The Gallery of Articles

This, the first page of The Gallery of Articles series expands on Step One - Environment that is part of the NINE STEPS TO SUCCESS article that appears elsewhere on this site and is dedicated to the management and housing of the Gloster Fancy Canary.

Please note that just about all the information in these articles is applicable to most all the breeds of Type Canaries.

The first article on this site originally appeared in the June, 1986 Issue of AMERICAN CAGE-BIRD MAGAZINE. It was the first in a series of articles depicting the Adventures of Herb NotaChamp! I'm sure you'll find the story both amusing and informative!

Please Note: These are thumbnails of the pages of the articles which you can click on to increase the size of the image and read the content. You can then close out the smaller image Window to return to The Gallery Of Articles again. While in the smaller Window, you can enlarge it by clicking on the upper right-hand corner box next to the "x" in the browser toolbar. If you scroll over the lower right of the image of the page itself, you will see a small orange icon with arrows on it. Just left-click on it to enlarge the text. To close out of the larger Window just left-click on the "X". Please note that these articles and photos are Copyrighted and All Rights are Reserved and as such, may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part without written permission from Donald Perez.

The following item consists of the cover and an small excerpt of the book THE GLOSTER CANARY, written and published by Judge, Breeder & Exhibitor, Mr. Joe A. Bracegirdle of England.

The following is a copy of a recent article I've written and shared with fanciers in order to reinforce my belief of housing only one Gloster per cage.

Information On My

Triple-Breeder CagesÓ

by Don Perez

So many people around the world have been requesting some close-up photos of my breeding cages that I’ve decided to add some shots to The Gallery Of Stars - Page Three, so visit that page to see what this article refers to.

As you view the photos, you will notice, the some cages have turn-buttons on the front-top and front-bottom of each cage-front. The buttons on the bottom are firmly held (screwed) in place and thus will and should not move. The turn-buttons on the top are screwed in enough to allow the turn-buttons to sway to and fro. The swinging turn-buttons allow me to flip the turn-button out of the way to then remove the front by tilting the top of the front forward and to sliding the front up and out. Why?
Well once the occupant has been removed from the cage, I can then remove the front for easy access to the interior of the cage for cleaning purposes.

I use a sanitized bedding called ASPEN-CHIPS. It is sterilized laboratory bedding of which I put two to three inches worth on the cage-bottoms. Twice a month I scrape off the top layer of debris and by running my disposable glove covered hand across the top of the Aspen-Chips. I remove the fronts four times a year to totally empty out all the Aspen-Chips and clean the interior of the cages thoroughly.

My feeling is, the easier we can make our chores in the birdroom, the more time we have to enjoy our birds. You will also notice that the perches are wooden "twist-on" perches and the feeders and drinkers are attached and accessed from the outside of the cage. This means less stress on the birds with the elimination of my constantly sticking my big hands in the cage and scaring the occupant. Remember, the stress-free canary is usually a healthier canary!

I have included a drawing of my triple breeding cages with measurements for your review. All supplies for building these units, less the fronts themselves are available at your local Home Depot for those living in the United States. For instructions on how to build breeding cages, click here: How To Build A Breeding Cage - Part One.

The tops, bottoms and sides of my triple breeder cages are cut from 11 1/2" wide white painted particleboard shelving stock, which comes in 8' lengths. The backs and solid slides (partitions) are made from 1/8" white-surfaced Masonite 4'x8' sheets. All wood is cut down at the Home Depot for me at a small cost. The sides are screwed to the end edge of the tops and bottoms with brass wood screws.

The back is then nailed in place with small brads to the back of the four-sided box. I use the same size small brads which are tacked with about 3/4" exposed about a half inch from the front edge on the inside of each top and bottom of each cage to prevent the cage front itself from falling into the cage. I use four brads per front for a total of 12 brads needed (six brads on the tops and six brads on the bottoms). The turn-buttons of course prevent the cage fronts from falling forward and out. These turn-buttons can be purchased from picture framers' supply houses or craft stores in your area. They are merely screwed onto the fronts of the breeding cage. In fact, to get an idea of where exactly to tap in the inside brads, I will hammer them in a half inch behind the turn-buttons.

The solid slides are used to create three individual cages to house one Gloster per cage. Once I ship out all the birds in the Fall to those who have placed orders with me, I have enough room to pull out the solid slides to create a full flight about 36" long for each individual single occupant to get the exercise they always need prior to the breeding season.

These triple breeder box-type cages are known as English-style box-triple breeding cages which may vary in size. They have been used for years in most British and overseas birdrooms. The sizes may be larger for the larger varieties of Type canaries but they are essentially the preferred style of cage for success in breeding and showing. These cages allow each occupant to develop to its' fullest genetic potential without the stress of other birds in the same cage. Also, without being able to hang on the wires of most of the wire cages on the market that have wire bars on the cage sides, tops and backs, my birds always look great. Their wing and tail feathers stay undamaged.

Environment is Step One in my well-known article, NINE STEPS TO SUCCESS, which first appeared in the Third Quarter, 1988 issue of THE CANARY & FINCH JOURNAL and more recently in the January, 2001 issue of the National Institute of Red Orange Canaries (NIROC) newsletter, with my permission. The editors of both publications felt the article applied to all breeders of any small caged bird and especially canaries and that it was required reading if those breeders who wanted to strive for success not only in the bird room but in exhibitions.

This site has been updated with the latest photos of the birds I paired this year, offspring from the last two years as well as more shots of my bird room and of course articles like my NINE STEPS for your enjoyment.

Any questions you might have or if you'd like plans sent to you via e-mail, please feel free to send me an e-mail by clicking: E-MAIL

Please note that even though these articles and photographs are placed on this site for your review only and they are copyrighted and as such, may not be reproduced or published other than for your own private use, without my written consent. Nor may any of the enclosed writings be published without my written consent. Sorry, I'm sure you understand but I feel I must protect my photos, writings, research and future publications.

All that you’ve read in this article is a small sampling of what will be in my new book, which I plan on having on the market soon. Watch my web site for further details and ordering instructions. Much success to you in the season.