Do you want to know what Belgian canaries are like? Do you want to know what differentiates them from other canaries? Do you want to know what kind of canary we are talking about?
Canaries are a specific breed of birds, they have characteristics that make them very recognizable, but within this “race” we can find others, and in turn distinguish several different types, among them the Belgian Boss canaries, or as it is called commonly the Belgian canary.
In this article we are going to talk about what Belgian canaries are like. We will discover how they are on the outside, how they are distinguished and their breed is known, we will also learn how to care for and raise them, among other aspects.
History of the Belgian Boss canary
Unlike how other breeds of canaries have arisen, due to the tireless search of some canari culturists to obtain a canary with certain characteristics, the Belgian Boss canary arose due to a natural mutation of another canary now extinct, the well-known Ghent canary. However, many people believe that the Belgian Boss was the result of a mutation of the common canary.
These birds arise in the seventeenth century. At this time the aristocratic class of Holland kept these birds in their homes as songbirds. At that time, it was the monks who owned this breed and dedicated themselves to breeding, to later give or sell them to the nobles and bourgeois.
Already towards the 20th century it seemed that the breed was going to disappear soon, because there were not too many copies left, since this breed had not spread much from its area of origin and we must also add that during the First World War, people ceased to be interested in breeding, finally, another reason that led the Belgian Boss canary almost to its extinction is that canari culturists began to cross this breed with other canaries to improve the quality of other canaries and to obtain specimens with certain features.
It is appreciated that thanks to the efforts made by some Dutch, French and Belgian canari culturists it was possible to save this precious species and that thanks to them we can continue to enjoy them today.
What breed is the Belgian canary?
The Belgian canary belongs to the group of breeds of canaries called shape; this group differs from the rest (group of breeds of song canaries and color canaries) in that this group is made up of breeds that have a certain external morphology. To be in this group, the canary breed must have certain physical characteristics that characterize it. In addition, the posture of the bird is also taken into account.
Among the breeds that form the group of shape canaries we find curly plumage canaries, tufted canaries, smooth shape canaries, designer canaries, and position canaries.
Among the breeds that make up this last subgroup we find the Belgian Boss canaries, characteristic for their position and for their stylized posture.
Physical characteristics of the Belgian Boss Canaries
The body of the BossBeluga is well stylized and is long, stretched out and shaped like a triangle. It is in working position, in the form of a 7, it brings the neck forward and raises the shoulders. If we see it from behind, the back is full, it is wide, it is neither hollow nor round, and the back is in a straight vertical line with the tail. His shoulders are wide and high, and between them there is a small cavity that is not very deep. The head is not seen if we look at it from behind. In addition, its wings are long and are attached to the body but do not cross.
Belgian Canaries have a small oval head, supported by a long, thin neck, and their beak is short and well proportioned.
The legs of the Belgian Boss are long, slightly bent and with many feathers on the thighs, they are also not very visible. This bird slightly stretches on its legs. For its part, the tail is long, straight and narrow. From behind you can see how the tail and the back are perfectly aligned forming a straight line.
As for the color, these can be varied, in addition their color can be uniform or spotted, but the red factor is not allowed in the exhibitions. The Belgian Boss can normally reach a size between 17 and 18 cm.
Breeding Belgian Boss Canaries
If you want to breed Belgian canaries, then it is best that the parents are of the same breed and, if possible, of the same color. The idea is that the parents are as similar as possible so that the offspring bring out the best in them.
The breeding period for Belgian canaries in the northern hemisphere is the first week of February, while in the southern hemisphere the breeding period for the Belgian canary begins at the end of September.
You should have the parents at least a month before the breeding period begins; this will give both birds time to get to know each other. To do this, they will be placed in a separate breeding cage with an opaque separator in the middle, so they will become familiar thanks to the sound of their song, smell, etc. During this time it is also important to give the canaries vitamins, in this way we will ensure that they modify their behavior and lead them to reproduce. Thanks to these vitamins, the male Belgian canary will sing to attract the female canary and while the female canary will look for a place in the cage where she will put the nest.
At the moment in which the birds are in heat we can already remove the separator. At this time the birds will see each other and acceptance or rejection will occur between them. If they are accepted they will proceed to copulate, and then about a week later the female will lay her eggs. During this week of waiting we can give the birds materials to make the nest or place one already made.
When the female begins to lay her eggs we will proceed to the substitution, that is, every time she lays an egg we will replace it with another plastic one and leave the real one in a cool and dry place. Thanks to this procedure we will prevent the first chick from dying of hunger or being crushed. We will recognize that the female has laid the last egg because it will be almost blue in color.
When you have laid the last one, we will change all the plastic eggs for real ones so that they all start to incubate at the same time. In this way we will also ensure that they will all hatch at the same time or at most a few hours apart and the chances that most of the chicks will survive increase.
The female canary lays between 2 and 5 eggs and these are greenish blue in color with brown spots. The female will be the only one to incubate the eggs for a period of between 13 and 14 days. The chicks will be born blind and with a small down, since the feathers will begin to come out ten days after birth. At 20 days they will begin to jump out of the nest. The chicks will be fed by their parents for the first month. You can give them wet bread paste; apple or orange segments, but avoid giving them lettuce for the first week. After this month you can move the clutch to a large cage where they can fly.
Here we have shown you what the Belgian canaries are like, a worthy breed to be found among the position canaries, with a unique beauty and characteristics preserved over many years.
