Ask Lafeber

Advice needed please regarding canary breeding….

Hi, I am a first time breeder. I have encountered a problem….
One pair has had a clutch of 5 eggs and 3 eggs were successful and have hatched and now the babies have recently left the nest. The problem that I have is that the adult female has had a further clutch of eggs….3 so far and I would like advice on what I can do please.
I realise that I should have removed the male into a cage away from the female but I was not sure when to do this and now I have this issue….if the latest clutch is fertile, can I place the eggs with another female canary that appears to be very broody but hasn’t been paired with a male this time?

I have tried to look for information online about this but I can’t find any answers.

I am sorry if this sounds like an obvious and simple question….but if you don’t ask questions you will never know the answers, right?

Basically I am at a loss of what to do now and I would really appreciate your help and advice.

Kindest Regards,

Rachel

Hi Rachel,

If the chicks are weaned, they need to be moved to another cage. There are some problems with a pair having another clutch right away. Forming and laying eggs is very hard on the hen, so she should be rested for about 6 months between each clutch to let her recover from laying eggs and raising chicks. The other issue is some pairs will focus on the new eggs and fail to wean the chicks, letting them die. Hopefully the pair has weaned the chicks. The best thing to do would be to remove the nest right away and discard the new eggs. It takes at least 48 hours for any development to begin. If you allow this clutch, you need to monitor them very carefully when they hatch and watch for any new eggs. Discard any eggs as she lays them, and as soon as the chicks leave the nest, take the nest away. Removing the male is not going to stop her from laying eggs as long as she has a nest. Fostering the eggs to another pair may or may not work and won’t make much difference. It is the act of forming and laying each egg that takes a toll on the hen. I would not give the eggs to a single female. The male helps the hen and it would be very hard for a single bird to incubate eggs and raise chicks. Your situation is common. We provide an ideal environment for breeding in captivity, so we have to intervene to prevent over breeding. In the wild, a pair would naturally stop because the seasons would change, ending the breeding season. It should be fine this time – just don’t let her raise a third clutch right now – she needs her rest period.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda