the cage, but in this case it is less convenient to inspect the masonry and chicks. The cup-shaped nest - the base, should be 10-11 cm in diameter at the top and 7-9 cm deep. The nest must be placed above the middle of the cage. It is desirable to have a second nesting base, in case the birds, when the chicks have not yet grown, lay another clutch.

Trimming, 1 - 2 cm long, 1.5 - 2 mm thick can serve as building material for your pets. diameter, thread or hemp rope. In longer material, canaries are sometimes tangled in paws. A burlap pulled into strings fits well.

A perch must be placed close to the nest so that the bird can first step over it and then take off. When abruptly flying directly from the nest, a canary can damage an egg or chick.

For grown-up, monthly chicks that have already become independent, they will need a long cage, on one side at least a meter in length, or an aviary. Young birds need to be able to fly, this has a positive effect on their development and health. After determining the sex of the animals, the males will have to be seated in separate cells, since they are aggressive towards each other, the females can be kept together.

A sign of the beginning of the period of reproduction in canaries is a sharp short song of the male, to which the female responds with a squeak, as well as collecting the last various garbage and trying to put the nest somewhere in a secluded place. At this time, your pets need to gradually increase daylight hours, give fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds. High-quality and varied nutrition is necessary for the appearance of full-fledged offspring. If the canaries liked each other, then the first egg appears after 7 - 10 days and in the future every day one more is laid. Their number usually does not exceed 3 to 4 pieces, the eggs are small, only 2 grams, bluish with brown specks.

Only the female incubates masonry for two weeks. Chicks appear unevenly, as eggs were laid in turn. At the same time, older chicks can eat younger ones and the latter grow worse or may even die. To avoid this situation, sometimes when breeding canaries, they use plastic eggs. The deposited ones are removed from the nest and stored in cotton at room temperature, turning over a couple of times a day. As soon as the female lays 3-4 eggs, the selected eggs are returned to the nest, and the dummies are removed. Due to the fact that the canary begins to incubate all eggs almost simultaneously, the chicks also appear at about the same time and therefore grow equally.

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What a canary looks like

Their appearance was first described at the end of the 19th century by the German researcher Karl Bolle. These birds were brought to Russia from Tyrol. The first place for the sale of canaries of domestic selection was the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

Home is different from living in the wild brethren in its appearance and size. Her body length is slightly longer than that of wild songbirds. The body of a domestic canary grows to a length of 14–14.5 cm, and for those living in the wild it does not exceed 13 cm.

Some growers manage to grow birds, the length of the body of which, together with the tail, can reach 23 cm.

Common to wild and domestic canaries appearance characteristics:

elastic torso;
a strong beak having a conical shape and a sharp end;
wide chest.

Birds have strong bones, well-developed muscles, thin but strong legs. The eyes are fixed, and the neck constantly rotates in different directions. The rounded feathers at the ends have a slight sharpening, and the tail seems to be cut off. Normal bird body temperature is 42 ° C.

The canaries in the wild have predominantly green plumage, it can have a gray tint. On the belly of the bird, feathers are cast in yellow. Dark stripes can be seen throughout the body of the canaries, which give the impression of excessive variegation of the general color. Most home canaries have yellow feathers, less commonly red, white, orange, blue and other colors.

Main breeds

More than 12 thousand species and breeds of domestic canaries have been bred in the world. All of them are divided into 3 large groups:

colored;
decorative;
singers.

Least of all canaries is a group of songbirds - there are only 10 species of birds in it. Of particular value is their voice and ability to reproduce certain sounds and melodies.

Colored bred at home to obtain new species with interesting plumage. The most expensive and valuable birds of this group are red canaries.

Decorative species are used in the breeding of new bird species to obtain certain characteristics of the body structure.

Humpback Canary

The birds of this breed got their name because of the peculiar shape of the body - they have an almost vertical posture and a lowered tail, which makes them visually hunchback. The bird extends its neck almost at right angles. They hold humpback canaries in cages with small vents located near the arch.

Japanese canary

It was obtained by crossing three species of bird: Scottish, Munich and Belgian and belongs to the group of ornamental. They have a large body and a vertical posture, the head is lowered to shoulder level.

Cages for keeping birds choose a rectangular shape, without domes and decorations. The Japanese canary is recommended to periodically release flying around the house.

Russian canary

The breed is officially registered in Russia, the most common color of this species is yellow

Their singing technique is not genetically fixed - each bird has its own style. They are taught to sing using pipes or trill records of forest birds.

Birds are prone to obesity, so they can not be overfed.

Pros and cons

Singing a canary has a therapeutic effect on a person. In the Netherlands, the treatment of various ailments with the help of bird singing (ornithotherapy) is used in official medicine. It is used to treat various diseases of the heart and nervous system. Australians use bird singing to treat joints and spine. With the help of ornithotherapy, the British fight depression.

In the course of numerous studies, scientists came to the conclusion that listening to birdsong for 5 minutes has an effect on the human body equal in effect to a 30-minute walk.

The canary is the only bird that can combine the sounds of all other songbirds in its singing.

Her singing can get rid of the following ailments:

headache;
gastrointestinal problems;
high blood pressure.

The disadvantages of the content of canaries include the following:

the need to let birds fly around the house;
garbage created by birds from feed and feathers;
loud singing.

Canaries begin to sing at dawn, and even the noise of the TV can block their sound. When flying around the room, birds climb into various slots, from which it is difficult to get them.

Canaries are very gullible birds, they quickly and easily learn everything. Their health and life expectancy depend on proper care.

What to feed

The main rule of keeping the canary is to give the bird special food that you can buy at the pet store. For the period of nesting and molting, special food is intended.

add crushed kernels of buckwheat and seeds to the finished mixture;
2 times a week to give finely chopped boiled egg or fat-free cottage cheese;
in the summer, include finely chopped leaves of plantain, sorrel, lettuce and dandelion in the diet, and in winter grated carrots, apples and Bulgarian pepper.

As a top dressing for canaries, it is useful to give river sand of a large fraction. The lack of calcium in the feathered organism is made up with the help of ground eggshell or mashed chalk. Charcoal acts as a medicine for poultry. It is periodically given to canaries to prevent the occurrence of various diseases.

Separate feeders are installed in the bird cages for top dressing. The optimal amount of food for canaries is not more than 2 tablespoons per day. Exceeding this norm leads to obesity of birds.

It is very important for the health of birds to monitor the cleanliness of their feeders and drinkers - canaries can not tolerate dirt.

Hygiene and bathing

Bathing is a must when keeping at home. The procedure must be performed at least 2 times a week in the winter, and in the summer - every day. For these purposes, use a special bath in which warm water is added and placed for a short time at the bottom of the cage or suspended from the frame. They teach the bird to swim gradually. The first water procedures begin with a month old. You can’t bathe canaries during the hatching period.

