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Separate and isolate the young males as soon as juvenile, even if a few hens slip by.
If we posses more than one strain it is essential to have sufficient room to
accommodate each strain in order to train them without interference. Training birds
together of mixed strains causes confusion with the floc and may prevent them from
singing in one song direction. In my opinion there are two well strains of Rollers:
Flute and Gluck, with each strain outstanding in the tours they were breed for. There
are also strains of rollers developed from crosses of the above mentioned tours. These
crosses cannot be classified as strains, they are birds that express many tours, however
not always specialists in the basic tours and tone, the most important in roller song.
In training my own birds I keep flutes voiced in a room under deep hollow roll and
schockel environment. This is the only strain I have at this time. If one has Gluck birds
keep them under Gluck and water environment (fifteen) to a school is about right.
Experience dictates that if Gluck and schockel birds are trained together, they will sing
mongrel tours instead of the purity of tone of the progenitors. Trying to combine all the
tours in one strain will only hasten deteriorating in the basic tours and tone. (A must!)
Some breeders are set in the use of tutors and believe the greater portion of the song is
learned instead of breed in the song. They do not understand the change that takes place
during the molt and if a bird with excellent tours the previous year is placed in a poor
environment it will sing a mediocre song in the new year, birds in the 2nd moult can be
retrained along with young birds near the completion of the moult should be re-evaluated to
determine if any fault have become apparent in their repertoire.
Following the moult when the males, young and old come into song the breeder can detect where
the best song quality within the strain. As a general rule the vocal and kullering qualities
are expressed in certain families. These families will reproduce their kind year after year
if the blood is kept pure and the environment is not changed. If introduced into a foreign
song then, the quality of the original is soon lost. Some breeders continually cross strains
causing their stock to degenerate to a point where they sing only a mediocre roller song.
When breeding deep hollow roll birds one should keep the original pair that produced the
outstanding birds. If the mother and father are lost it will be necessary to retain a full
sister or brother of the original parent. Deep vocal or kullering quality males will transmit
this quality if paired with mates of similar type. If it is the quality we look for: Cull,
Cull, Cull.
Stay with a good strain for the long haul. Good breeders also bring out the best of each
strain: Remember, a tree only grows so tall.
New fanciers are receptive to suggestions along these lines when older breeders tell them
that they need new blood in their birds. The need for blood refreshment is recognized by the
top breeders, only when cases of clear eggs, as well as a general weakness in the strain.
Old timers go as long as ten years without new blood and when new blood is brought in. It is
with a trio of birds singing (tone) in the same direction.
Should you decide to bring in new birds, they must be purchased at least one month before you
intend to use them in your breeding program. They will adjust quickly to different handling
and surroundings. Most hens will works if given half the chance. It's a natural instinct for
them to raise their young and will do what comes naturally if they are healthy and happy. For
this they must have clean flights, fresh air, clean water for drinking and bathing, a balanced
diet, and a controlled pest program all year round. Most disappointments in the breeding rooms
are caused by neglecting to correctly care for the birds.
I prepare my hens young and old for the next breeding season as soon as they come out of the
breeding cage. This is done by keeping a balanced diet in front of them at all times. Every
seed I feed with an abundance of greens. Normally, they will not over eat any one seed. When
old hens go into molt, small amounts of whatever nestling food you use, should be given
several times a week.
It is light that starts the breeding cycle. The quickest way to speed up the breeding season is
to extend the feeding time by extending the daylight hours. I have a timer that is set to turn
on 1 1/2 hours before daylight, then add 15 minutes weekly. It is easier to add your light in
the morning and let nature take care of the dimming out at night. Under this system, it is not
necessary to feed stimulating food that causes your early season problems: clear eggs, non
setting, abandon nests, etc.. Raising top quality rollers is a huge challenge. Yes. luck plays
a part but I found out early on that the harder I work the luckier I get. When you start
believing in your own magic, the little roller canaries will teach you humility.
Raising top quality rollers is like a checker game, where you look three moves down the road.
Selections have been made for the manifestation of tone or required tours but also for parentage
and good health. If they are in top condition, they will respond quickly to your program.
Hens can come into breeding condition at different times due to age and heredity. As a rule of
thumb, those four years or older will go to nest until later in the season. Some breeders will
have second-clutch babies by the month, but there is much to be said for going one round or clutch.
The biggest reason, in my program, is you can breed your Olympian hens and dominant males several
years longer. Stay with the proven lines and stay with the birds, they will keep you near the top.
When running a dominant male with a number of hens use him wisely. By nature, birds breed at
day-break and dust, make it a point to be there. Take him from the holding cage, place him with
several hens with partially built nests, for a few minutes. Do the same with different hens in the
evening until the first egg is laid. That is all that is needed if they have mated, at least three
days before laying. This has been a proven method for me for many years. Always keep your male in a
holding cage when not in use. Checking my records I have used outstanding producers with 10 to 15
hens a year for five or six years. This is where culling comes in, you must know your birds and
study them. There is not room for sentiments in rollers. Once you lost the song strain names don't
mean much. Also a gene pool must be maintained, hens that will be needed for the second or third,
make outstanding breeders, always keep a few extra for your moves down the road.
If you let the dollar signs get in the way and sell needed birds, you hobby will go down the drain.
In today's fast pace not many breeders have the time, desire, space, equipment or knowledge to care
for big numbers of top quality birds. This may be why the fancy is in trouble, too many feathers
not enough quality. If I wanted to put up big numbers I would raise sparrows. Any way if you are
happy with your program, go for it, make it happen. Dependability is the key to success.
If their sons possess greater quality, retain them in preference to the sire. Always upgrade
when possible. Do not over look the importance of quality in hens recognized by their movements,
clean cut and slender. Heavy breathing hens should not be retained in the stud. Check the
condition of your birds, an inflamed abdomen with liver spots betrays internal disorders. The
abdomen should be slightly vaulted and bland in color. Easily frightened or wild hens should not
be retained. Hens that have stripped their young bare of feathers should be discarded. These are
bad traits that will be transmitted to their offspring.
Find calls are also essential in good roller hens. Those with musical calls should be retained in
preference to those expressing sharp and ugly calls. The good males the breeder will recognize
will exhibit quality song and tone. Males expressing high flutes or bells may be retained in the
pool for breeding, providing their expression are outstanding in the basic tours. The proper
selection of stock birds is very essential. We also hope to out produce his champion brother.
Males expressing hard and metallic tours (e.g. hard water) should not be kept for future breeding
purposes. Now, a few comments on the current young, the most important thing is to separate the
males as soon as possible. Do not let them play all day long in full sunlight. Often, a robust
young cock will force his song and try to lead all others in a school flight, remove him as soon
as possible. Try to have a flight where you can control the light. Keep schools dim enough that
they practice the deeper tours.
During the moult, I feed the males rape, canary seed, oat groats, niger, sunflower chips, cracked
sunflower, hemp and flax. Also, one of the best is fine ground whole wheat. Grind only what they
will consume in a few days. Take all your hens and put them in a airy and large as possible flight.
Let them have plenty of sun, but be sure they can get into the shade whenever they want to. Give
them plenty of fresh bath water, and more importantly, all the fresh greens they will eat. All the
above seeds and mineralite gravel, protect them from draft, keep flight clean. Assuming your birds
have been culled properly, your birds will be healthy and you won't have to worry about
non-breeding hens. Good care will pay dividends on the show bench.
Comments? Please e-mail to: canarytales@juno.com
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