The Standard and Points for the Stafford Canary
Show Cage Specifics
Crested Stafford
The crest feathers should radiate from a small circle at the center of the top of the head and should finish level with the top of the eye. There should not be an obvious break at the back of the head where the crest meets the neck.
Non-Crested Stafford
The head should have a broad well rounded appearance from whatever angle it is viewed. The forehead should have a good rise above the beak. The curve of the head should continue to rise to the center of the skull, giving the head a nice rounded appearance. The forehead should be broad as the head is behind the eye. And finally the head should have a browy appearance with heavy feathering above the eye.
Stafford Canaries are judged on
a 100 point system
Clear Stafford Show Points
Ground Color (Red or Rose) 30
Head (Crest or Non-Crest) 30
Frosting Levels (frost, Non-frost, Mosaic) 15
Type 15
Condition & Feathering 10
Total Points 100
Melanin Stafford Show Points
Ground Cloloring (Red or Rose) 15
Melanistic Coloring 15
Head (Crest or Non-Crest) 30
Frosting Level (Frost, Non-Frost, Mosaic) 30
Type 15
Condition & Feathering 10
Total Points 100
Description of Points
Description of Points
Ground Color Clears - 30 Points
Melanin- 15 Points
Melanin Color 15 Points (variegated, 3/4 dark, foul, self)
The Accepted ground colors are red and rose
Red ground color - is to be a bright, fiery red, evenly distributed throughout the plumage.
Rose ground color - is to be a bright, rich pink, evenly distributed throughout the plumage.
Melanistic coloring -15 Points
Bronze - Striations should be as black as possible and as wide as possible.
Brown - Striations should appear as chocolate brown color and be as wide possible.
Agate - Striations should appear as a diluted version of bronze.
Isabel - Striations should appear as a diluted version of brown.
Pastel - Striations should appear as a brown suffusion covering the entire bird.
Ino - Striations should be chocolate brown and present in a spangle formation.
Opal - Striations should be blue/grey color with no traces of brown formation of striations as bronze
Satinette - Striations should be clear and distinct, ground color between brown striations should be clear.
Head - 30 Points
Crest - Feathers should radiate from the center of the top of the head. The crest should be neat and tidy and should finish level with the top of the eye. The center of the crest should be small. Birds that have obviously been plucked of feathers around the crest should be disqualified. At the rear of the head where the crest joins the neck the feathers should not show any obvious break. Major faults are tufts, horns and rough feathering.
Non-Crest - Head should be broad and have a well-rounded appearance from all angles of view. Forehead should be broad and have a good rise above the beak. Head should have a browy appearance. Because of brow the beak should appear smaller in comparison to other breeds.
Feather Types - 15 points
Frosted - End of each feather should show a distinct white frosting. Frost should appear even throughout the entire plumage, i.e. 50% frosting and 50% ground color. Major faults are over frosted back and under frosted breast.
Non-Frosted - Should ideally show no signs or frosting. If frosting present must be kept to a minimum.
Mosaic - Feathers should show a good contrast between the snow white body feathers and the four color points, i.e. face, shoulder, rump, chest. Cocks should have a Gold Finch-type facial blaze. Hens should have red eyebrows.
Type - 15 Points
Size should be 5" from head to tip of tail and stand at a 45 degree angle. Tail should be closely packed. Wings should be compact and set close to body. Body should be of a robust appearance with a well-rounded breast and broad back. Legs should be of medium length and well set back. All nails are to be present and legs are to be free of scales.
Conditioning/Feathering - 10 Points
Should be shown in perfect conditioning. Eyes, clear and bright. Feathering should be tight and silky. All Stafford canaries are to be exhibited in a clean standard show cage as approved by the Stafford Canary Club of America.
This show cage was accepted in 2000 as the only accepted cage for the Stafford Canary.
Original English floor design with seed trough is preserved, however, the entire floor including the trough shall be filled with canary and rape seed
Construction:
Two Ends, Front Panel, Sloping Roof: 5/16" (7.9) Pine.
Base, Top, & Divider: 1/4" (6.4) Pine.
Back: 4mm Plywood.
Wire Front: 14 SWG. Hinge & Clip: 16 SWG.
Color: Interior: Pratt & Lambert Brand #1249X Montana Sky 2-W from calibrated colors IV series. Semi-Gloss.
Exterior/Cage Front: Black Semi-Gloss
Perches: Soft wood, not plywood square.
All Dimensions are in Millimeters (mm)
Equivalents: 1(mm) = 0.1 (cm) = 0.01(m)
1000 mm = 100 (cm) = 1(m)
Conversion: 1 inch = 2.54(cm ) To convert inches into (cm) multiply inches by 2.54
To convert (cm) into inches multiply (cm) by 0.3937
To convert dimensions in diagrams from (mm) to inches, move the decimal point one place to the left. This will convert the number from (mm) to (cm), e.g., 305mm will become 30.5cm. Then multiple by 0.3937 to get inches. (Ex: 30.5cm X .03937 = 12.01 inches) or try using a metric ruler.