It is necessary to pay attention to the state of their claws. Too long claws prevent the bird from sitting on the floor. They are periodically trimmed with nail scissors or tweezers, but not too short, because this can cause pain.

Canaries are released daily to fly. Before releasing a bird from a cage, you must

close windows and doors;
remove animals from the premises;
remove sharp and hot objects.

Particularly carefully look after the birds during their molting. It is very important at this time to give the birds a nutrient-enriched feed.

Bird cells are cleaned at least 2 times a week, additional lighting is installed next to them.

Feeding troughs, drinking bowls, jars and other equipment of the cage are treated with boiling water. As a disinfectant solution, only infusions of herbs or potassium permanganate are used. To prepare the infusion, it is better to use a field chamomile. Before installation, processed items must be dried, the bottom covered with white paper. Change it at least 2 times a week. As litter, you can use river sand.

Disease and treatment

Canary disease can be caused by various factors. For each type of disease, an individual approach to treatment is required.

Symptoms of the most common diseases of canaries and their treatment

Vaccination

To prevent smallpox, canaries receive intradermal vaccination in the area of \u200b\u200bthe wing fold. Spend it in the early summer and repeat 1 time per year.

Selection of cages, accessories and toys

length - 35 cm;
width - 22 cm;
height - 29 cm;
the distance between the rods is 1.5 cm.

The cell door should be located on the side, inside:

Retractable pallet with river sand. It greatly facilitates the cleaning process.
Porcelain drinkers 5 cm high and 10 cm in diameter.
3 feeders.
2-3 round stems not less than 1.5 cm thick from fruit trees.
Flat bath for bathing.

Before installing the hearts in a cage, they must be scalded with boiling water and dried.

How to breed canaries at home

For breeding canaries at home, a couple is selected at the age of 1 to 4 years. Birds must be energetic and healthy.

During the mating period, the canaries are given enhanced nutrition, which includes a large amount of greens, 2-3 times a week give a boiled egg.

The bottom of the cell is covered with straws or grass - from them the birds make a nest into which the female begins to lay eggs a week after mating.

How to determine the gender of birds

There are 3 ways to distinguish a kenar from a canary:

By external signs. The female has a tail 0.5 cm shorter than the male. The cesspool of the kenar has a cylindrical shape; in the canary, it is flat.
By singing.Males make deeper and longer sounds. Singing females jerky, like a whistle or coo.
By behavior. If you put the bird with your back on your palm and run your finger across the abdomen, then the male will start to kick and try to escape from his hands, and the female will only squeeze her paws.

Knitting

The best time for mating is March or April. At this point, the birds begin to cook in about a month. They are fed intensely and every day they are given plenty to fly. The daylight hours of birds are gradually adjusted to 14-15 hours.

The cells intended for knitting should have a wooden lining at the bottom, the room temperature should not be lower than 15 ° C. Relative humidity is 60–70%.

Pregnancy

Canaries after mating begin to lay 1 egg per day. In total, they can bring from 3 to 5 eggs. Chicks begin to hatch on day 13 from the moment the hatching begins. In order for the female not to leave the nest during hatching, the cage is installed in the zone of constant lighting. If the female refuses to incubate the chicks, you can use a home incubator.

How to care for newborn chicks

The eyes of the chicks begin to open on the 10th day after they are born. On day 12, their wings are straightened, and on 18, the chicks leave the nest. From the moment of birth, the female feeds them with a mixture of crushed seeds and boiled eggs, which are poured into the cage on paper.

The chicks of song canaries immediately after separation from the female are separated by sex and placed in jigging cages. This is necessary so that young females do not interfere with twittering to males.

The color canaries separate the chicks, which have a pronounced dark and light color of plumage. If this is not done, then the dark chicks will pluck their light brothers.

Strongly fledged, fully fledged and learned to husk independently seeds, the chicks are placed in spacious flying cages. Regular flights of birds help to develop and strengthen their body.

How to tame

The lone canary is easiest to train, and it is easier to make contact with a male than with a female. The main thing in the process of taming is not to rush. Every day you need to approach the cage with the bird and talk to her in a quiet calm voice. She needs to give time to get used to and believe that she has nothing to fear.

The second stage of the taming process should be the landing of a bird in the palm of your hand. It needs to be stimulated by top dressing. Having mastered and accustomed to the person, she will do it without fear.

How many live at home

With proper care and feeding, canaries can live in captivity for up to 15 years. The average duration of a bird is 9-12 years.

Reasons for shortening life:

poor nutrition;
insufficient lighting;
illnesses;
predators.

Birds perceive drafts and low temperatures poorly.

How to name a bird

The name of the bird can be selected in accordance with its character, demeanor or color. The most common is Kesha.

If it is difficult to determine the gender of the canary, neutral names are selected. For example, Acci, Bassi, etc. The choice also depends on the owner’s imagination. A moving bird can get the name Zhivchik or Shustrik.

For birds with yellow plumage, the name Lemonchik or Dandelion is suitable. A sly canary can be called a Rogue. Very often use the changed names or surnames of their owners. For example, Ivanov - Ivanka or Vanechka, Alexander - Alex or Alex. The name can be the time of year or month in which the bird was born.

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Canary description

Canaries are the only subspecies of the canary canary finch, which is reflected in the appearance of such an unusual songbird.

Appearance

A home canary has a slightly larger body size than a natural wild ancestor. All colored singing house canaries are characterized, as a rule, by a maximum body length in the range of 13.5-14.5 cm, but decorative birds of this species, having a larger or rather small body, are known.

Canaries are distinguished by harmonious forms, a rounded and very well-shaped head, as well as the presence of a short and pin-shaped beak. The most famous and common at the present time is the classic yellow plumage.

Nevertheless, today there is a great opportunity to purchase a feathered pet with the original white, red, chocolate brown or light brown plumage. The red feathers of the canary are the result of crossing the canary with the fiery siskin.

Among other things, some modern breeding forms of canaries have a well-marked crest or special curls. The flight path of the canary is undulating, very similar to the flight of a wild fin.

Lifestyle and behavior

The very first and most detailed description of the lifestyle and behavior of the wild canary was presented by the famous German naturalist Karl Bolle more than a century ago.

A small songbird avoids shady forest zones and is found exclusively in sparse plantings, in shrubbery and forest edges. Very often canaries inhabit gardens, and are also able to nest near human habitation.

In the non-breeding period of life, canaries are most often kept in flocks, and often fly from one place to a new one in search of food. Wild birds use the seeds of a wide variety of herbaceous plants and greens, as well as some types of berries, including wild or cultivated grapes, for food. Favorite delicacies of birds are poppy seeds and garden lettuce, as well as half-ripened "canary" seed.

Birds that feed offspring prefer to feed on small insects, in particular scale insects and black or green aphids. Even before sunset, wild canaries gather and flock to the place of accommodation, which is most often used some fairly tall tree.

