Diet Research --page two

- Page Two -
Notes on my 'Canary Diet Research' 
March 2019

*** Information I Found Most Interesting:
Here are some of the information/opinions/advice/experiences I found helpful.
I am not re-typing the complete articles, just the parts that I will be using to make my final plan on Page Four!

➽ I began with Bruce's words of advice echoing in my head.

When I bought my first canary pairs, the breeder (with 50 years experience) gave me this advice on diet: "Feed a canary seed mix , without any millet, or very little."
 
The breeder also fed hard boiled egg as a soft food, with varying additions of grated carrots, store-bought whole wheat enriched bread and quick oatmeal flakes. He added a few additional seeds as they were available locally, most often nyjer, and included cuttle bone in all cages. Occasional drops of iodine in the water were the only other supplement.

Bruce's birds are still some of the nicest colored, well-sized and enthusiastic singing canaries, who live very long lives, I have ever seen.

➽ As examples,  here are several bits of advice from books and online articles, that I took to heart.   I do not plan to follow all of their methods entirely, but I found much to think about and learn from!
(Also NOTE the differences: Matt puts males and females together for the molt; Linda separates the sexes as soon as she is able. Jan always keeps males in individual cages; Linda keeps 3 males together, for several reasons. These are just a few of the differences between these SUCCESSFUL breeders!)


September, October, November: Selection of birds to keep, to show, and to sell is made. New bird purchases are made. Shows entered/attended. Birds are in flights, with regular baths, green foods. No egg food.
December: Cocks and hens in separate flights. Hens to receive most winter sun.
January: Baths weekly, egg food weekly, green food twice a week. Multivit in water, also calcium supplement.
February: approx 1 1/2 to 2 months before breeding. Baths weekly, green food three times a week, egg food twice a week, calcium twice a week. Multivit once a week.
March: Males into single cages, with condition seed, green food three times a week, egg food once a week. Baths twice weekly. Hens still in flights.
End of March: Hens put in individual cages. Nests are put in before hen, as he thinks it is easier to see when the hen begins to take an interest in nesting. Calcium is offered twice a week, and nesting material.
April: Calcium and multivit several times a week, as well as oystershell and cuttle bone. Hens offered baths 4 days before hatch date. Egg food and green food fed to hens with chicks, and soak seed after three days.
May: New nests added after 14 days, as cock will take over feeding. Weaned young are fed egg food, green food, and soak seed for first week, then a tonic hard seed mix.
June: Green food and soft food for all. Some youngsters are in flights entering molt.
July: Cocks and hens are put together in flights to complete molt. Multivit and calcium.
August: Molting. Egg food daily. Multivit, calcium, and green food several times a week. Baths three times a week.
His egg food is one or more commercial egg foods mixed, a sprinkling of hand rearing powder and moistened with grated carrot and broccoli stalks instead of water.


Late November: Room Temperature at 50 - 60 degrees, if possible. Light at 9 hours. Males in single cages; hens in flights. Egg food to males every other day and to hens once or twice a week.

Late December: 1 1/2 months before breeding, begin increasing daylight hours. Egg food to males every day, and add wheat germ. Hens into single cages.

Late January: Increase temperature to 65 - 70 degrees. Egg food mix to hens every day.

February or when light reaches 13 hours: Breeding will begin. Continue increasing day length to 14 hours. Introduce males when hens are ready. Continue with egg food mix until hen sets. Canary seed only until egg hatch. Add grated egg and carrots to egg food mix while feeding youngsters. Wean at 21 days. Feed youngsters egg food mix until they are hulling seed well, then wean them off egg mixture ( 30-40 days).

Summer: Hens into flights, with some egg food. Males in single cages.

September: Cut back hours until reach 9 hours.
During the molt: she feeds one finger treat cup of egg food every other day, tapering off when molting is over.

Her basic egg food recipe includes 1/2 couscous 1/2 protein food mix with song food and quick oats.

➼ Canary Tales Top Ten List For Breeding Borders --
(Only certain items are quoted; read the complete list on Linda Hogan's blog.)

"1. Breed Only the Healthiest Birds. Be selective with your stock and only breed birds that do not exhibit any hint of neurological problem. ..."

"2. Provide Healthy Diet All Year Long. ... Although all breeds need a healthy diet, each breed has needs for extra nutrients but the best supplement level varies greatly by breed. ... . If you supplement all of your different varieties the same, you will have years when some breeds do well and others are big flops so learn each breeds needs and respond to them appropriately. Certainly, my German Rollers need a lot less vitamin and mineral supplementation than my Borders. ..."

"3. Monitor Weight. ... . Also make sure there are at least three cocks in the same cage to encourage them to move.... Even young birds need to separated by sex as soon as possible ..."

"4. Start Conditioning Cocks First. As a general rule it takes about six weeks to bring a cock into full breeding condition but only three or four weeks to bring a hen into full breeding condition. Three things bring cocks into breeding condition.

First, sensitivity to longer day light hours. Being light sensitive is lost after birds have been in extended light for a period of time, so it is important that during the summer and fall that birds be on shorter days of 10 hours or less to redevelop light sensitivity. A change in day length changes hormones levels and results in cocks producing more sperm. ....

Second, territorial fighting. House cocks together as territorial fighting also brings them into breeding condition. ....

Third, vitamin E and other foods. Vitamin E and selenium are very important for conditioning and Borders and a few other varieties need a very high level to stimulate them..."

"5. Start Food Conditioning with Vitamin E Coated Seeds. ..."

