Canaries, What is the proper lighting for breeding?

[@georgeray649]

As you know I am from India, the climate are still close to 12degrees specially after 3pm. but wanna share my experience. today being sunday just had my lunch and slept by 12.30pm. and woke by sharp 15.30. I saw both of them screaming and chirping wildly. I made sure keeping the tube light on in the kitchen but kept the bulb off. and switching off the bulb was the problem. just 3hours....they became wild. the moment I switched on the bulb there they both flew into the box and sat together. really was a touching sight Chris. sorry for burning your time for reading this incident. Happy Sunday. You are amazing Chris. I think you should not only try colorations with Gouldians but try taming them. They are really clever and highly responsible being parents.

[@birdnerd]

Very cool thanks for the experience. You know i have had some tame Gouldians in the past because I had hand raised them and it was very fun.

[@georgeray649]

Good to hear about the hand raised ones.

[@canarybreedinginpakistanja452]

@@birdnerd hello i have a pair of canary hen nesting from 1 month male is mating but no eggs yet...plzzzzzzz reply what i can do

[@Christianpaul71]

Have you read about the Sunflex24 light timer. You can time the sunrise/sunset. Also has a breeding, resting/molting mode and default mode. I hope to order one next week. Its a small digital box with touch screen and other features. You can time when and how long your sunset/sunrise should last. Set when to start/end breeding lights. Lights increase over time according to your settings. Decrease lighting over time according to your settings. You have total control of the lights. It comes out of Arizona.

[@birdnerd]

hmm I haven't heard of it but i'll look into it thought.

[@edk6787]

Thank you that info was helpful, i also raise gouldians but i love canaries and acquired 2 pair. I want to try to breed them and right now i have them up to 12 hrs light. The males started singing one female is interested but the other isnt yet.

[@birdnerd]

Very nice, Do you have the pairs together or separate? Keep increasing your lights by a half an hour about every two weeks and at about 13.5 hours your birds should be wanting to breed. I usually try to keep all of the canaries in separate cages from each other but that they can still see each other. This way the males will sing a lot more which will help bring your hens into breeding condition faster. Also provide a nest with your females and when they start building a nest thats a good sign that they are ready to breed.

[@yvetteortiz6370]

Is it ok to cover the cage and lights off at night when not breeding. When breeding the lights stay on all day long...and for how long? Thank you.

[@birdnerd]

Yes you can cover the cages at night. during breeding i will leave the lights on for about 12 hours.

[@yvetteortiz6370]

Thank you. Love all your birds. Super cute!

[@birdnerd]

@@yvetteortiz6370 Thank you

[@canarybreedinginpakistanja452]

@@birdnerd i have a pair of canary hen nesting from one month male is mating but no eggs yet....plzzzz reply what i can do

[@edk6787]

Thank you for your guidance, i know i can be a pain. Im great at goulds but new at canaries.

[@birdnerd]

Anytime, I'm happy to help out with what I can. Best of luck to you and hopefully your hen canary will come around.

[@pierrekattar3591]

What type of led light to use, red or white? Do u recommand to put a light to every cage in the room,or big ome that can cover the room also can led effect on eye of canaries can they go blind?? 2 watt led is enough for a pair of canary in breeding cage ?? Sorry for my bed expression and mistake.

[@georgeray649]

Hi Chris, finally got your name. haha. I barely see my red heads outside the nest box. they just come out to eat and drink. that's it. they have a lot of responsibility. good signs by the grace of God.

[@birdnerd]

Definitely a sign of a good pair and that they are very interested in their breeding.

[@fh4909]

Hi what spectrum light do I use... can I use like a 4500K when breeding canaries?

[@CarlosRivera-fp6rx]

Hi Chris, Is it safe to use led lights for our birds? I mean since normal light flicker in their eyes. I know that the best is to use light for birds with uva and uvb but just wondered. 🇳🇴

[@edk6787]

Thank you for all your help. Do you decrease and increase your light by weekly half hour increments? After the moult?

[@birdnerd]

You know I kind of run a half system. During the winter months is when I control the lighting up to the 14-15 hour lighting time and i keep them at those hours for a few months and then during the summer I put them outside in the aviary and they run off of the sunlight hours from July to October and thats when they molt because our summer days has lengths of 15+ hours a day. When I put them back inside in the end of October the sunlight period is about 10-11 hours so thats what I set my lights to and then I gradually start increasing a half an hour every 2 weeks until the 13-14 hour mark which is around February/March time. I hope that helps a little for you.

[@teguhwibisono8076]

Hi Chris, please inform what is the nama of manufacture the cage did you have for breeding canary?

