Chris and Gordon Vaughan's  Fife Canary Website

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Management Methods

The birdroom is 14 feet by 8 feet and contains 80 cages. It also has laminated flooring, which can be cleaned easily. It is insulated along with heaters for when it is very cold.  It also contains an air purifier, which reduces the dust in the birdroom, which is very important.

Managing A Stud

Breeding 120 youngsters every season and then showing them from local shows to shows in the north east and Scotland, takes up a considerable amount of our time. Only breed and show to your satisfaction, it is our choice to breed the amount we decide, but fewer pairs and just sticking to local shows can provide just as much enjoyment. Remember canaries are livestock and they need attention every day!

Cleaning Drinkers

First of all I have two sets of drinkers, so that when one set is being cleaned the other set can be used. When cleaning them I place them in a bucket of water with a couple of cap fulls of Milton, which can be purchased from your local supermarket. It is what babies bottles get washed in. I leave them to soak in this for about a fortnight, and then rinse them out and they come out spotless. However if you only have one set or want to clean them right away vanodine V18 is just as effective, place two capfuls in boiling water and wash them using a tooth brush.  

Cages  

When cleaning the cages I use a dustpan to get rid of the sawdust, then I use a Hoover to get rid of any bits left behind. I then get a bucket with Vanodine V18 and boiling water and soak a dishcloth in it. I then wipe all around the cage. I then spray the cage with anti mite spray and in each corner I put a dab of Johnson's mite powder, I then place the Goldchip sawdust on top which I find is the best bedding around at the moment. I also use plastic perches so I wash these in the Vanodine as well, but I make sure I dry them before returning them to the cage.

Feeding and Watering 

All of our birds get mixed seed throughout the year. However more plain is given in the showing season. Although some would say it is unnecessary I like to top the seed hoppers every day, so that they have seed At all times.
I have always been in favour of giving the birds greens. Having tried most greens the best green to give the birds is broccoli, they love this and will eat all of it. However I must state before you give them the broccoli make sure you wash it under the tap before giving it to them.

Drinkers

The drinkers are also provided with fresh water every day. Unfortunately I do not have a sink in the bird room so I use a tray to take the drinkers up to the house. I take the old water out and then rinse the drinker out before filling it with fresh water.

Breeding Methods

When breeding canaries, the aim for every fancier is to have all the birds looking the same so that they all have the quality features needed to do well on the show bench. In order for this to happen all the birds need to be related. OK it has been known for two unrelated birds to be put together and produce a show winning fife, but the likelihood of its nest mates and off spring to hold these quality features is very little.

So to get all the birds in the stud related we have used the following pairs over the years, which have produced some quality youngsters:

·       Half - brother and sister,

·       grandfather to granddaughter,

·       Grandmother to grandson,

·       Mother to son

Type, Size and colour.

If a fife canary has got good type and size along with good shoulder, in my eyes it is a bird that is not too far away from being a top class fife. When birds are being shown the judge is looking for other qualities such as a good head or Colour, but these are things that can easily be worked on. When I am looking for my best birds either to show or breed, qualities such as colour comes last in my list, colour is the icing on the cake so to speak.

Lastly when picking your breeding team make sure you use big buff cocks to small hens or vice versa, when breeding, this will maintain the type and width in the youngsters. Pairing two small birds together will loose the width in the youngsters. Remember your best show birds might not breed the best youngsters

Dates Of Pairing Up

Our birds are paired up at the end of March, although both the hens and cocks will show when they are ready, by the hens picking up and the cocks will be throwing their necks back and dancing on the perches.

Showing

Always box your birds the night before as this will limit mistakes being made in the morning because of time. Leave the lid open slightly to provide some air for the birds.
Always train your birds so they are use to the show cage and are nice and calm when being handled. Your birds can be the best birds at the show you take them to, but if it is nervous it will not show its true potential to the judge and so it will not win.
The week before a show spray your birds twice, using Johnson's plume spray in Lukewarm water. In between this I like to place a bath on the cage so the front of the bird is washed as well. This will provide your bird with fine plumage for the show.

Releasing Birds

We usually breed around 120 youngsters every season. When releasing birds do not be in a hurry to get rid of them. They can change very quickly. I would much prefer to keep feeding and watering a bird for another month or two than releasing it right away to find that it was probably one of the best birds in the shed.
Never be tempted to sell one of your best birds. These do not have a price they are a lot more valuable than money. You have taken a considerable amount of time in breeding the bird and to sell it is just wasting all that time and providing the seller with your success, without them putting in the time and putting it to an unrelated bird will probably produce poor quality young anyway.