[Problems arising from disease during the periods of breeding and rearing canaries and other aviary birds (author's transl)].

The hygienic aspects of the various breeding systems are reviewed. The companion aviary is the least hygienic system; the birds are hardest to supervise in this case. Breeding in pairs is preferable from either point of view. Hygiene in aviaries is determined by all component parts of the cage, which are used in keeping the birds. The walls should be smooth and clean. The most hygienic drinking water supply is ensured by bottle-type nipple drinkers provided with a small ball. Feeders should be emptied, cleansed and filled with fresh water every day. A hygienic, dry floor-covering will prevent the appearance of large numbers of Enterobacteriaceae (as well as E. coli) in the intestine. The feed should preferably be given in measured rations. An adult canary should be fed 4 g. of seed and 1 g. of soft feed (containing 20 per cent of protein and 1 per cent of lysine) daily. Causes of death in young birds may be: inferior soft feed, a faulty diet, the presence of pentachlorophenol in the nesting material, infestation with chicken lice (Dermanyssus gallinae), diarrhoea due to a polluted environment (neonatal diarrhoea shortly after hatching), cochlosomosis, drumsticks and atoxoplasmosis. The clinical features and treatment of infectious diseases are discussed.