It is interesting!The nesting season begins in February or March, when large flocks of wild canaries decay and pairs of birds are formed, which begin to nest in large numbers.

Types of Canaries

Singing and decorative home canaries are represented by several species that are especially popular for keeping in captivity. The most original decorative varieties include:

humpback canary (Belgian Fancany Canary) - a variety with a characteristic vertical type of posture and a very lowered area of \u200b\u200bthe head;
yorkshire Canary (Yorkshire Canary) - characterized by a larger size and body that resembles a carrot in shape;
border Canary (Warder Fan Canary) - small in size, compact, with a very beautiful glossy plumage and unpretentious variety;
fife-Fancy Canary (Fife Fan Canary) - practically does not differ in appearance from the Border variety, but has a more miniature body size;
crested Canary (Crested Canary) - a variety characterized by the presence in the head area of \u200b\u200bseveral raised and slightly elongated feathers, forming a kind of crest;
the Norwich Canary (Norwish Canary) is a very stocky, large-sized variety that is distinguished by a dense physique and a "usual" appearance;
the Staffordshire Canary (Stafford Canary) is a very bright and beautiful variety, with the plumage predominating in bright red or saturated pink;
canary Lizard or Lizard (Lizard Canary) - has a very original speckled plumage, resembling numerous scales of a lizard;
parisian Curly Canary (Rarisan Frilled Canary) - one of the largest and most popular varieties, characterized by the presence of uniform curly plumage and legs twisted like a corkscrew;
the Curly Meringer Canary (Mehringer Frill Canary) is a very miniature copy of the view of Paris Curly.

The singing varieties of the home canary were bred in order to improve the vocal natural data of male canaries. Such pets are able to reproduce a large number of sounds, and even individual simple melodies, while the shape of the body and the color of the plumage do not have much significance:

singing German canary or German Rollerball (German Roller Canary) - characterized by a low voice, a fairly quiet sound, as well as the ability to reproduce sounds without opening the beak. The presence in the trills of discontinuity, sharp and crackling sounds, as well as individual cries or high whistles is a drawback;
singing Belgian canary or Malinois Belgian (Waterslager Canary) - is distinguished by beautiful singing and attractive appearance. Trills are represented by gurgling, gurgling and bubbling with the main nightingale tours;
singing Spanish canary or Spanish Timbrados (Srannish Timbrado Canary) - easily reproduces three song tours, which are represented by a strictly defined sequence of alluvial trills with metal echoes;
american singing canary or American Singer (Ameriсan Singеr Canary) - a species obtained by crossing a German Roller with a decorative canary Border. Such a feathered pet is characterized by melodic and loud singing, and also has a beautiful appearance.

It is interesting! Among the most popular types for home maintenance is also the singing Russian canary. The song of such a bird is very rich in trout of a tit, as well as oatmeal and Dubrovnik.

Life span

The life expectancy of a home canary is greatly influenced by the surrounding microclimate, including temperature, humidity and lighting. Most often, the average lifespan of a canary in captivity does not exceed twelve years, but recently, real feathered centenarians who have crossed a fifteen-year milestone are increasingly found.

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Canaries are quite easily tamed, quite trusting, lend themselves well to “upbringing” and reproduce very successfully in home conditions. Such feathered pets can be kept not only in cages, but also in specially equipped enclosures.

Cell selection and filling

Canary cage selection must be approached very carefully.. Cages made from hardwood, including beech, oak and ash, are best suited for keeping a feathered pet. It is also allowed to use metal cells that are easy to clean and disinfect.

Recently, more and more often for the maintenance of canaries, houses made of plexiglass are purchased. Standard cell sizes can be 30-35x20-22x27-29 cm with a distance between the rods of not more than 12-14 mm. It is best to choose models in which the doors are located on the side, and there is also a double retractable bottom.

The feeder can be installed directly on the cell bottom, but in this case, the risk of clogging of the feed increases, so the installation of traditional retractable feeders is the best option. As a filling of a canary cell, a round perch with a rough surface is most often considered. The group maintenance of poultry involves the acquisition of a cage, as well as a spacious flying cage.

Homemade canaries love water procedures. Regular bathing helps to cleanse the skin and strengthen plumage. Water for such a swim must have room temperature.

The baton is attached to the outside of the door so that during the procedures water does not enter the cage. After water procedures, the bathtub is removed, and the door closes. The canary bathing process must be taught from a very young age.

Important! The cage should be located in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight and not where drafts are present, but if the room is closed, periodically you need to let the feathered pet fly.

Care and hygiene

Cell cleaning is carried out at least a couple of times a week. At the time of cleaning the pet is required to be transplanted into a carrier or another, clean cage-temporary shelter.

During the cleaning process, all the equipment, represented by a tray, feeders, drinking bowls and poles, must be removed from the cage and washed thoroughly with hot water, then scalded with boiling water or disinfected with a strong infusion of chamomile. A clean cage and equipment must be thoroughly wiped or thoroughly dried.

Dry chamomile is poured under the cell pallet, and dry and clean river sand, as well as a thin layer of crushed eggshell, are required to be poured onto the pallet, which will serve as a very effective top dressing that improves the digestion of the feathered pet. Then feed is poured into the feeders. Water should be clean, drinking, room temperature.

How to feed a canary

Feeding canaries is carried out a couple of times a day, at a strictly defined time. A mild type of food, insects, as well as a variety of food mixtures are given in the morning, and all major vegetable crops, fruits and herbs can be fed to the canaries every day, in the evening. The choice of food depends on the breed characteristics and age of the canary, as well as the way the feathered pet is kept and the time of year. Aviary and flock maintenance implies an increase in the feed ration.

Improper feeding organization can provoke metabolic disorders and feathers in poultry. A decorative and singing feathered pet needs to be taught to consume a variety of food from an early age. At the stage of egg laying and during the period of feeding the chicks, it is very important to increase the amount of feed, as well as the frequency of its feeding per day, by introducing highly nutritious additional feed.

Correctly determine the daily feed rate for decorative birds can only be experienced, given the individual characteristics of the bird and its appetite. Experienced owners of canaries recommend focusing on the following composition:

grain mixture - 20 g;
an apple - half a piece;
calcium gluconate or glycerophosphate - one tablet;
fresh cabbage leaves - one piece;
grated carrots - one teaspoon;
chopped chicken eggs - a couple of teaspoons;
glucose - one tablet;
millet, buckwheat or steep rice porridge - 5.0 g;
white bread or crackers - one slice;
milk for soaking white bread - a couple of teaspoons;
fresh cottage cheese - one teaspoon.

In winter, the feed should be supplemented with fish oil and brewer's yeast. The more varied the daily nutrition of the home canary, the less problems will arise with the health of the feathered pet. It is strictly forbidden to give canaries sprigs of oak, pear, poplar, coniferous plants and bird cherry.

Health, Disease, and Prevention

A sick pet must sit in a separate, so-called quarantine cage.