[@debrafolson6202]

My carnaries only had one baby when to wean it

[@edk6787]

I placed one pair together. She is carrying nest material around but not going in the nest tet. As soon as i removed the divider they breed. I am keeping an eye on them

[@birdnerd]

Kepp them together and see what they do sometimes it takes a few days for the hen to start building a nest. Make sure you have several different kinds of materials for the hen to build her nest with

[@bobmiller5835]

Where did you get your cages?

[@edk6787]

Hi As of right now my male canaries are separated from the females, but right next to them, which is xausing them to sing like crazy right now. I noticed one female is pulling nest material out of the little bit i place in the cage bars. I dont have a nest in yet. The other female doesnt look as interested yet. I just reached 12 hrs of light this week My gouldians are all breeding but i wasnt sure i would be able to breed canaries in the same room as my goulds. Until i heard you say you do. Im sorry for asking so many questions but i think my setup is similar to yours. Also i have a few cages with their own lights on them of which i have timers on them to match the timer on the main room lights, but my problem was what to do with the fact that my room has 4 windows in it so that affects my canaries at some point in the lighting schedules. Im sure.

[@birdnerd]

Sounds like you are doing everything right keep increasing the lighting every couple of weeks to about 13-14 hours. Yeah it is tricky breeding canaries with other finches because of lighting but Gouldian finches are not as dependent on lighting as other finches are so it makes it a little easier to pair those breeds together for breeding seasons. In a week or two put a nest in for the females and see what happens, they may build a nest quickly or it may take a week or so for the hens to be interested in the nest. You could try to move your canaries if you can so they are closer to the artificial lighting than by the window to see if that helps them.

[@edk6787]

Im a little worried because my lights will be at 13 hrs this weekend and i see her placing material in the nest but not really making a nest. I saw him jump on her but not really mate. I hope she comes around , i dont want to go to much higher in light lenght

[@birdnerd]

It could be possible that she is interested in the other male. I have had that happen to me before, when my female just played in the nest but didn't really build it. So took that male out and placed another male nest to her but not in the same cage as her she build a complete nest quickly and I put in the new male and they nested quickly. Or it could just mean that she is coming into condition but slowly and she needs a little more time. Make sure you are giving them egg food and millet sprouts and other nutritious foods to help bring them into condition.

[@edk6787]

So far the first nest had only one chick in it ,which now is about 2 weeks old. I saw them breed again yesterday and i placed a second nest in thier cage but no building yet, she still is sitting on her one chick. The second hen has 4 chicks about 4 days old. Do i keep the lights at 14 hrs for about 2 months or so to keep them in breeding mode ?

[@birdnerd]

Awesome congrats on the chicks that awesome, usually when the chicks are around 2-3 weeks old is when she will start building another nest so give her time an she'll start building again. Yeah let the lights sit for a couple months and then you can start gradually decreasing them.

[@edk6787]

Also my male in the pair that is on eggs has gotten for lack of a better word , aggressive some what towards the female on the nest . I think from hormones if ya know what i mean. So i separated him with a divider ftom her as she sets. Is that ok ? Please help.

[@birdnerd]

Thats perfectly fine and sometimes males can be overly aggressive. The hen will be fine sitting on the nest alone, I have 2 pairs right now where I separated the male and the hens have incubated and hatched out their eggs and are raising their young by themselves and they are doing a great job at it.

[@pikubird]

Great breeding room man and beautiful healthy birds. Got to ask, what’s your winter temperatures and what type of heating do you use for the bird room?

[@birdnerd]

Thanks Andi, We have cold winters temps are usually around 10-25 degrees Celsius from December to February. My she is insulated and I have a small electric heater that I bought form walmart that is on a thermostat and it keeps temps around 70-75 degrees.

[@pikubird]

birdnerd thx for the reply! I’m looking to build a bird room in my backyard but being in 3B zone, winter are very harsh and the temp goes somewhere from -25 to -40 degrees Celsius. Now if your winters go up to -25 C and are warming up your shed with a small heater that makes me feel very confident. Anyways thanks for your reply

[@birdnerd]

As long as you insulate your shed and make it air tight. a small heater on a thermostat can keep your shed warm during the winter. @@pikubird

[@firehorse9996]

​@@pikubird That's just too damn cold. One draft of cold wind or a very brief power outage and all your birds will be dead. So fast. It's too cold to even carry them into your house under your jacket without them freezing from exposure. Do you have any birds now? They are incredibly fragile creatures.

