A few members recently regarding the loss of canary eggs and chicks in their infancy have approached me.  There are a few reasons why a hen may actually hatch eggs and then fail to raise chicks to a stage where they can support themselves.  An immature hen may leave the nest before the eggs hatch, or fail to feed chicks properly. She doesn’t seem to know what she should be doing and almost appears bewildered by the whole affair. These hens often do an admirable job when allowed to go to nest for a second time some weeks later. 

May is the month when most Novices will begin to see the results of the weeks spent in preparing their birds for breeding season.  With a little good fortune, nests of healthy chicks will be clamoring for more food.  The importance of correct feeding and a routine will ensure that the breeding season goes along according to the plan.  As I stressed in an earlier article, it is wise thing to keep your management as simple as possible, and to work out a strict routine you can follow according to your circumstances.  In my case that means that all seed hoppers are replenished, the drinkers washed in hot water and filled with clean water, every day of the year before I have my own breakfast.

December is probably the most important “show month”, since it is in December that the birds are in the best of song.  Towards the latter part of January some of the birds tend to get into breeding condition, and if the singer has a fault it tends to get worse at this time.  It is true that Grand Champion Shows are usually in January, which is necessary, so that preliminary shows may take place.  But for my own part, I always like to patronize the December shows as well as later ones.

When breeding Roller canaries it should be the aim of every Roller fancier to raise good birds.  There are those who breed for quality and others are only interested in quantity.  What is the best procedure to attain success?  There are varied views on the matter and every fancier has his own methods.
Some adopt the stock bird principle.  By this I should explain that such fanciers consider the mating of a first class cock with a hen that is herself related to a winner, to be mistaken idea.

An understanding of the word team will make it easier to learn the function of each of the four birds composing the team.
A well-matched team is another term that is used in classifying Rollers of distinction.  Without a doubt, a team of Rollers without team harmony can be scored too highly.
For hobbyist who is determined to bench a fine team in the coming show season, you should use these mentioned guidelines:
Strain is the answer, similarly of tone, song direction of each bird, and the tours that should be sung within the strain.  The number of tours a team sings is of no consequence if the tone is valueless. 

Translated and reprinted from “Canaria” the official bulletin of the Royal Society of Belgium for Roller Canary. G. Geo

In writing this article on the breeding of Roller canaries I particularly write for those who are interested in research, for those who are prepared to study the birds, those who are interested enough to further our fancy.  I would like to commence by saying that I made many mistakes in the past, I have, I hope I learned from them, and you, I am sure may be spared them.