Customer Reviews

The Canary Handbook

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I recently expanded my bird collection to include two canaries and as I knew little about these pet birds, I purchased several books on the subject from Amazon. According to Barron's THE CANARY HANDBOOK which I have found the most useful of the four books I bought, there are three kinds of canaries: "type", "song" or "color". My birds (two bright yellow brothers) are supposed to be song canaries, but according to the breeder, the dominant one will do most of the singing. Apparently, girl canaries don't sing but not all boy canaries can carry a pleasant tune.

Barron's handbook is filled with many up-close photos showing the many different kinds of canaries as well as various stages of development including breeding tips. In a charming chapter entitled 'Understanding the Canary' the handbook shares some history of the domesticated bird along with a little bit of information about canaries in the wild. The handbook says the canary has been domesticated for five centuries and breeding and marketing these birds via peddlers once formed the chief industry of the Harz region of German Black Forest.

The handbook includes a section on `Feeding Canaries' and discusses "color" feeding. Beginning in 1870, cayenne pepper was mixed with canary seed to improve the red color of the Norwich and Yorkshire canaries. Later on, breeders and owners discovered sweet red peppers were more effective. The authors of this handbook suggest mixing canthaxanthin in egg yolk. This handbook includes many similar tips for helping your canary obtain the best food and care.

Yes, this book is adorable. The pictures are wonderful. They range from images of canaries eating in a large group, to canaries at a show, to canaries in cages, to a canary-breeding room, canaries in nests, canaries canaries!!

This book is very detailed, and covers bird accomodations, nutrition, breeding, history, illness prevention and cure, type canaries, color canaries, and song canaries.

There are examples, very well photographed, of many of the type and color canaries.

He is a real fan of song canaries, and gives interesting examples of the types of song, the breeds of song-canaries, and their potential.

Just like the visual support for the color and type canaries goes beyond mere description, I would have loved to have a supplementary song-cd to go with the last chapter. It is inspiring, and than it leaves you off, wondering about this magical sound that he describes.

Very cute, very nice, relaxing book; a journey into the world of canaries.

We were having hens lay only 2 eggs @ a time that ended up being infertile; we didn't know why. This book helped us by letting us know that even slight drafts can cause infertility. We have since moved our canaries into a brighter location w/ no drafts and the hens are laying eggs like crazy!

I recommend this book for anyone interested in canary care, breeding, history and much more. It is very informative.

Not ever having a Canary before, this book was very informative. It is packed with information! If I wanted to raise Canaries, it gives sufficient genetic background for intelligent breeding. It tells the different geno-types of the Canary. It's a very interesting, as well as, informative book. I highly recommend it to the less-than-knowledgable Canary owner, like myself!

I found this book to a very valuable resource book for Canaries overall. The Barron Series of books have always been value packed and concise.