Things To Consider

Whether or not you should breed canaries is a serious issue you should consider well before you begin. Think about what your goals are, what level of time and space you are able and willing to commit to the activity, and ensure that your expectations are realistic.

Do you wish to buy a pair or two and breed purely for pleasure? That is a wonderful reason to breed and a great experience to have at least once in your life. Is your goal to exhibit? That too is a wonderful reason to become involved in canary breeding. Whatever your reason, you need to have those goals in mind when you set out to purchase stock as no amount of selective breeding will make poor quality canaries show specimens-  if your purpose is to compete, spend your money on a few great birds rather than several mediocre ones.

Realize that breeding birds takes time and dedication. As with all things in life, you will get out of the activity what you put into it. If your intention is to throw some randomly selected pairs of canaries into cages, feed them a minimally nutritious diet, and maintain your bird room in the shortest period of time possible just so you can produce some birds to sell this hobby may not be for you. If you set out with the intention of producing show quality birds, realize that you are entering into a serious investment of your money and time. While the hobby does not need to be a timesink, there are periods of the year such as during breeding, training, and show seasons when you will be very busy.

There are things you will need to forgo to breed canaries such as vacations during the breeding season and vacations of longer than three days at any other time of the year unless you can find a competent and reliable bird sitter. If you breed a number of birds, finding a bird sitter is likely to not only be difficult but also costly as well.

There will also be times when you will wish to do anything other than bird room chores, but you must. The birds cannot go without food, water, and clean living quarters regardless of how nice it is outdoors, the fact that you have company, or because you are sick or injured. There are unexpected situations in life- such as an emergency that requires you to spend a great deal of time away from home- being prepared in advance with a plan for what you will do in the case of such an event could mean the difference between life and death for your birds.

If you plan to show, sometimes you will need to give up some of your weekends. Seriously exhibiting American Singers in the Midwestern United States demands the commitment of nearly every Friday and Saturday (and quite a few Sundays) in the months of October, November, and December.  Of course, there is a wide continuum of commitment - you need not attend every show. In fact, I know many folks who only attend one or two shows each year. However, the more you exhibit the more successful you are likely to be.

Naturally, if you have a family or a significant other in your life, they will need to be supportive of your hobby as it will have a significant impact on them as well. You would do well to consider this in advance as an unsupportive spouse or partner can take a considerable amount of the pleasure out of the hobby.

As far as space- even if you breed a single pair of canaries, you will need a minimum of three decent-sized cages. You need one for the birds to breed in, one to put the male in should he prove to be a problem, and one for the young birds to be placed to wean and mature in. Once they reach maturity male and female birds cannot be caged together except while breeding and for a short period during the molt, so you will need two cages for your parent birds for much of the year. 

The young should not be sold as soon as they are able to feed themselves - they are very susceptible to health problems prior to their first molt and not fully mature until 6-8 months of age at the earliest; whatever accommodations you have for your young birds will need to be sufficient to last them for several months.

As far as expectations, many folks begin breeding canaries with the mistaken assumption that canaries are an easy way to make money. I have had a number of parrot breeders tell me that canaries are "easy money"! While it is certainly true that canaries are easier to breed than parrots and that there is  a positive supply versus demand ratio for sellers, don't be fooled into thinking that a canary breeding hobby is ever going to be more than that unless you choose to establish a mass production operation to supply bird store chains or choose an expensive canary breed and produce top show quality birds. (Even then, most birds will not go for top prices.) If you are lucky, you will nearly break even most years- and if you actively show your birds, you will be unlikely to manage that.

All of this said, if you go into the hobby with clear and realistic goals and expectations canary breeding can be a very fun and rewarding hobby.