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Post by bianca on Oct 18, 2005 12:45:49 GMT 10
i bought my 3yo son 2 canaries for his birthday but didn't know the sex of either. after eggs showed up in the nest i assume we have a female and a male. but which is which? they seem to be taking turns sitting on the nest even sometimes both at the same time. how do i tell mum from dad?
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Post by AussieBirds on Oct 18, 2005 13:22:36 GMT 10
First thing welcome to the forum Bianca. You may have two hens but we will presume you have one of each they are not easy to sex to the novice but a couple of ways to tell is the male canary will sing a very melodious whistle and while the hen does whistle it is not as loud or as melodious as the male, the other way to tell is really for experienced people and involves physically turning the bird on it's back and blowing gently on the abdomen of the bird. I would stick to the whistling or you can wait around 14 days and if the eggs hatch you have a pair.
John
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Post by bianca on Oct 18, 2005 20:37:10 GMT 10
Thank you for your nice welcome. And your tips to tell the difference. If you are right about the different ways and levels they sing, I'm now more convinced i have a pair as one is quite noisy and the other still heard but much quieter. It took almost 2 weeks for it (she?) to make a single sound after bringing them home. And by you saying it's possible we have 2 hens it is possible the eggs are infertile. Is there a way to tell? (Yes i am a huge rookie but trying my best)
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Post by AussieBirds on Oct 18, 2005 20:59:07 GMT 10
Yes, you can candle the eggs, place a strong light against the large end of the egg and look for veins in the egg, but they are very fragile so be careful I personally would just leave them and see if they hatch she will just leave them after a while if they are infertile. If it's been 14 days she has been sitting on them then just keep an eye out for babies ;D allow a couple of days extra as they don't usually start incubating straight away.
Good luck and keep us informed ;D
John
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