| NESTING CANARIES Article published April 2003
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What to do about wilful hens that lay where they choose and not always in the best place.
Concerns over nestsitesNewcomers to canary breeding are often concerned about the nesting habits of their stock. Whilst nine out of ten birds will generally behave 'according to the book', the remainder will 'do their own thing.'Take nesting sites. Most fanciers provide nest pans fixed onto the side walls or rear of the cage, either hung onto screws at perch level, or mounted on purpose made stands. Each nest is usually fitted with a felt liner or similar, stitched or fixed to the pan using melted soap, or in my case, wallpaper paste. The trouble starts when the hen decides she does not like the position of the nest pan. In these cases, she will generally prefer the cage floor. Try as you may, you are unlikely to move the hen from her chosen spot - at least until she has laid her full clutch of eggs, and has commenced incubation.
Best plansI find the best plan is to allow her to build her nest in her chosen spot, and to lay her eggs unhindered. Take each egg away each morning, replacing it with a 'dummy' plastic egg, returning the real eggs after the fourth one has been laid.If you decide to reposition the nest to its original site, then it is an easy matter when the clutch has been completed, and the hen has started to incubate. Then, she will be unlikely to leave the nest come hell or high water, especially if you provide some temporary cover. Place a six inches by four inches record card onto the front of the cage, to provide shelter from prying eyes, whilst she goes about the tasks of incubating, hatching, and raising her family. Alternatively, provide a barrier to contain the nest in its new position, either in the form of two wooden bars, screwed together to form two sides of a square. Another option is to provide a wooden frame to hold the original nest pan, into which you gently place the hens nest construction, raising her approximately two inches off the floor of the breeding cage. Overall, I prefer re-positioning the nest, because it helps the hen to accept the preferred site, when contemplating her second round. That said, I have reared many chicks from the floor of the cage, and I suspect I will do so again, given the contrary nature of some of my birds! |