The most common, common diseases of canaries can be represented:

For the purpose of prevention, it is very important to fully comply with the regime of keeping domestic birds in captivity, to maintain cleanliness in the cage and to provide the canary with full, balanced feed. With sudden changes in the behavior of the bird, the appearance of lethargy or apathy, loss of appetite, as well as impaired stool, it is very important to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Breeding domestic canaries in captivity is not too difficult. A bird ready for breeding shows the main signs of arousal. In this case, the canaries scream loudly and wave their wings, and also flip from place to place and become very restless. Kenar in this period begins to sing loudly, but monotonously and shortly, and the females are actively looking for any building material for making the nest.

Breeding home canaries can be done in one of two ways:

the first method of breeding in captivity is as close as possible to natural conditions and is biologically correct. In this case, the presence of the male becomes mandatory at all stages of reproduction;
the second method of breeding in captivity - the kenar must be removed from the cage without fail after the laying is done by the female. In this case, all care for the offspring completely lies solely with the female.

A pair of canaries, ready for propagation, must be launched in a small cage in which the nest base is pre-installed. The standard sizes of the cage with the cage are 50x40x40 cm. The optimum diameter of the cage is 10 cm at a depth of 5-6 cm. The breeding cage needs to be installed in the most lighted part of the room.

The formation of a strong pair for offspring is accompanied by the pursuit of the female by the Kenar, her feeding and numerous copulations. As a rule, the clutch consists of four or five eggs, which are incubated by the female. Embryo development takes about two weeks. The eyes of the chicks open around the fourth or fifth day of life.

Important! Chicks should be separated from the parental couple only at the age of one month, replanting them in a separate, but not too large in size cage.

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Buying a Home Canary

Bird lovers, breeders and breeders, are united by the World Ornithological Confederation or Confédérátánó Ornítologíque Míndiale (COM). The main goals of this organization are represented by the conservation of breeds and species of birds that are derived by humans, as well as the conservation of natural gene pools.

You can buy a healthy and fully compliant feathered pet at the Russian Canary Support Fund and the Moscow Canary Fans Club. Buying poultry “with your hands” is very often associated with the risk of getting a sick pet. It should be noted that the average cost of a male is 4.0-6.5 thousand rubles, and females - a little more than one thousand rubles.

Literature

Brese M.Guide to breeding canaries. - St. Petersburg, 1911

Rakhmanov A.I.Songbirds and decorative birds. - Kiev, "Harvest", 1995

Dost N.Der gelbe Saenger. - Leipzig - Jena, 1960.

Young Kenar Training

After jigging from a flying cage into solitary young cenars, they begin to learn how to play a correct and rich song. Many years of experience in canary breeding shows that they must “go through the school” of singing, where teachers are primarily the well-singing Kenars, as well as some songbirds of our fauna, such as porridge and titmouse. Males involved in breeding, as a rule, are not suitable as teachers, as they are busy feeding their offspring.

To educate young singers in the best tune, they use the so-called training cabinet, in which they put cells with young kenars and a kenar teacher. This cabinet is made with sliding shelves and partitions that enclose the birds so that they do not see each other, but hear well. Being in partial dimming, the young kenar carefully listen to the teacher’s singing and, being periodically open to the light, should sing their song, after which the door closes again and the cell with the young student is again plunged into darkness. The training of the young continues until the young kenara reaches the desired success. It often happens that in the "school" there are also underachieving feathered pupils. They, of course, are rejected and removed from the training cabinet.

Young kenaras with a good teacher and proper upbringing can already sing a full song at the age of three to four months, but they become real singers much later, about a year later. With the right caring contents, the canaries retain their shape and good chorus for up to 10 years or more.

Propagation of canaries

About 10-12 days after the first sexual intercourse, an egg appears in the nest. Further oviposition occurs daily and the female lays on average in the nest 4 -5 eggs. Young female eggs have fewer eggs. As soon as the canary lays the first egg, it must be replaced with a wooden one. The same should be done with subsequent eggs, folding them in a box with soft litter. Eggs removed must be handled with care, they must not be removed from the nest with your hands, but with a small spoon, so as not to crush with your fingers. After the fourth egg, the wooden eggs are removed and real eggs are placed in the nest. This work is best done in the evening, when the female leaves the nest. If the eggs are not replaced with wooden ones, then the chicks will be hatched on different days, and not at the same time, which often leads to the death of the youngest chicks. Two weeks after the hatching begins, chicks will appear in the nest. Their parents begin to feed in a day, and the most caring females in a few hours.

To feed the chicks, a feeder with a chopped chicken, boiled egg mixed with grated white cracker is placed. After a few days, you can feed the porridge. It is made from rice, millet, milk and one egg and stored in the refrigerator. To make porridge, you need to boil a glass of water,pour a teaspoon of millet there and cook until the cereal breaks apart, after which half a glass of milk is added. As soon as the milk boils, put another three teaspoons of pure millet in a saucepan and continue to cook. When the porridge is cooked, put a pinch of salt in it and pour the egg. With the age of the chicks, the amount of food should be increased.

From the fifth to sixth day of life, the kenar also takes part in feeding the chicks. By the eighth day the plumage appears at the chicks and their eyes open, and by the twelfth day they are already flying out of the nest. By this period, almost all care for the offspring passes to the male, because the female is preparing for the second laying and incubation of eggs.

After the chicks fly out of the nest, they must be separated from their parents by a lattice and adult birds will feed them through it, sticking their beak. If this is not done, then the chicks can be plucked by their parents. After two weeks, the young growth already eats on its own and eats the grain mixture well. From this time on, they need to be put into common cages — cenars into one, females into another — and gradually transferred to a normal diet.

Young kenar already at the age of 18-20 days old try their abilities in singing. Their song is still far from the song of an adult kenar, but it allows us to distinguish males from females who do not sing.

Some growers contain a male with two females. However, breeding in pairs allows you to get better offspring and reduces the load on the females.

The breeding of color canaries is carried out in the same way as the singers, only working with them requires more attention and care. For example, mating two dark red individuals gives offspring with a rare plumage. Moreover, some parts of the body are completely penless, the exterior is deteriorating, the birds hatch weak and small. When two pale-colored canaries are crossed, the position changes. Chicks are born strong, with a more intense color and good external forms.

Good results are obtained when mating a pale-colored female and an intensely colored male. It does not matter which of them is brighter. In such cases, part of the brood happens to be in the father, the other to the mother. Of course, with this ratio inferior chicks are also bred, which should be rejected during breeding.

Preparing Canaries for Reproduction

Around the end of March, when the natural lengthening of the day becomes more noticeable, you need to slightly increase the vitamin nutrition of canaries. For this purpose, egg food (carrot-cracker mixture with the addition of egg powder or chopped boiled chicken eggs), sprouted seeds of wheat, rape or millet are often given, as well as to ensure that the jar always contains mineral food (crushed chalk or egg shell) . Fresh greens need to be given in excess and constantly, since an organism "saturated" with vitamins always produces more complete and viable offspring than an organism weakened by malnutrition. The female uses a huge amount of energy to produce eggs. To compensate for her, she must eat well and varied. Under natural conditions, with excessive nutrition, females lay a greater number of eggs than in case of food deficiency. Under adverse conditions, birds can sometimes not begin to nest at all.

Photoperiod, its effect on canaries and regulation. It is known that the duration of daylight determines the cyclical course of life processes, including the propagation of canaries. Photoperiod is a key factor stimulating the beginning of breeding of birds. To stimulate reproduction, a gradual increase in the duration of daylight hours from 10-12 hours to 16-17 hours is needed. The longest daylight hours are needed when feeding the chicks with their parents.

Room size and micro landscape. The depressed state of canaries when kept in small cells and without a nesting micro-landscape suppresses the instinct of reproduction or disrupts its normal course. So, for nesting canaries, it is necessary to hang an open-type nesting device (a nest basket, woven from a rope) to the cage, which creates a nesting micro landscape for the home canary. In addition, a very good measure of preparing canaries for nesting is to keep them in a spacious cage before mating or to give them the opportunity to fly in the room a lot. Females who lived in a fairly spacious room before the nesting season have the opportunity to strengthen their muscles well, they increase metabolism, improves appetite and ability to reproduce. For males, such a exercise is even more necessary, since they usually sit in small cells with naturally limited freedom and therefore with a deficit in movement. Therefore, canary farmers before mating sometimes let the males a week earlier in flying cells, where they fly a lot. In preparation for mating, one should not be afraid to let them into the room together. If they happen to be the main bucks, it will be possible to remove and release only relatively peaceful birds into the room. It is much more important to ensure that by the time of mating, both the male and the female are in a particularly good physical condition and are equally capable of nesting.

Pairing. Canaries often form homosexual couples in a cage; therefore, before placing them together, males and females should be precisely identified. The exact difference between males and females is manifested in the song: the female does not sing at all, or her song is not as complex and beautiful as the male. In case of aggressive behavior of one of the birds (most often females), they should be seated again in separate cages and placed next to each other so that they become accustomed to each other and the female is ready to nest. With kenar aggressive behavior, the female can lay unfertilized eggs.

Signs of readiness for canaries to nest. Signs of readiness for canaries to nest are clearly visible in mature individuals and in the nesting season. Such signs occur in both kenars and females. When the males are ready for nesting, they begin to sing more at the sight of the female, become more lively, energetic, especially when they hear the call signs of the females. Males at this moment dance on a perch with spread wings.

The female, when ready for pairing, begins to restlessly fly from one perch to the other, making an inviting sound all the time, which makes the male awe. She often grabs a straw with her beak and jumps with her through the cage. The surest sign of readiness is a squatting of a female on a perch and bending of the body at the moment when she hears kenar singing or sees it. In addition, at the time of readiness, the female begins to pluck feathers on the abdomen, which indicates her desire for the male.

If several females are sitting in the cage, then among them it is easy to identify the finished female in relation to her nesting material. Seeing a piece of cotton wool, a blade of grass or a straw in the cage, a female ready for nesting will eagerly grab it even from your hands and will look for a place for the nest holding this piece of material in its beak. If the female is ready for nesting, and there is no nesting basket in the cage, then for lack of her she may try to “build” the nest in the feeder by throwing dry grass or other material there. The female, who behaves in this way, must immediately be put out of the span cage into the cage and a kenar be allowed to her. It is better, of course, to do this a little earlier, when the female is just beginning to show a need for nesting.

Preparing the cage for the nesting season. Before the nesting season begins, the cage is disinfected, then suspended from the outside to the special holes at the top of the nesting device and birds are let in. In each cage, it is better to keep only a couple of canaries during the breeding season and it is better to have two open-type nesting devices per female.

If the canaries contain several pairs in the enclosure, then the nesting devices should be hung two or three more than the pairs and placed as far as possible from each other. With this arrangement, quarrels between canaries will occur much less often and they will not be excessively cruel. Nesting devices should also be hung in the aviary as high as possible, but not closer. 20 cm from the top and side grilles.

In its simplest form, the nesting device is a nesting basket placed in one of the corners of the cage, or suspended from the outside of a special cage or drawer without a front wall. The bottom of such a device is made of thick plywood, in which there is a round hole the size of a rope basket with a diameter of 8-10 cm, and the walls (side, back and top) are made of plywood or wire mesh. The open side of such a device is suspended from a hole in the upper part of the cage on hooks so that it can be removed when necessary. The dimensions of the nesting device are as follows: height - 12 cm, bottom area - 15 x 12 cm, hole diameter in the bottom for the nesting basket - 8-10 cm.

Nesting device for canaries: a - a cell without a nesting basket; b - a cell with a nesting basket; in - a nesting basket made of rope; g - nesting basket made of wire

The best nesting baskets are wicker from willow twigs or sewn from hemp rope 3-5 mm thick. The size of the basket is as follows: the diameter of the upper part of the basket is 11-12 cm, the bottom is about 4 cm, the height is not more than 10 cm (the diameter of the basket should be 1-2 cm larger than the diameter of the hole in the bottom). Baskets made of twigs or hemp rope can be used to nest canaries repeatedly after disinfection. Wicker baskets are inserted into the bottom hole, in which the female will make a nest for laying and incubating eggs.

The cage should be installed in such a place that the canaries are as little disturbed as they incubate and feed the chicks. This is especially important when hatching eggs and at the beginning of the period after hatching.

Matching couples. Canaries are monogamous, i.e., for the breeding season, the male and the female form a strong pair that incubates the eggs and feeds the chicks until they are completely independent.

Like other birds, canaries inherit not only physical data (i.e. health, exterior, etc.), but also the ability to sing, light and high-quality susceptibility to difficult but valuable knees, and the least tendency to defects in singing. It is difficult to determine the pure breed of a male or female if their pedigree is unknown. The good exterior and color of the plumage does not mean that the chicks from this pair will inherit good singing or decorative data. Therefore, heredity is precisely the factor that should be the main one when selecting a male and female lover, if he seeks to get high-quality offspring with loving-hearing singing or decorative coloring of plumage. To this end, the male and the female should have pedigrees, that is, the amateur should have accurate information about what qualities their ancestors possessed, at least the great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers of this pair of canaries.

The main role in obtaining high-quality offspring belongs to the female. She not only inherits her best maternal qualities as a good mother and nurse, but also is a party that conveys the ability to sing. Therefore, one should not mate a female of doubtful origin with purebred males or individuals from families with completely different voices in pitch. The male and the female with crests on the heads should not be mated either: bald patches and bald patches may appear on the heads of offspring instead of crests in the offspring. With this mating, one of the birds must be without a crest. If the male has green or colorful plumage, and the female has lemon, yellow or other light and plain plumage, the offspring will be colorful. The symmetrical arrangement of the color of the pen makes such birds the most vivid and beautiful. Finally, it is unacceptable to mate birds of the same nest, that is, from the same parents. From closely related mating (inbreeding), extremely frail, weak chicks appear, predisposed to various diseases. However, sometimes inbreeding is used in breeding and breeding to obtain better offspring.

