Zebra Finches and why not.......... !
Most people i have met during my years in our hobby have told me that they refer to Zebra Finches as " Squeak, Squeak" Flying Mice..."No chance" they say. How wrong are these sad people. I will argue for these interesting cobby Australian finches. First of all these birds can be quite interesting to say the least.....Yes theirs thousands from John O'Groast to Lands End. but not the specialist exhibition type...Yes they do go "Squeak, Squeak", but thats their way of communicating with one another, Its not not a fault. It's their way of informing each other whats happining around them. I must say not many finches talk to each other like Zebras do.
For a small bird Zebra Finches are one of our few exhibition examples that can carry so many show faults.....Plumage, Markings, Colour Standard, Flat Heads, Droped Tails, To much Wing, To much Leg, Brest Bars, Thin Types, Flanking, Chesty, Laying across the Pearch, Thin Tear Drops, Thin Bodied, Crossed Winged...I could go on and on. so what a challenge for us all to try and over come just to get it right. Remember you have to show them in pairs not like most other British, Canaries, Budgerigars and 90% Foreign...Yes and they both have to match well. then theirs colour mutations like the Pieds for instants, you could breed hunderds before you manage to get a pair with the same marking correctly. Most people right off these birds without ever trying to under stand them. I have seen over the years some truly super examples, like a pair benched at a South Coast open bird show many years back, the exhibitor there was a Champion Breeder Martin Bird who had just won the top prize at the National Zebra Finch show. When these birds come up for best in show they where rejected proberly because they where though of as "Squeak, Squeaks", to me they had to be given the top award as they where outstanding. This I feel is so sad, I beleive Its nearly always the judges fault and not the birds their viewing, as they rarely understand these type of finches.......who would be brave enough to have given Zebras the title of Best in Open Show then have their name published in Cage & Aviary Birds as being a judge on the day !...so I'll leave that argument their on the these little finches.......I've had my say, but judges try to find out more about these intelligent birds.
Good Exhibition Zebras are not always easy to breed as their life span can sometimes be very short....The reason is as they grow in size they can become prone to sudden heart attacks which could be brought on any anytime. A good tip given to me many years ago by a top Zebra exhibitor was alwasy keep the pair you want to show apart until show day. Then as the cock is introduce to It's new partner he should start to display and show his wonderfull plumage. Hopfully throughout the event and just as the judge cast his eyes on these birds, but be warned make certain the hen is not the type to pluck the tail feathers of the cock as sometimes they do.....so give them a run at least 6 to 8 weeks before, and get them ready for the big day this will also let you have with enough time for new feathers if she is a naughty wife!
Breeding of exhibition Zebras should always be controled in separate cages, as these finches are very territorial. they will not only stand up against one another the'll also chase off birds over twice their size. Finally make certain you find out more regarding different types of mutations, this can be very handy when you breed various types. Another strange fact I have noted is ......the first pair I purchased in the 1960's cost me around £2.50p in todays money...In nearly 50 years these same birds could cost you around the same price £2.50p from a bird fair or auction, but be warned they would only be ..........."Squeak, Squeak Flying Mice"
Mick Stone.
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Foxy...... visits fellow club member Graham Claytons Aviaries. More of his Birds
Graham with some of his birds & one of his friends........ FOXY
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Fellow Club Member Dave Allen reports on The All Variety Canary Show....... The All Variety Canary Show was held on the 6th of January at Sacrewell Farm & Country Centre near Peterborough, their was nearly 2,000 canaries on display. Also there were several trade stands catering for all the fanciers needs from seed, breeding equipment to cages and books, making it an ideal show to get all your supplies for the forthcoming breeding season. Their was also a Clubs row section with a number of bird societies with information about their breeds. I had a club table for the Lizard Canary Association with my own display of information on Lizards. This proved many people had quite alot of interest in them and I also put a small display on for the Lancashire Canary as well.
At the show was Cage & Aviary Birds including their new editor Kim Forrester. Making this the best bird show since the country lost the National Cage Bird Show, with most of the top exhibitors across the Uk exhibiting. This is great to see for the hobby and prove the shows are here to stay.
A number of High Wycombe members benched birds at the show with very good results. Our chairman Brian Hogg won the Old Variety section with a Dutch Frill, he also benched the best Lancashire in a keenly contest with 76 exhibits.
Our fellow member Saviour Camilleri won second best Norwich, but the member from High Wycombe who achived a remarkable result was Peter Westbrook who entered 10 Fifes and got all of them in the top 6 cards including one first and two thirds in a section with nearly 400 Fifes...so well done Pete.
Finally congratulations must go to the organizers Malcolm Plumb, Stewart Fox and their hard working and dedicated team.
I myself cant wait for the 2009 AVC show.
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Britains only Gold Medalist at the Last World Show
Chairman Brian Hogg .
My trip to the WORLD SHOW which was held in Hasslet Belgium and our chairman Brian Hogg came back with a Gold Medal, making him a world champion! It was Brians forth world show,at the last world show held in 2005 before the bird flu out break Brian won a bronze medal. It was my first attempt at showing at this world event making me the UK lizard breeder to do so, and i was pleased with my results. I went to the show on friday and returned on the sunday, I traveled with Brian and another Wycombe member Saviour Cammilleri. I was really pleased for Brian who has worked so hard on behalf of the lancashire canary. Brian's winning lancashire was a plainhead cock getting a score of 93 points. Brian just mist out on a bronze in the coppy section by just one point, maybe next year Brian.
