Newsletter September 1997

T - NOTES

Egads! It is September and I still have not gotten up the ANS web page! That will be a job for October. It won't be anything fancy, but at least it will put ANS on the internet and will furnish basic information about our club.

The ANS Derby Trophy is still on track to be awarded in 1998. I have been thinking that we should amend the minimum number of Norwich from 30 to 20. So in other words, for a show to be affiliated with the Derby you need to have 20 Norwich and at least 3 different exhibitors. As of this writing I only know of two shows that will meet this criteria. These are the show in Los Angeles by the American Canary Fanciers Association, and the show in Florida by the Florida Canary Fanciers. If you'd like your show to be associated with the ANS Derby please let me know if it meets the above criteria.

I heard through the grapevine that Keith Ferry raised over 50 birds this year. He only took one round from his hens, stopped, and went on vacation. We should all be so lucky!

Ralph Tepedino also had a very good year this year. Last I heard he had raised close to 20 Norwich babies. As for ourselves, we put up 10 pair, but only 4 pair of them produced anything. We raised a total of 15 Norwich babies. Ralph and Keith have the only success stories I've heard about this year, the rest of us seem to be having a hard time of it. I've read in Cage & Aviary Bird how many of the fanciers in England have had a poor breeding season.

The breeding season was mediocre for us, but the moult has been exceptionally hard. We've already lost 5 birds to the moult. Of course our bird room has quite a few older birds in it, so losing them is to be expected, but we have also lost a few year-old birds, which was surprising. We've been trying to give our birds yogurt after reading how "bad bacteria" can kill your birds when they get stressed out. We are using the yogurt as a sort of "pro-biotic". We are just guessing at the dosage amounts and frequency.

Just a couple of thoughts...I've heard that the American Singers' organization uses a system whereby a bird may achieve "Champion" status after a certain number of times placed on the bench. I was wondering if anyone was interested in pursuing this system with ANS. The basics of their system is: the more birds shown, the more points that can be won. Before a bird reaches Champion it must win at a show. They give pins, certificates and other awards. This might help to encourage more people to show against more competition.

Finally, I was greatly saddened when I heard that Fritz Hess had died in late July. Fritz had been a member of ANS for the past 17 years. He raised several other types of canaries in addition to Norwich. You could always count on seeing his smiling face at Nationals every year. He was very much involved in the American Canary Fanciers Association, the club serving the greater Los Angeles area.

-Will Burdett, Treasurer ANS

A LETTER FROM THE ANS PRESIDENT

I first met Fritz Hess in the early 1970s at a Los Angeles bird show. I discovered that he shared my passion for Norwich and was building a strain of white Norwich, which I had given up when I moved to Orlando. But my mother, Lois Martin, had taken an interest in them and she got all that I had at that time - about five pair. Well, Fritz and Lois hit it off, and soon he got some Norwich from her. Then in the early 1980s I desperately needed some new stock and, since Lois had given up Norwich, I called Fritz. He helped me out with some that were direct descendants from her whites and, therefore, related to my own strain of Norwich. I remember how pleased he was that he could help. When I won the Scannell last year at the National, I told him that I could trace the winning bird's pedigree back to those birds. "In a sense," I said, "it is your win, too."

Over the years, Fritz was one of the few people who could walk into my aviary and be guaranteed to leave with Norwich. If I needed anything he would offer to help. His largess in Los Angeles was well known where his support of the American Canary Fanciers Association, "his" club, was legend. If something was needed, financial or otherwise, he saw to it. The year I was invited to judge their annual show he arranged for me to have a car - and it was a big, fancy car at that. As Newsletter editor he and his friend, Dale, put out what is in my opinion the best bird club newsletter in the country.

Steve Hailey phoned me from England to say how shocked he was to learn of Fritz's death. He said the American National wouldn't be the same for him without Fritz. It won't be the same for many of us. It is a tremendous loss. Fritz was an extraordinary individual whose dedication and devotion to his canaries and the fancy knew no bounds. He is and will continue to be sorely missed. He had been an ANS member since 1970.

-FM

AMERICAN NORWICH SOCIETY

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES REPORT

Mountain Region:

Hello to all from my new perch in Alamogordo, New Mexico. As was stated in the last bulletin, I wil lattempt to cover events in the mountain zone of thecountry. To give you a quick idea of where I am, Alamogordo is about 150 miles west of the Texas border, 100 miles north of El Paso, TX, and about 220 miles south east of Albuquerque, MN. This area would best be known for White Sands National Monument, or the Trinity Site. To put it bluntly: there ain't nothin' between here and there but miles and miles of nothin' but miles and miles.

This area is definitely culture shock when it comes to bird shows or marts or clubs. The most active bird mart is in Phoenix, AZ and the nearest bird club is in Albuquerque, NM called the New Mexico Bird Club Inc.

