Showing the mighty Lancs

PAUL WOODWARD shares advice with Dave Brown on successfully breeding and exhibiting Lancashires, one of our most celebrated old canary varieties. Continues from last week

- Paul Woodward

DAVE Brown: How do you feed your Lancashires?

Paul Woodward: When I started out, I used to give them all sorts. You read lots and hear different advice, so you try out lots of things. However, nowadays things are kept a lot simpler.

In October/November, when the moult is finished, the diet is made up of a good-quality mixed canary, which I cut with plain canary. I keep the diet “low” at this time in the season to help with show condition. Too rich a diet will result in mucky vents, which you don’t want to have on a show bird.

Come December I’ll start building the diet up again and offer soft food a couple of times a week. Simple is again the approach and I use roughly 50 per cent frozen peas to 50 per cent Cede eggfood, then just an inch of carrot. Whizz it all up in the blender and that’s it.