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Post by zena on Dec 22, 2012 20:14:53 GMT 10
Hi everyone,
I was wondering at what age i would be able to sex my red factor canary chicks, this is t6he first time that I've had canaries that have had chicks. I have looked on-line; some sites said males sing (but i know both sing when the first come out the nest or until a certain age), or one site said something about knocking the nest and male and females would do different things (i would never do this... I don't think it would work...)
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Post by avinet on Dec 22, 2012 21:25:04 GMT 10
Knocking the nest is a new one for me - wisely you have not done such a pointless action.
The only reliable way I ever found was to wait until the males start whistling. The young males as well as the young females only chirp female style - the male whistle only really starts towards 5 or 6 months.
When we had out shop we would usually get in around 40 or 50 young canaries from local breeders each year- usually around late summer when they would be about 3 or 4 months old. Initially we would put them allin together and sell them as un-sexed canaries for the same price as we sold females. As a male would start whistling we would pull it out into a separate cage and then be able to sell it as a proven male - for more money! The demand was around 3 to 1 for males rather than females, hence the price difference.
If they had not whistled by 7 months we assumed they were definite females and sold them as such rather than un-sexed. Worked pretty well and we very rarely got any returned as the wrong sex.
You can also sex canaries that are mature - after say 9 or 10 months - by feeling the vent area - males have a rather pointy vent while females have a rounded vent. It doesn't work reliably with young birds though.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by zena on Dec 23, 2012 15:03:29 GMT 10
Thank you ;D
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Post by anzac on Dec 24, 2012 12:47:00 GMT 10
I'm with Mike, usually singing is the only fool proof way os sexing canaries. After saying that I read on line about tapping the nest to see what sex is waht. Females apparently stick their heads up and males stick their heads down with bum up. Here's the link www.avianweb.com/sexingcanaries.htmlPersonally I have only tried this once and it was true! You only tap the side of the nest lightly. I have males not sing till about a year so can't still tell by that all the time. I have also bought canaries from experienced members of the canary club here in WA and they still got it wrong by vent shape ::)As Mike said hard to tell at the best of time and according to one breeder I spoke to that the vent shape is only really noticable in full breeding season. So basically it is a really un exact science  |
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Post by avinet on Dec 24, 2012 20:55:57 GMT 10
I'm with Mike, usually singing is the only fool proof way os sexing canaries. After saying that I read on line about tapping the nest to see what sex is waht. Females apparently stick their heads up and males stick their heads down with bum up. Here's the link www.avianweb.com/sexingcanaries.htmlPersonally I have only tried this once and it was true! You only tap the side of the nest lightly. I'm curious - at what age did you do this and how were you certain which babies had put their heads up and their heads down when they became sexable by the normal methods several months later - did you mark them or were they different colours? Sounds to me like the wedding ring on a string mythology cheers Mike |
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Post by anzac on Dec 27, 2012 10:49:00 GMT 10
Hi Mike
They were a few weeks old and were different colours (one yellow, one lizard so easy to tell apart) and there was only 2. So when they grew up I could tell. Don't really bother anymore. This lot of canaries in my aviary are pretty bad parents and don't seem to be able to raise their babies! Leanne
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