Canary pairing is the most important step on the path to successful breeding. Not always two heterosexual individuals planted in a separate cage will show interest in each other, make a friendly couple and, under appropriate conditions, begin reproduction. Aggression to the other sex can occur for various reasons, but most often because of the aggressiveness of the female, the absence of sexual activity in one of the partners, or because of inappropriate conditions for the construction of the nest. Thus, canaries need certain conditions to form a pair: a microclimate, a place for a nest, specific nesting material and micro landscape, as well as an abundance of feed.

In canaries, the male attracts the female with his song and it is more correct to say that the female chooses the kenar, and not vice versa. However, in canary farming more often the amateur himself selects males and females, while pursuing a specific goal. You can only pair healthy, mobile canaries with clean and smooth plumage. Sick and weak individuals lay unfertilized eggs or produce inferior offspring. Too old and immature birds are also unsuitable for offspring.

It is very interesting and useful to watch canaries when they breed and feed offspring. The canary farmer during this period experiences great moral and aesthetic pleasure, especially when the chicks fly out of the nest. However, one should not think that these birds are easier to breed than, for example, finch weavers. Sometimes there are major setbacks: either no chicks hatch from the eggs, or the female throws to feed them at a very early age, or even before the chicks fly out of the nest. To get offspring from a pair of canaries, you need to be very persistent, have at least a little experience in breeding canaries, and, most importantly, choose a female and a male that are suitable for each other.

The main conditions for the normal breeding of canaries already selected for this purpose are the correct various feeding, keeping in a bright and spacious room, normal microclimate and the presence of a nesting device. If all these conditions are met and the producers are correctly selected by age or gender, then the birds usually begin to breed and normally nestlings. In the absence of any of the above conditions, nest-building, egg laying or feeding of chicks may not take place at all or will end unsuccessfully. Consider the specific conditions for keeping canaries in the nesting period, ensuring their successful reproduction in the cage.

Canary Feeding Technique

The amount of feed per day is better to determine empirically, since canaries even with the same way of keeping and age have a different appetite. On average, one canary during the dormant period (autumn-winter) period needs 1-1.5 teaspoons of the grain mixture per day, as well as some additional feed.

Canaries should be fed daily in the morning, pouring the full norm of the grain mixture, and additional feed during the rest period is given two to three times a week. With the onset of the nesting season, especially when the chicks appear, you should feed more often and give more additional food (as needed).

During the period of feeding the chicks, as well as within two weeks after their departure from the nest, young animals should be fed as needed and given soft food (cereals, carrot-cracker mixture, etc.). At the age of about 6 months, young animals are gradually transferred to normal feeding and monitor their fatness.

It is useful to give porridges to females and chicks with fish oil at the rate of a drop per teaspoon of soft food. If young animals eat soft feeds with pleasure, then at the age of 20 days they can be given other additional feeds, including fresh herbs.

When feeding adult canaries and young animals, in order to avoid the occurrence of diseases and death of birds, the following preventive measures should be taken.

1. When buying grain food, make sure that it is not musty, moldy and rancid (taste it), etched with formalin or any other poisons (seeded seeds are usually etched to protect from insects).

2. You need to store food in a cool, but not wet place, mix more often, ventilate, air dry, sprinkling it on a sheet of paper with a thin layer.

3. Soft foods should only be prepared for one day. Bookmark the feeder in hot weather - more often, in cold weather in the summer - less often and in small quantities so that the feed does not deteriorate from heat. At night, soft food in the feeder should not be left, they will turn sour and will be unsuitable for feeding.

4. The grain mixture must be sieved through a sieve to remove debris and dirt. This feed is placed in a separate feeder from other feeds.

5. On the day when additional feed is offered to the bird, the grain mixture is given at a reduced rate.

6. During the period of feeding the female chicks, as well as when the youngsters are laying off their parents, in the first months they feed without norm and lay as much as they can eat, leaving no residue for subsequent feeding.

7. Do not give water for drinking and bathing directly from the water supply. It should be prepared the day before so that it is not cold and that chlorine leaves it. The water temperature should be at room temperature (+18 + 20 ° С), it is advisable to change it as it becomes soiled, especially in the summer. The drinker should be suspended inside the cage, do not place it on the floor so that the birds do not pollute it.

8. In a separate small jar, there must be clean river sand mixed with chopped eggshells. Sand before mixing must be thoroughly washed, calcined on a gas burner, after which it can be mixed with crushed shells. After grinding, the shell must be sieved through a fine sieve to prevent the death of birds from injuring the gastrointestinal tract in large pieces. Mineral feed should be changed to fresh as it gets dirty.

Juicy Vegetable Feed

Fruits, vegetables, berries and fresh herbs are, like soft foods, additional, but unlike soft foods, canaries should be given plenty of them, as they are a source of vitamins and certain minerals. They are given mainly in finely chopped form, berries mixed with soft food or separately whole. Of the fruits, canaries are most often fed sweet apples, peaches, apricots, cherries and grapes, giving them small pieces.

Of the vegetables, the already mentioned carrots are predominantly used, as well as red beets and cabbage. Beets are fed grated, sometimes mixed with crushed white breadcrumbs.

Fresh herbs are a necessary component of the diet, which should be offered daily. If canaries get greens (lettuce, wood lice, tradiscanthus leaves, spinach, etc.) in sufficient quantities, they usually do not need supplements of vitamin preparations and minerals, except calcium and phosphorus. Of fresh herbs, wood lice are best suited, which can be harvested almost all year long. Sometimes it is mined even from under the snow, since it is not afraid of freezing and after thawing, the stems and leaves of this grass retain their former freshness and elasticity. Woodlouse grows in humid places with loose soil, especially in vegetable gardens and potato beds.

In terms of mineral content, spinach is in first place. It has a large amount of iron. In addition, spinach is rich in vitamins and stimulates appetite. It is fed in a mixture with protein supplements (cool boiled chicken eggs, egg powder, etc.). Spinach also prevents canary plucking of feathers. However, it must be given in small quantities, especially at first, otherwise it can cause diarrhea.

The cross is also a common plant, young canaries willingly eat it. It contains a significant amount of iron. Another weed - dandelion - can use both young leaves and seeds. The substances contained in it promote blood circulation, enhance digestion and improve appetite.

In winter, canaries can also be fed with fresh herbs. To do this, it is grown in boxes, which are filled with a mixture of sawdust and earth (5: 1), sown with meadow grass seeds or wheat, watered with water and put in a bright place. Seeds germinate quickly, and they are given to the canaries, having previously been washed with water from the ground and slightly dried in the shade in the wind from moisture.

