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ISSN 1492-8132
Issue 140, © 2006
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Welcome to Robirda's Companion Bird eZine
For breeder or pet bird owners who care.
Website News
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It's here! Brats in Feathers, Keeping Canaries is now available in a less costly coil-bound black-and-white edition, for those who prefer a lower price - but we haven't forgotten that many of you treasure the colour photos! We have included the option to add a 26 page full-colour glossy insert, with 52 full colour photos. The total cost with the colour insert is similar to that of the first edition. We think this edition looks absolutely stunning! They're already selling, so be sure to order yours soon!
Feature Article
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Banding Babies
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © Feb 2006
'Banding' is the name given to the process of putting a small unique 'ring' on a bird's foot, so as to be able to identify it individually.
There is a variety of different kind of rings or bands used for this purpose. Many are 'closed' bands - ie, they are a simple, solid ring that cannot be changed in size, and must be put on the bird while it is still in the nest; usually these bands are put on when the bird is about a week old, although the timing will vary, not only between species, but between individuals, depending on the species, the breed and the rate of growth.
Closed bands may or may not be coloured, depending on the issuing organization, but will usually be stamped with the year and a unique code, allowing it to be used as proof of the year the bird was hatched. Usually, too, each band will be registered by the selling club to the name of the buyer. This allows the bands to act as proof of breeding. Most shows require any birds entered in the show to be wearing such a band, in order to be eligible for the current-year classes.
Other bands are 'open' or 'split'; these are most often made of coloured plastic, but may be made of aluminum. An open band can be put on the bird at any age, and are usually used by breeders to help identify individual birds at a glance. Sometimes a split band will be used to act as an indicator of gender, or they may be used as a 'family' band, where all related individuals will wear a plastic band of the same colour, making it easy, when planning matings, to prevent accidental breeding of closely related birds.
The decision of whether or not to band your birds depends on a number of variables. Would you like to show your birds? Then you should close-band your birds. Do you raise a specific breed of canaries, such as the American Singer? Then you should purchase your bands from a club that issues bands specifically for that breed. This makes the banding records much easier to trace, should the need ever arise.
Perhaps you don't ever plan to show, nor do you breed very many birds. You believe that you will always be able to remember each and every individual hatched in your household. But what will you do if a youngster should turn out to look exactly like his or her parent? This kind of situation is where the open or split bands can be very useful. Placing a coloured band on the leg of the adult can prevent you from accidentally getting two similar looking birds confused, at any stage of life.
So now that you've decided to band your baby birds, where do you get your bands, and how to you use them?
There's several possible sources for closed or open bands, depending on where you live. Often the easiest source is your local bird club; once you've joined, you will have the right to purchase registered closed bands from them.
Most clubs also sell a variety of 'open' plastic split bands, often available in a wide choice of colours. You may have already noticed that some breeders use both open and closed bands on their youngsters; many a canary is seen with a closed band on one foot, and a coloured plastic split band on the other, usually indicating either the bird's family, or its gender. These 'open' bands come with a tool that makes it easy to put onto a bird's leg at any age.
There are plenty of other sources for bird bands, but if you think you would like to show your birds, it is usually to your advantage to purchase your bands from the local club that will be hosting the shows you'll want to attend. For one thing, some clubs will not allow birds to be shown unless they are wearing the bands issued by the club.
Of course, if there is no such club anywhere near you, you may need to join a national organization, or purchase your bands online; some sources are listed at the end of this article.
Wherever you should get your bands, be sure to obtain the appropriate size for your youngsters! It's no fun finding out that you've used too-small bands, and that they need to be cut off because as the bird grows, they are becoming embedded in the leg! Needless to say, this can cause all sorts of problems.
That raises another issue; if you're going to be close-banding your babies, it's a good idea to purchase a good pair of band-cutters. You never know when a problem might arise, and you will find yourself having to cut a band off a canary leg! It's a good idea to know how to do this safely, without harming the bird or it's leg, BEFORE the need arises.
A good pair of band cutters is available from Birds 2 Grow; you will find it with the bands, in the resources listed at the end of this article. I recommend buying some extra bands at the same time, then use them to practice using your band cutter.
I don't, though, recommend that you put these extra bands on a canary leg and then try to cut them off! Instead, find a willow tree, and cut some small green twigs, making sure they are about the same size as a canary leg.
Slip a band onto a twig, and practice cutting it off the twig until you can do it without leaving any marks on the tender green bark of the twigs. Once you can do that, you should have no problems removing a band from a bird's leg, if you need to.
Now that you have your bands and know how to use your band cutters, the next question is, how and when to put the closed bands onto your young canaries?
Occasionally I am asked if there is such a thing as a 'banding machine' to assist in the chore. Unfortunately, I know of no such thing...baby canaries, like most other close-banded birds, are banded by hand. Often the clubs that sell bands will have a flyer to offer you, showing pictures illustrating the process of putting the bands onto the babies, or you can refer to the pictures posted at the link listed at the end of this article.
Basically the process involves slipping the band over the first three toes, then over the back toe almost to the ankle joint - the back toe is gently pulled through, and the band is on.
Just when to put the band on is a good question - it can vary from bird to bird, and from species to species. In general, the idea is to put the band on just before the leg reaches its full adult size; this allows the band to be slipped over the joint of the foot onto the leg. Within a day or two after this is done, the joint will be too large to allow the band to be removed, leaving the band permanently in place.