The usual fall show in Denver, CO was cancelled in 1996 due to the upcoming National and probably will not be held in 1997 for the same reason. I have not been able to frind any shows in Arizona as yet, so anyone knowing of one please let me know.

The New Mexico Bird Club held their second annual show on Sept. 28, 1996 and it was a fairly successful show dispite some glitches in advertising. It is definitely a show that is growing. This year it has been expanded to a two day affair and should attract many more exhibitors and vendors.

The good news is that Yours Truly had the best canaries in the show! Five Norwich and one red factor, the bad news is that Yours Truly had the only canaries in the show. Unfortunately due to the poor turnout of canaries, they will have to remain a classification of the finch division at lesat until enough show up to warrant the expense of a canary judge for two days. Please don't let me be the only exhibitor with canaries this year! I hate it when that happens. This year's show will again be held at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds on Sept. 27 and 28 so please try to attend.

On a different not, we all must pay close attention to what is going on in government at state, local and national levels. There are special interest groups who are very well organized from a national level on down, and very well funded to boot, who have an agenda that they will stop at nothing to get implemented. Beware, they will not just go away and there are anumber of them out there. They say they are looking out for the best interests of animals. What they want is to ban any and all companion pets/animals.

There was a 27 page bill introduced into the NM legislature this year, it was pushed by a person who is a backer of a Jaques Cousteau organization. It was beyond belief what it contained. It was called "The Pet Shop Lemon Law". Among the things it contained was aclause that would have made a breeder responsible to replace an animal (birds included) for up to two years and a corpse was not a neccessity for proof of loss. There were far too many mind boggling things in it to be discussed here. This seemed to be a carbon copy of a bill introduced into the Colorado legislature in 1996, it was too close not to have come from the same source. Do not be unaware of what is going on around you, your rights are an endangered species!

Please address any questions or comments to: Chuck Galusha, 913 Bakers Pl, Alamogordo, NM 88310-7407 or call (505)434-6296 Mountain Standard Time.

Chuck Galusha - ANS Mountain Region Representative

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THE PROBLEM OF AVIAN PARASITES

SUBMITTED BY VIVIANA TOLENTINO

The old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is one that the bird fancier should take seriously, since it's much easier to prevent ailments caused by avian parasite infestations than it is to correct them once such contamination has already gained a foothold in our bird rooms. Rigorous control of avian parasites is no less important than the attention paid by bird owners to favorable environmental conditions, proper nutrition and adequate hygiene.

There are numerous varieties of parasites, and most are so small that you can't see them with he naked eye. Some are more menacing than others, but all are harmful in one way or another to the health of our birds. One thing you can be certain of is that all birds have parasites, and some birds may be infested, to varying degrees, with several types at the same time.

There are certain lice and mites which subsist only on feathers and tiny bits of skin from the birds. Although not particularly injurious to the bird's well-being, if they are allowed to thrive unchecked, they may aggravate and disturb it to such and extent that proper rest and sleep become virtually impossible. Continued loss of sleep will eventually take its toll on the bird. Some signs to watch for here are listlessness, loss of song, feather picking and false molts.

Another adverse effect of these mites is that the birds will occasionally get them in their mouths when they preen their feathers. Once inside, the little buggers crawl down the bird's windpipe until they finally reach the lungs where they then die. In consequence, there is the likelihood of lung congestion due to infection caused by the dead mites.

Although the above mentioned lice and mites ultimately die after reaching the lungs, there are other types of parasites (the "air-sac" and "trachea" mites) that actually continue to live inside the bird. Similarly gaining entry into the bird by way of the mouth, they most often end up in the windpipe, air sacs and lungs where they flourish and multiply. The most familiar indication of a bird plagued by air-sac mites is wheezing.

The damage to your bird's health from such infestation can be far more deleterious than that resulting from mites which merely feed on feathers and skin. Air-sac mites will cause birds to go light and produce weakness and respiratory complications due to obstructions in their tracheas.

Next we concern ourselves with the class of parasites known as red mites, who prey on our birds during the night by sucking their blood. Though noxious at all times, these minuscule vampires are most dangerous during the breeding season. A serious infestation of red mites may produce devastating results, for although they generally return to their hiding place at daybreak, they are readily prone to remaining in the nest of a breeding hen, eagerly feasting on her blood. How many times have we heard the despondent complaint of a breeder regarding the loss of a hen while she was still sitting on a clutch of eggs? Could he have overlooked the fact that she became anemic and died as a result of the vitality steadily being drained from her body? In other instances the hen survives, but the eggs fail to hatch. When you break them open to inspect their contents, it is often dismaying to discover undeveloped embryos or even fully developed, but lifeless, chicks. A logical question then arises: Isn't it likely that the eggs became chilled and thus killing the chicks as a result of the hen leaving her nest in the middle of the night and returning to it only at daybreak when the mites would have diminished in number or withdrawn altogether?