I was amazed at the amount of people that i knew at the show and also a number of people who recongized me from my website. There was over 18,00 birds exhibited and a number of trade stands as well. What I enjoyed looking at most apart from the lizards of course, was the aviary displays over european birds. Their was an aviary with about 8 pairs of bullfinches another with glodfinches, crossbills and even one with a pair of whoope which is said to be making a comeback to bred in the UK.
On the exhibition side of the show their was some amazing coloured mutationEuropean (British finches) silver, cinnamons, pastels, pieds ome lokked really spectacular, others looked a bit strange. The lizard section for me was OK but of course many were not colour fed, so they didn't have that sharpness or definision of the spangles.But the best lizard was still an execpitional bird a non cap gold cock. I looked at the norwich section with saviour and they seemed good quality to me. Of course we looked at our own world champions birds the lancashire. This year i also saw a good friend of Brian's and mine Maurice O'Connor, have the Irish fancy finally excepted by the COM.
On Saturday evening the three of us attended the gala event, which was a great exsperience to, all the people from the UK were sat together, and when your country was called up to receive their medals, everyone who attened the gala went up and they played the national anthem. I felt like a British international representing my country....another amazing feeling.
So if you ever get the chance to go to a World show do so or even better why not have a go like me. It will be a memory you will never forget.....You never know you might be come a WORLD CHAMPION too.
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Fellow club member Robin Hurworths artical on
White Canaries
There are two types of white canary
1 Dominant white
2 recessive white
Dominant white as the name implies means that one of the birds must be white to produce whites, you cannot have a bird which looks normal carrying the dominant white factor it is it is either white or normal ie yellow or buff. The most common pairing toproduce whites is white to clear buff this will give a proportion of whites and buffs. One of the features of all dominant whites is yellow on the edges of the wing flights and tail feathers and sometimes yellow on the wing butts and around the head area. When two dominant whites are paired together they donot breed true because they carry a yellow factor so the theoretical results are 25% normal yellows 50% dominant whites and 25% non-viable whites . Everyone confused now!!! Look out for the recessive white writeup that will get you going any queries contact me on robinhurworth@tiscali .co.uk
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High Wycombe's Chairman reports on the Crested Canary Revival ...........In 2006/07 the Crested Canary was deemed to be classified as "RARE BREED" by DEFA. This protects the breed from being culled in the event of a disease out break in the area of the country for which DEFA decided a cull was necessary to contain the diseae. If we look deeper into the need to term the "CREST" rare you will find their are probably less than 100 breeding hens in the country! What a sad time for a wondeful indigenus breed of canary which in its hayday was the most sought after breed to exhibition canary in the country.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's the "CREST" was at its most popular, with large classes of quality exhibits at most shows. Its status was at its highest and was a beautiful bird admired by all. It had evolved from the Lancashire canary and its turn helped produce the Norwich and Gloster which are so popular today. With the enthusiasm for the breed and the high staus of the exhibitor which went with owning the best bird came its downfall. A price hike! Birds changed hands for hundereds of pounds and so the average wage earner was unable to buy stock. So the decline statred and when you look at some of our exhibition canaries today you must ask yourself which breed will be next! Will it be the Border canary which is now being priced out of the market? Other birds commanding high prices are Yorkshire and Norwich canaries. You have to ask is it good for the future of the breeds that command these high prices.
The Fife and Gloster canaries, being more affordable, have taken over from the other breeds of canary in numbers on the show bench, but if you like a larger canary then you must go to the Border, Yorkshire, Norwich Lancashire or Crested canary. The Crested is about to change in both price and availabilty if a small gathering of breeders, four dedicated breedersinfact have stated to pool thier stocks of this magnificent breed of canary and help each other by swapping available stock, which in turn will mean more birds bred. It needs dedication and a "want" for the breed to again become more available and reasonably priced. this process of swapping birds stated in a small way last year and has already had good results. this year three of the breeders in the scheme have swapped stock to enable more breeding pairs for 2008 breeding season.
A stock register is being produced to calculate the numbers of stock, bloodlines etc. this is needed to ensure no in-breeding of stocks and keep the bird vibrant. it is a determined effort to regain some lost ground but we all know it will not be "plain sailing". So i am asking all other breeders of the Crested canary who would like to share thier information to contact John Page who is going to produce our stock register. We need Numbers, Sex, Age and Bloodline details. All information will be kept confidential but progress of the breeding plan for the Crest survival will be published after the 2008 breeding season.
Please contact John Page a the address below or one of the other members. Details are below an if you are on e-mail it is easier for the information to be circulated and passed on to our members.
Letters are also welcome....We hope to make this project happen.
John Page. Nick Hall. Dominic/Andrew Franz.Brian Hogg at andrew.franz@ntlworld.com Tel: 01322 521661.
I look forward to seeing you around the shows and reading your stories. Brian Hogg
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