Hello. I’m new to your club, but at the moment, I have a new pair of Roller canary parents. The mother nested very well, sat well, the father is not attentive, and now that the babies hatched 4 days ago, all the mother does, is sit on the nest. I shooed her out, and she sat on the side and just stared at the babies reaching for food. I’ve now taken the 3 little ones in hand myself, and have watered down some Peak Health Formula, and am dissolving that in warm water and they are eating that. I’m not sure what to do next. Any suggestions? Please help if you can

Photos from the VCC Fall Show 2006
Thanks for the photos, Lorenzo!

Ingredients:
Rape (canola) 3 parts
Wheat 1 part
Safflower 1 part
French millet 1 part “Soak in a 4 litre plastic ice cream container for 8 hours with a teaspoon of Domestos. Wash thoroughly through a 25 cm (10 inch) sieve and leave to drain. Repeat morning and evening standing to drain each time. When the seed shoots are around 4 mm (3/8 inch) the dark cover on the canola will fall off and show a green/yellow soft seed. This is a perfect mixture to feed. The amount of time to germinate varies upon the air temperature. In spring 4-5 times and summer 3-4 times. It will require 3 sieves so you have fresh each day surplus can be ded to pairs without young. This mixture is the original passed onto me by Lindsay Reid and you will find 20% more young will be bred.”

Ingredients

Preparation:
This soaked seed recipe offers a very good method of providing protein, energy and the water supplements, Dufoplus and Ioford, to a soft food mix. Turbobooster, Dufoplus and Ioford are added to the soaked seed after the final rinse and allowed to soak into the seed for a few minutes. The Energy supplement (½ teaspoon of each to 100gm of soaked seed) is then sprinkled onto the soaked seed. Energy supplement and F-Vite should also be provided in finger drawers.

(from http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/canary/sproutedseed.html )

Soaked Seed Options
This soaked seed recipe must use seed free of bacterial or fungal contamination. Seed should be tested by sprouting on cotton wool or culture tested. A number of seed combinations may be used in these soaked seed recipes.

Soaked Seed Preparation Technique
The seed selected for soaking must be pre-tested for cleanliness by culture testing or sprouting on cotton wool. Seed that bubbles excessively, smells bad or grows fungus must be rejected.

1. Soak seed mix in a 4 litre plastic ice cream container overnight. Add 1 teaspoon of Water Cleanser powder to the water added to the container.

2. Wash thoroughly through a 25 cm (10 inch) sieve with tap water, then final rinse with Water Cleanser. Allow sieved seed to drain thoroughly before placing in an oven or on a warm surface for 24 hours.

3. Next morning wash out with Water Cleanser again.

4. Wash again in the evening with Water Cleanser. Make sure it is drained well. Repeat morning and night until seed shoots appear or seeds are opening wide enough for birds to pull sprout out. The amount of time to germinate varies upon the air temperature. Make sure the soaked seeds are not too wet nor too dry.

5. Seeds should have a short sprout only. Add Dr. Rob’s Nutritonal Supplements to soaked seed. Supplements: Turbobooster, Dufoplus, Ioford, Energy supplement. Energy supplement and F-vite should be made available in finger drawers at all times. Soft food may also be mixed into soaked seed now.

6. Sprouting equipment must be thoroughly sterilised between use.

7. Reject seed that smells “off” at any stage or develops a mould.