Soft feed

In addition to natural feeds, similar to those that canaries consume in nature, various mixtures of plant and animal products can also be used. However, such foods are often unfamiliar to birds. Therefore, at first they do not take them or eat them reluctantly, and when they get used to it, they will readily eat them. These feeds are additive and are given in smaller quantities than the grain mixture.

Soft feeds usually sour quickly, so they are only prepared for one day. They need to be fed from a separate feeder and never mixed with the grain mixture. The remaining soft food should be thrown away at the end of the day so that the canaries do not have gastrointestinal diseases. From soft feeds, canaries are given cottage cheese, boiled and finely chopped chicken eggs, white bread soaked in milk or sweet tea, as well as carrot-cracker mixture, with various additives, for example, with cottage cheese or chopped chicken egg.

Carrot-cracker mixture is prepared from white crackers and juicy carrots, grated, mixing them in approximately equal proportions. The resulting mixture should be crumbly, but not dry, after receiving it, other components are added to the mixture. This food should be prepared immediately before feeding the canaries.

Canary Feeding

Table 2 shows the composition of the grain mixture for canaries. Recipe No. 1 is intended for the kenar when it sits in a separate cage, No. 2 - for females during the rest period, No. 3 - for the period of molting birds and No. 4 - for the period of mating canaries and feeding their chicks. The composition of the components of the grain mixture can be changed depending on the availability of seeds and replaced with seeds corresponding to the biochemical composition. However, it should be remembered that canaries easily fatten with excessive abundance of food, so the amount of food must be strictly normalized. Flaxseed and hemp are given only during molting. Oilseeds in the diet should not exceed 8% of the total mass of the grain mixture.

table 2

The composition of the grain mixture for canaries (%).

Mixture components	Mix recipes
Mixture components	№ 1	№2	№3	№4
Millet of different grades
Rape
Colza
Oatmeal (groats)
Canary seed *
Lettuce seed
Weed seeds
Meadow grass seeds
Flax-seed
Sunflower crushed
Boiled hemp

* Canary seed can be replaced with oatmeal or lettuce seed.

Practice shows that in the absence of flaxseed in the grain mixture, some canaries constipate, and when this component is added to the mixture in an amount of no more than 2-5% of the whole mixture, they pass. Hemp is given only during the molting period of birds, 2-3 grains daily.

Cereal mix

The canary belongs to the granivorous birds, so the main food for them is the seeds of various, mainly herbaceous, plants (the rest of the food is given in smaller quantities or periodically). A significant part of this mixture consists of various varieties of millet (white, yellow, gray and red), and other cereal varieties may also be included: chumiza, canary seed, and others. Canaries are best eaten by millet, chumizu and mahar, but other seeds must also be included in the diet: sprouted wheat seeds, millet and weed seeds. Red millet is eaten worse by birds than other varieties of this cereal, but it contains a lot of carotene - provitamin A, so the presence of it and other varieties of millet in the mixture is necessary. Millet should be odorless and have a pleasant sweetish aftertaste. Faded, darkened grain is not recommended for birds.

Another component of the grain mixture is oatmeal (oatmeal). This valuable, well-digestible food is oat, peeled from the shell and film. Oatmeal can be given to canaries in an amount up to 20-30% of the total mass of the whole grain mixture. Oatmeal is well absorbed by the body and, despite the presence of a large amount of fat, does not cause obesity in the bird. However, if its content is too high in the grain mixture, birds develop constipation.

Flaxseed is a nutritious healing food for canaries. It contains a significant amount of vegetable oil, which acts as a laxative and, if not properly stored, acquires a bitter taste. During the molting period, birds, especially canaries, are fed 3-4 grains a day, and with constipation, instead of water, they are given a decoction of flaxseed. It is better to buy it at the pharmacy and little by little, as it quickly deteriorates.

Chumiz. The grain of this culture is very similar to small millet and may well replace it in the grain mixture, since it is very similar in nutrition and composition to millet. Chumizu is cultivated in the Far East, the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. This is an excellent food not only for canaries, but also for other finch birds.

Canary seed belongs to the family of cereals and belongs to the best cereal feed for canaries. Canary seed in our country is not sown, therefore it is expensive and is given in a mixture with other grain feeds, where it is 10% or more.

Colza This cruciferous oilseed crop is cultivated in the mountainous regions of Armenia and Central Asia. Colza seeds are often sold in pet stores in various cities of Russia. These canary seeds are reluctant to eat, as they are slightly bitter, but this bitterness disappears when boiled for 3-4 minutes in salted water. Prepared in this way colza is introduced into the composition of the grain mixture for canaries in an amount of up to 10%.

Rape. Crucifer family. It is part of the grain mix for canaries. Rapeseed can be annual, spring and biennial, or winter. Seeds of both forms are spherical, small (diameter from 1 to 1.5 mm), in spring rape they are grayish-black or almost dark brown. Seeds of winter rape contain from 40 to 45% fat, spring - from 32 to 38%. If stored improperly for a long time in a warm, unventilated room, the oil contained in the seeds sours and acquires a bitter taste. Such canola is poorly eaten by canaries.

The composition of the grain mixture for canaries should be at least 25% of rapeseed, which is nutritionally comparable to other feeds, but eaten much better than colza, which is often confused with rapeseed.

Seeds of weed. In addition to cereal grains, it is useful to add the seeds of sulfuric and meadow herbs, as well as trees, shrubs, which you can harvest yourself or buy in stores for gardeners. It is not particularly difficult to procure seeds of dandelion, plantain, quinoa, birch, alder, horse sorrel for the summer-autumn period. Torn grass stems with seeds are dried, laying them out on plywood, paper in a warm, dry room or in the shade on the street. After drying, the seeds are sent from the dried stalks and inflorescences, they are collected in cloth bags for storage. Baskets of dandelions are collected before they open and become fluffy balls. A closed basket is cut so that the seeds remain in the basket and the fluff is thrown away. Earrings and cones of trees and shrubs whose seeds are food for many birds are collected, dried and stored in the same way.

Feathered unripe seeds of weeds and meadow herbs are especially fond of, as they are not only nutritious, rich in vitamins and mineral salts, but also very tasty.

Sunflowers are seeds of oilseeds, sunflowers, which can also be included in the diet in mashed form. A small amount of these seeds can easily be crushed with a bottle on the board. Crushed seeds do not last long, therefore, they must be crushed immediately before feeding. Sunflower seeds contain 25-45% of oil.

Canaries are one of the most musical and unpretentious poultry.

For many centuries, canaries delight their owners with pleasant melodious singing, a variety of colors and unusual shapes.

