Breeding season 2008 has reached a bit of a lull- most of the hens I have caged up are sitting on eggs and are not due to hatch until March 3rd or later. While they are sitting, the hens receive their usual seed mixture, a small pinch of herb salad, and small servings of finely chopped broccoli and carrots. The day prior to the expected hatch date, the hens will receive a small taste of eggfood.

At this point, my lights are on for 12.5 hours a day with an additonal 15 minutes provided by an ordinary tabletop lamp for those hens who need a few extra minutes to get back to their nests.

The question has arisen on a few email lists about the hours of light needed for successful breeding. "Experts" like to make blanket statements about the number, but the reality is that different lines of birds require different amounts to come in to breeding condition and do all the things required for success (nest building, laying fertile eggs, incubating through hatching, feeding and weaning babies, etc). Also, WHAT WORKS FOR ONE BREED OF CANARY MAY NOT WORK FOR ANOTHER! My birds are generally getting pretty active at 11 hours of light. I may start seeing eggs at 11.5. I pair at 11.5-12, depending on the overall picture I am getting of the birds. (Older, experienced birds I will pair sooner than young ones.)

Despite the dire predictions of some experts,I have not had a hen that completely refused to feed- ever. Good hens will feed (unless they are very ill, and even then they will feed a little). Bad ones won't feed no matter how many hours of light you provide.

What I was told when I first began by a breeder with 25+ years of experience (and the greatest number of Grand Champions in the American Singer fancy since Cliff Williams at that point in time) was this: turn the lights up until all the birds are acting the way they are supposed to, then stop. If they are all doing very well at 13 hours of light, why turn them up any higher?

This season has been calmer than many- only a couple of my planned pairs had relationahip issues and of those, only one was serious enough for me to pull the male and change the pairing. In both instnaces, the hen was upset with a young male that approached her too aggressively. Older, experienced males (at least in my experience) are more likely to take the time to sing to the hen and to feed her. Even my most aggressive hens tend to respond to this treatment.

My waiting list is beginning to fill out. It seems to be the general consensus among bird folks that the difficult economic conditions in the Midwest have seriously impacted the number of folks interested in purchasing birds.

Experienced breeders have indicated to me that as economic conditions decline there tends to be an uptick in the numbers of folks buying and breeding canaries. I do not believe that this will prove to be the case as society has changed significantly. People lead much faster paced lives & work longer hours these days- canary breeding does not fit well into such a lifestyle. Also, the folks attracted to breeding canaries tend to be those who grew up with canaries in the home. Several generations have passed since canaries were a common household pet and one can see the impact of this at the exhibitions in the fall. There are a few younger faces among exhibitors, but not many. I really hope that this will change in the future!

Wishing you all success in the 2008 breeding season,

~Marie