With canaries, the right time to close-band the youngsters is usually about seven days or so of age, but that varies depending on the rate of growth. Also, since canary hens clean the nests of all foreign materials until the babies are about a week or so old, if you band too early you risk the chance of the hen trying to clean the band out of the nest. Usually she will try to pull the band off the baby's foot, but if she is not able to do this, too often the baby will be thrown out right along with the band!
Because of this, I wait until I see a dropping on the edge of the nest that is not being cleaned up by the hen. This means that the hen has stopped paying such close attention to keeping the nest clean, and that she will not be as likely to take as extreme an objection to bands on her babies legs as she would even a day earlier.
Before banding your babies, always be sure to examine the inside of the bands closely, and make sure they are smooth, with no tiny sharp cutting edges, and no tiny beads or pieces of scrap metal to act as an irritant or cause damage to the skin. Such irritants can cause a bird to fuss with his band, and may eventually cause problems such as infections or worse, perhaps to the point of neccesitating removal of the band.
Even though I've waited for droppings to begin to show on the edge of the nest, I take yet another step of precaution to make sure that the hen doesn't take objection to the new bands on her youngsters legs, and plan to band the babies in the evening, shortly before the lights go out for the day.
I prepare the area where I'll be banding, then wait until the babies have had their evening feeding, so their crops are full for the night. Then I take the entire nest away, out of the birdroom and out of sight of the youngsters' mother.
I recommend banding baby canaries sitting down at a table, with a warmed towel spread out before you. Put the nest down onto the towel, then gently remove the babies and place them individually on the warmed towel.
Put both elbows firmly on the table, and gently pick up the first youngster. It will probably pass a dropping, in its surprise at being picked up; it won't harm you, just ignore it, until you have a chance to shake it off. Remember, it's encased in a special sac that will prevent it from sticking, so it will shake off easily. Wiping, on the other hand, just smears it in.
If you're right-handed, hold the baby in your left hand, and gently grasp the youngster's right foot. Take the band you're going to put on the baby, and wet it with a little saliva from your mouth - it will help the band slide on more easily.
If you're lucky, the baby will stick the three front toes straight out, and it will be easy to slide the band onto them. Sometimes they insist on holding their foot with the toes curled up tightly, in which case you may have to gently rearrange them, until you can get the band over the front three toes.
Slide the band up the toes and over the joint or 'ball' of the foot. You may have to wriggle it about a little to get it over, but you should not have to force it too strongly! If you do, you could put the back toe out of joint; this is called a 'slipped claw', and while it can be fixed, it takes some time and trouble to do so. Worse, it's painful for the bird, so it's easier on both you and the youngsters if you avoid forcing a band on.
Sometimes the band just won't go on, whatever you do - in which case, make a note of the parents, and the next time they have babies, try banding a day earlier.
If the babies are the right age to band, you should be able to just get the band over the ball of the foot, with a little bit of extra push and wriggle, without having to use too much force. Once the band is over the 'hump', continue sliding it up the leg, until the back toe is free. If necessary, use the tip of a toothpick to pull the tip of the back toe free. Tah-dah! You've banded your first baby canary!
Once the baby is banded, put it back into the nest, and proceed with the next youngster. They might wriggle some, but take your time and be patient and gentle, and you should have no real problems...just don't try to rush yourself. Remember, it's not urgent that it be done fast, just that it be done well!
Once you're done banding all the youngsters, return the nest to the hen just before lights out - that way she won't have time to examine the nest and notice the bands. You want her to barely have time to cover the nest before the it's time to sleep...that way when she wakes in the morning, she will be far more likely to accept the bands as belonging in the nest.
Some clubs issue coloured bands that catch the hen's eye, even after she would normally have stopped cleaning the nest. If you think that may be the case with your hens, try including some short pieces of embroidery floss in the nesting material you offer the hen when she is beginning to build.
If you use a colour as similar as possible to the colour of that year's bands, she will become used to seeing that colour in her nest, and hopefully will not object when she sees bands of that same colour on her youngsters' legs.
Banding the youngsters is one of those chores that can seem terribly difficult, when you first consider it, but it really takes very little practice to get the hang of it. And once you do, you will wonder why you ever thought it was such a big deal!
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © Feb 2006
Resources:
Purchase bands or band cutters online:
Drawings of banding a young canary;
"Everyone always asks me why my birds are such beautiful singers and breed such magnificent babies...I tell them that I learned from Robirda! While they give their birds all kinds of 'magical' formulas, I just follow your guide to 'keep it simple.' My birds are now very healthy, and there has been no recurrence of the infection. Thank Goodness!" R.C., Florida
Song CD
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Do you like to keep your canaries singing? Our CD of Robirda's canaries in full song stimulates pet canaries to sing more, and is a popular choice for many canary owners. But it can also be used to bring more wild birds to your feeders, or to make your pet parrots more comfortable with their surroundings.
Best of all - we've now sold enough CDs to allow us to lower the price! So if you haven't gotten yours yet, now's a great time! We get a great deal of positive comments from happy customers, so we're sure you'll be pleased. Here's what two recent buyers had to say:
"Thank you for creating such a beautiful CD. I just purchased 'New Songs From the Birdroom' for my cockatiel to listen to whenever I have to leave him alone for any period of time. The CD is absolutely fantastic, thanks again!"
"My 'baby' Jingles and I are both thrilled with your CD! It arrived within days of my purchase and it's the best CD out there! I have purchased every CD available, and yours was the only one my canary responded to. The CD has attracted the wild birds outside his little garden sanctuary, so my canary has lots of vocal competition now, which makes him sing even more."
Find out more about our Canary Song CD!
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