Fifes - An Excellent Choice for All
The Fastest Growing Popular Exhibited Caged Bird
The many reasons for its popularity compared with other canary breeds includes:
Variety
of Colours Available
Fifes are available in both buff and yellow feather types with a
far greater depth of colour than almost all other varieties. Good
quality clear, greens, cinnamons, whites, blues, fawns and variegated
birds with different colours are available.
Feather
Quality
Other Breeds have lost out in feather quality by introducing
different varieties into the existing blood. The Fife’s feather
quality is superb in the top exhibits and is an important part of the
exhibition Fife. This is probably due to top breeders always pairing
Yellow to Buffs.
Good Breeders
Although not quite as prolific as they were 20 years ago,
today’s Fifes remain good breeders and the adults are usually very
good parents. Many varieties such as the Norwich and Border now appear
to be sluggish rearers whereas 20 pairs of Fifes rear up to 100
youngsters with very little trouble. They also produce young whether
in the warm Mediterranean countries or the very remote Highlands of
Scotland.
Inexpensive
to Buy
Bird fanciers spend a relative fortune on some foreign birds,
which also need expensive heating equipment. Others spend vast sums on
a British hybrid that cannot breed. Even some varieties of canary,
particularly the Border these days, can be expensive, but top class
Fifes are still available at very reasonable prices. Do not be tempted
to buy cheap birds but go to a top breeder who will sell you quality
youngsters at a fair price.
A further reason for its popularity is that the Dewar show cage is used to exhibit both Fifes and Borders. Fanciers can move easily from one breed to the other and many leading exhibitors, including myself, keep both varieties because of this mutual show cage.
Whereas other breeds have become more sluggish with the increase in size, or their feather texture has become coarse, the Fife always appears active and inquisitive as soon as it is weaned. Particularly breeders who keep them alongside Borders or Glosters notice this.
As the variety has gone from strength to strength in numbers, the standard of the top exhibition birds has improved in both type and quality. Fifes are now doing well against other canary breeds at shows and often take Best Canary in Show Awards. The numbers are still increasing too, where as in many of the other breeds numbers are decreasing. In most areas of the country the Fife entry now exceeds the Borders in number and the rate of increase shows no sign of slowing down.
Email:- terry@fifecanaries.com
(c) Terry Kelly & SL