The body length of a room canary is 12–14 cm. The wild species is slightly shorter than the home form (12–13 cm long) and differs greatly in color. The male is green on top with black longitudinal dashes, the upper part of the head, throat and mantle are yellow-green, the color of the back of the chest turns yellow, the belly is white. The female's color is paler, thanks to the grayish borders of the feathers, her back is brownish-gray with black dashes. Captivity greatly changed the canary, and its color became one-color yellow. A mixture of wild canaries and home canaries is very beautiful, it is painted with a mixture of green and yellow.

And it is not surprising that canaries around the world enjoy great and, undoubtedly, well-deserved popularity, which is constantly growing.

According to information that has reached us, already in the 14th century, Spanish and Portuguese sailors began to gradually bring the singers who so enchanted them to their homeland. Most likely these were canaries already settled in captivity, bought from local residents, who gladly kept small singers at home, in woven cells from rods. Thus began a proud "procession" in the world of discreet, but so generously gifted by Nature island birds.

The canary is easily tamed, gullible, amenable to “upbringing” and successfully propagated at home. Canaries can live at home for 15-18 years, contain them in cages and aviaries.

The size of the cage is 30-35 cm in length, 20-22 cm in width, height 27-29 cm. The distance between the rods is no more than 1.2-1.4 cm. The door in the cage should be located on the side. The bottom must be double, preferably made of thin stainless steel (inner bottom) and must be retractable to make it easier to clean the cage, change sand in it and carry out disinfection.

Feeders can be placed at the bottom of the cage, but this most often leads to unsanitary food and cage. It is nevertheless desirable that the feeders in the cages are extendable. In this position, it is easy to get them when feeding and the birds will have less anxiety.

In the cage there should be a perch for the bird, which is round poles with a thickness of not more than 1.5 cm. The surface of the perch remains rough, not cleaned. The distance between the perches should be such that, jumping from one to the other, the bird could freely flap its wings.

Canaries love to swim. Bathing cleanses the skin and strengthens plumage. Bathing water should be at room temperature. The bathing suit is attached to the outside of the door so that water does not enter the cage. After each bath, the bathhouse is cleaned and the doors are closed. Bathing should be washed daily. Canaries should be trained in bathing from an early age, that is, from the moment they are deposited from the female - after 30-35 days of age.

Cells should be cleaned at least twice a week. At this time, the bird needs to be transplanted - distilled into another cage, putting the cages with open doors to each other. The entire inventory of the cage - the pan, feeders, drinking bowls, poles - you need to get out and rinse well with hot water.

Drinking water should be at room temperature. It is poured into a glass or porcelain dish of a small size (3-4 cm high) and placed at the bottom of the cage in a place convenient for drinking birds. Between the rods of the cell, you can insert small feeders in the form of a thimble or a plastic stopper for periodic feeding of honey, grated carrots, yolk in addition to the main food.

The cage is placed in a well-lit place, but not in the sun, not on the window and not in the draft. If the room closes, you can and should let the bird fly. At first 5-10 minutes, and then up to 40-45 minutes. You can teach a bird to sit on your hand, on your shoulder, but this requires a lot of patience. Cages with canaries need to be approached so that the birds see you: talking to them in an even, gentle voice, you will gain the trust of the bird.

Feeding canaries

Feeding canaries is not very difficult. The main feed is grain mix.

In order for the canaries to eat all the food offered to them, and not to choose especially favorite components and at the same time not to get fat, its daily rate must be strictly observed.

On average, 1-1.5 teaspoon with a slide of a grain mixture relies on one bird daily. This rate may vary slightly depending on the breed and physiological state of the birds.

So, during the molting period, the norm should be increased, since the phenomenon of hyperphagia occurs in birds, that is, a large consumption of food necessary for the formation of a new plumage. Obesity cannot occur at this time.

It should also be remembered that the bioenergetic metabolism in small birds is very high, therefore they cannot be left without food in the daytime even for 1-2 hours.

In addition to grain canaries, soft and green food is needed.

Soft food for one serving is prepared from a half cooked in a steep yolk, grated, with the addition of one teaspoon of ground crackers, semolina or better baby food (such as “baby” cereal) and a pinch of poppy seeds.

A good source of vitamins and carotene are various vegetables and fruits. They are cut into slices and strengthened between the rods of the cell near the perch.

From green food, canaries should be given: carrots, bell peppers - a wig, cabbage, lettuce, spinach leaves, celery and dandelion, parsley, apples, pears and strawberries. Like other birds, canaries need mineral feed. They must be kept in a separate feeder at all times. These include crushed eggshells, chalk, charcoal, coarse sand or shell rock.

In addition to mineral top dressing, non-carbonated mineral water can serve.

New bird feed needs to be taught gradually. A sharp change can cause an upset bowel in birds, forced untimely molting and other diseases, so when buying birds, take an interest in what the previous owners fed them.

Crushed nuts and sunflower seeds should also be added to the bird menu.

Breeding canaries

In their homeland, under natural conditions, in wild canaries, the breeding season begins in the 2nd half of March. The best time for mating and breeding chicks in our conditions is spring (March, April, May). During this period, greater daylight hours, and the female can feed the chicks longer. To obtain good offspring, it is necessary to carefully select the male and female. The male should be large, with an interesting song, beautiful plumage, active. Age - at least 1 year. The female must also have the appropriate qualities. It is advisable to select males from one and a half to two years and even up to five years in pairs, and females from 11 months to three to four years. Both manufacturers influence the color of the offspring, and the male influences the vocal qualities, susceptibility to the song and hearing. This should also be taken into account when selecting a pair.

Some amateurs practice mixing one male with two or three females and at the same time get normal broods, but this requires a lot of experience. A more accessible way of mixing one male with one female. Before mating, the cage with the male and the cage with the female are placed next to each other so that the birds see each other and begin to show mutual interest. The male in this period daily, for 5-6 days, is given in addition to the grain soft food. Increase the diet and females. Ready for mating birds are planted in one cage. The male is first planted, and after a day or two, the female is planted to him. The female, launched to the male, quickly mates with him and proceeds to the construction of the nest. From the beginning of mating and the construction of the nest to the laying of the first egg, three to ten days pass.

The mating cage may be ordinary or slightly larger. The nest can be hung in the corner of the cage from the inside or outside, in a quiet place.

In order for the female to calmly build the nest, she needs to put into the cage pieces of chopped cotton or linen thread 2-3 cm in size, small pieces of linen or cotton fabric and even well-dried small hay collected in a ball. Within 6-7 days, the female builds a nest, after which she begins to lay eggs. After the female lays 3-4 eggs, the male is removed from the cage, as the female herself can feed the chicks. But you can leave the male, and he will actively help the female to hatch and feed the chicks.

A female canary hatches the chicks for 13 days. Males also take part in hatched eggs. At the moment when the female goes to feed, he replaces her. On the 14th day, the chicks hatch from the eggs. 3-4 hours after the appearance of the chicks, the female begins to feed them. Both parents from the beak also feed the chicks.

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