Second round babies are now all hatched! Total for the 2008 breeding season is 73 chicks, which includes 8 Hartz canaries.

All chicks from the first round are now weaned and flying in the walk-in flight. They continue to receive moist eggfood twice a day until all chicks are six to eight weeks old and eating seed well. Then the moist eggfood is cut to once a day until the birds have completed their annual molt.

I have had a large number of babies singing at four weeks old- this bodes well for their freedom. Already the bird room is filling up with the sounds of babies warbling... I do love to hear the baby babble!

I successfully bred this year on only 13 hours of light. When all of the chicks are at least 6 weeks of age I will drop the hours of light to 9.5 hours a day and all the birds will begin to molt.

Yours in the American Singer fancy,

~Marie