Let us assume the chicks hatch out and are vigorously active and healthy for the first few days. During this time they lift their heads high with their mouths wide open begging for food. Unfortunately, the color of the inside of their mouths is bright red, and within a short period of time they grow weak and debilitated, barely able to raise their heads to be fed. The color of the inside of their mouths soon turns to pale pink, and death follows shortly...the cause...red mites!

I am not asserting that red mites are the sole, attributable cause of these premature deaths; there could be many reasons. I merely suggest to the reader that infestation of red mites is one likely possibility worthy of closer investigation.

Another parasite I'd like to bring to your attention is the kind which digs beneath the skin of your birds and lives its entire life cycle subcutaneously. I would guess that most breeders are somewhat more aware of this type of infestation due to the obvious, visible signs it produces on the birds: scaly legs and scabby faces. Please bear in mind it is quite normal for a certain amount scales to develop on older birds, but scales on the legs of your birds is a positive indication of the presence of scaly leg mites.

Now that we've gained a degree of understanding of avian parasites, let us take the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with a number of methods used to control them. As mentioned above, all birds have parasites, and, with the exception of a few types, such as the red mites, these parasites live and breed directly on the birds, causing various diseases to appear which often lead to death. Moreover, avian parasites are assuredly prolific reproducers, and, if left unchecked, will quickly multiply to an undesirable point where they begin to place a marked curtailment on the reproduction rate of a breeder's stock. The only way to prevent this from occurring is by controlling the parasites before they get the upper hand. Once firmly rooted, they are difficult to control. If you see signs or indications of parasite infestation in just a few of your birds, it would be a waste of time to treat only those displaying such symptoms. As a rule of thumb, if a few birds are infested, be prepared to assume that all the birds in the bird room are infested and must be treated accordingly

Treating each bird individually is certainly not the answer for dealing with parasite infestation. It is time consuming, distressing to the birds, and patently ineffective, since you must also clean and decontaminate all your cages, aviaries and bird rooms, as well. Clearly the most efficacious way of alleviating this problem is to spray your birds, along with their cages, aviaries and bird rooms with a good cage and aviary spray. I, myself, used a pyrethrin base spray which I purchase by the gallon.

The type of spraying equipment you use is very important, since you want to make sure not to saturate the birds. To do the job efficiently, all that's required is a very fine mist settling on the birds, and it shouldn't be difficult to select from a number of suitable products on the market. An insect fogger is ideal, because you can set it for either a wet or dry fog. A dry fog will find its way in and be absorbed into every nook and cranny in the bird rom, as well as penetrate the birds' air passages and lungs (in case of air-sac mites). Bear in mind that the finer the spray, the more effective results it will produce.

Merely spraying your birds and bird room once is not enough. If the infestation is severe, you must spray twice a week for the first two weeks, then once a week for the following two weeks. After that you need only spray on a regular basis year round.

I spray my birds and bird room once a week during the hot weather and once every two weeks during the cold winter months, since I live in the Northeast and breed in a relatively cold bird room. In addition, I make certain to remove all food and water containers from the cages when I spray during breeding season, for although the pyrethrin base spray I use is nontoxic to the birds, it does leave a bad taste on the surrounding food and water which the feeding parents may be disinclined to feed to their young.

For those of you concerned over the possibility of harmful effects arising due to spraying, please be advised that I have never lost a single baby or adult bird from this process. At the very worst (and only on rare occasions), a bird has injured an eye or an ear from scratching itself, probably as a result of my having sprayed the pesticide directly onto it, instead of allowing a fine mist to settle upon it.

Another preventive measure I use against parasites is to sprinkle pyrethrin powder on both sides of the nest liners just before I place a nest in the cage. When the babies are ready to be banded (in about 6-8 days), I remove the old nest liners and return the banded babies to their parents in a clean nest and clean nest liner, which I have again sprinkled with pyrethrin powder. As long as nest and nest liner are sprayed and kept clean, there is no need to build a new nest.

As for scaly leg parasites, there are several products available, which, when used according to direction, will remove the scales from your birds and kill the mites. However, I have found that if you spray your birds and bird room on a regular basis year round, you should encounter no problem with scaly leg mites.

In conclusion, I should like to reiterate the importance of the curative/preventive measure against parasite infestation outlined above and encourage my readers to take it upon themselves to review and investigate this area of knowledge even further. As ardent devotees of our avocation, who are fully committed to the quality and well-being of our birds, let us make certain that no precautionary effort is spared to insure a breeding environment which is, on the one had, conducive to strong, healthy birds, yet, on the other, inimical to the tiny, but deadly, predators that seek to destroy them. We will all rest easier in bed at night knowing that our birds are likewise resting easier. As the old adage goes, "An ounce of prevention..."