[@pikubird]

Fire Horse yup it freaking cold but again living in these type of countries you’ve got all sort of heating backup options. We only use natural gas for homes here and the forced furnace only needs little power to get the fan going. If power goes out the generator goes off in .7 seconds. I just don’t want to connect a second gas line in the bird room and that’s why I was looking for different options. I’m a 35y breeder and know the birds well to jeopardize their life so don’t you worry about that. If you have any experience with different types of heating then please share, otherwise I really don’t need any other type of info

[@edk6787]

I will be at 13.5 hrs of light on sat. She did breed with him once that i saw but she still isnt really sitting in her nest or always liking him. Is that ok

[@birdnerd]

Sometimes the hens can be picky with who they mate with. Give them another week together to see if anything happens and if they fight or nothing happens with the hen maybe separate them and let see what the hen does for a few days on her own.

[@edk6787]

At what stage is it safe to put the male back with the female since I separated him while she has been sitting on eggs

[@birdnerd]

I Just added a video talking a little bit about that. Take a look at it and if you have any more questions let me know

[@porterandnoahscanaryroom7822]

Hey Chris, what is your strategy for the temperature when getting the birds ready? Very informative video by the way.

[@birdnerd]

Right now my temperature is set at a range of 73-78 degrees F. and I will keep it at that temp for the entire breeding period. In the summer time I don't regulate the temperature and it can get to temps of 100 degrees F. but the birds aren't breeding during that time and I provide plenty of fresh water for bird baths and air circulation to help it feel cooler for the birds. I have found that temps of 74-80 degrees the birds (canaries, Gouldians, Societies, etc.) have done really well for me breeding so those are the temps that i try to achieve wen breeding the birds.

[@allenhernandez9635]

How do your nests hook on the triple breeders ?

[@birdnerd]

I hang the nest on the outside of the cages.

[@SajidKhan-iz3rn]

Hi tell me how can I buy that cage from I live in England

[@edk6787]

One pair bred and she made a nest the other pair, the male sings to her but she wont let him breed her yet. The lights are at 12 hrs

[@birdnerd]

Thats ok she may not be ready yet keep following your lighting schedule and start giving them more egg food and high nutrient seeds to help to bring her into breeding condition.

[@edk6787]

He sings to her but she starts to fight if he gets too close. But she has started to carry around nesting material but still hasnt started a complete nest.

[@birdnerd]

It's possible that she likes the other male and that's why she is fighting the male when he gets close to her, or she just isn't quite ready yet for him to breed with her

[@luciaquintero8838]

Hi there I live in Florida, is September now, can I still breed my canaries ?

[@birdnerd]

It all just depends on if you have them set up on the proper lighting schedule if they are outside and the sun is their lighting they will not be ready to breed because right now we are losing hours of sunlight as we approach the winter season and your canaries should be getting ready for the molt season.

[@luciaquintero8838]

@@birdnerd hi there , thank you for sharing your knowledge, the sun is there light and they are just finishing moulting season, I was told I have to wait until December. Thank you appreciate your respond

[@birdnerd]

@@luciaquintero8838 Yeah if they are just finishing with their molts then around december would be good for them to breed.

[@luciaquintero8838]

@@birdnerd thank you .

[@JCATAPULTHUNTING]

Hi Chris quick one I have two canaries trying to breed have them in breeding box the cock bird was trying to make the neast and trying to breed with the hen but the hen is not having any of it iv tired Putin cuttle fish shells pretty much everythink but still don't want to. Breed I was taking maybe the hen don't like the cock but I'm lost for glues any help would be fantastic thanks

[@birdnerd]

Also canaries will breed better in a nesting pan, maybe a wicker basket, but will not usually expect a nest box for breeding.

[@juancarlosgomezlozano7129]

Bellos.retoño.

[@edk6787]

Just an update both hens are on eggs actually one hen is on eggs the other one has young but the light is up to 13 and a half hours so how long do you keep it at 13 and a half hours before you change it to a higher amount so that you don't promote molting

[@birdnerd]

Congrats on the eggs and babies that is awesome. I leave mine at that length of time for about 2-3 months to give them the chance of having at least 2 rounds of chicks and then I increase the light past 14 and it promotes their molts and then I drop the lighting back down until i reach about 10 hours of light and then i start taking it back up again in preparation for the next year.

[@canarilacrrodrigues2219]

Like.

[@edk6787]

I will do that. I noticed the female that built a nest is sitting in it

[@birdnerd]

Thats normal and she is telling the male that she is ready to breed and getting ready to lay eggs, so make sure you have the male in there with her.

[@edk6787]

Also the other female is not letting him breed here yet that i can see ,but she is starting a nest

[@birdnerd]

Are they fighting with each other? It seems like she is close