Old and rare variety specialist DONALD SKINNER-REID fields some recent enquiries about keeping and breeding canaries Q Do you give your canaries cuttlefish and grit? A Donald Skinner-Reid replies: My background in birdkeeping, as a child and teenager, was with budgies; in…
In the first of three articles, BILLY & PAUL HEATHCOTE reveal how to put together a successful stud of Border canaries, using the tried and test method of creating a related line of birds THERE is so much to learn…
2019 was a great year for Saviour Camilleri, with his Norwich canaries winning top honours at specialist shows around the country. These included best in show at Hinckley, a mecca for Norwich fanciers, making it the third year in a…
ADAM KENDALL shares his memories of a favourite event from the season just completed: the North Wales FFCC show THE alarm sounds. I can just about make out it’s 5am and time to creep round the house to shower and…
Despite its long and complicated history, the true Cinnamon canary is still with us – in the hands of a tiny group of breeders. DONALD SKINNER-REID reckons it deserves wider appreciation WHEN I was in my 40s, my friend Maria…
Vitamin E may be needed for bird health and longevity, but watch it with your breeding hens, warns GERRY PARKER THIS week I’m going to talk about some incidents that have caused problems for me and my mates over the…
Above: Off to a terrific start: novice partnership Grimmer & Hornby’s yellow cinnamon won best in show at the recent National Exhibition. Photo: Steve Dominey STEVE DOMINEY shares his tips for those novices who are the future of the hobby…
Above: Nelson in his immaculate birdroom: ‘So far the Mehringer has proved very free-breeding’ Photo: Nelson Rato Dave Brown talks to NELSON RATO, an accomplished Portuguese canary fancier who is now living in Scotland – and is championing an…
Above: Plastic split rings. Photo: Ivan Chapman/BCCC Colour canary champion exhibitor IVAN CHAPMAN explains his approach to placing split rings on his young birds, and talks us through this process step by step. It doesn‘t need to be fiddly!…
Above: Don Bird’s breeding cages. Note the external nest compartments to left and right – these facilitate quick unobtrusive inspections. Photo Don Bird Your canaries’ nests are their most essential resource, so you don’t want to skimp on design or…