"6. Supplement the Diet with Vitamin and Mineral Products. Be sure to use products with additional calcium and also those with selenium and amino acids. ..."

"7. Facilitate Feeding Behavior. The very best predictor of fertile eggs is seeing feeding behavior. When the cock feeds the hen, mating will usually follow shortly. When I see cocks in the flights or hens in their flights feeding each other, I know that they are fast approaching full breeding condition.

To encourage feeding behavior, I feed wheat germ mixed with brewer's yeast and also MannaPro Poultry Conditioner along with nyjer (thistle) and sunflower pieces. Once they are paired they also get soft food to encourage feeding behavior. In difficult cases, I use a wire divided cage and give the cock the goodies and let the hen beg him through the wire to feed her. When this happens for a day, I remove the divider. It is also a good technique when the cock is trying to bully the hen."

"8. Use the Hatching Trick As Needed. Fertile eggs that fail to hatch by noon of the 14th day should be moved to a foster hen... "

"9. Rise Early and Feed the Hen As Soon As the Light Comes On. Offering fresh nestling food first thing in the morning will save a few chicks as mom will likely fill up on the fresh food and be ready to feed her chicks as soon as you leave the room."

"10. Figure Out the Problem When No Chicks Hatch Before Resetting the Hen. It is disappointing when no chicks result but take a few minutes to figure out how to fix it before pulling the infertile eggs. ... Good eggs but no chicks? Then let the hen set as long as she will but start giving her nestling food and wheat germ/brewer's yeast and watch to see if the cock will feed her. ..."

➼ (from her older list of Hints For Breeding, link provided in the article above)

She recommended feeding selenium, vitamin E and B vitamins. Sources: sunflower hearts, wheat germ, bee pollen, spirulina, brewer's yeast, vegetable protein powder, canary seed, and quinoa.

She also recommends feeding probiotics and foods high in phytoestrogens, such as flax seed, soybean powder, frozen green peas (thawed), broccoli, carrot, green and black tea, or alfalfa.

"During the pre-breeding season, keep the hens in a cool aviary to prevent egg laying before the hen reaches full breeding condition. Cold temperatures naturally inhibits egg laying even when the diet is high in carbohydrates. If the room is warm, excess intake of carbohydrates will push the hen to lay prematurely..."

"Provide a minimum of 14.5 hours of day light at pairing...... Lighting is one of the three factors that bring birds into breeding condition. The other two factors are diet and warmer temperatures. The best results occur when all three factors are used to bring the birds into full breeding condition."

She puts the cock and hen in a divided cage, feeding soft food extras only to the male. "When the hen is ready for pairing, she will beg the cock to feed her through the wire. The next day they should be ready for pairing and mating. ..."

➼ from the book: A Collection of Canary Tales: The Complete Canary Handbook
by Linda S. Hogan

"To prevent premature laying, I recommend the following:

1. Hold the hens at 10 hours of daylight in a separate cool room where they can not hear the cocks breeding song..... Feed pellets... vitamin-fortified seed mix and vitamin/mineral rich food such as non-medicated chick grower... free choice. Calcium sources such as cuttlebone, or a digestible mineral grit or a liquid calcium should be provided at least three months prior to and during breeding. Limited quantities of pure hard-boiled eggs with shell, about one egg to 6 birds can be provided once a week. Do not feed egg food as it will push egg laying.

2. Stimulate the cocks by sudden changes in total hours of daylight.... Feed the cocks the same as the hens, plus a little hemp and free choice raw wheat germ or limited sprouted seeds...

3. When the cocks are ready, change the hens lighting ... When they both are at 14 hours put them in the same room and pair those that are in full breeding condition.... After pairing, feed them the same as you have been feeding the cocks.

4. ..... be sure neither is too fat. ... ... increase exercise and limit fat.

.... If unable to separate hens and cocks in different rooms, take a conservative approach. Advance on a natural schedule ... to 12 hours. Feed the cocks and hens differently as described above. When the majority are ready, advance... up to 14 total daylight hours.

.... Success is yours when you work with their natural tendencies and bring them into full breeding condition before egg laying occurs."

➼'A Letter From England From My Mail Bag'
by Linda Hogan
(only part of the article is quoted, complete article found on
the Oakland International Roller Canary Club website)
"I will give you some general guidelines. Foods are either high in carbohydrates, proteins, or both. Foods that are high in carbohydrates push breeding behavior (egg laying, loss of body confirmation, and loud frequent singing). Greens, canary seed, eggfood (EMP) without egg added are all high in carbohydrates be very careful not to rush the hens with these foods; infertile eggs will result. The more rushing you do, the lower your fertility rate."

"Often I receive phone calls during breeding season from people having almost no fertility. Almost always, they are giving the birds everything and lots of it. They fail to understand the birds are being pushed to lay eggs which is not the same as laying fertile eggs. I tell them to stop giving any extras and within about 3-4 weeks they call back and are surprised because now the fertility is almost 100%. You have to feed right to get good results.
Higher protein foods include: hard-boiled egg, wheat germ, petamine, and oily seeds (hemp, rape and niger). Higher protein foods encourage breeding behavior but not egg laying."

"Also discourage egg laying by taking away greens and increasing rape seed. During molting feed more oily seeds and proteins. Add some carbohydrates when you trying to stop the molt but be careful not to overdue it as that will destroy the type confirmation."

"(Eggfood should be high carbohydrates and high proteins. High protein discourages the hen from laying the second nest too quickly.)"

"Canary seed, being a high carbohydrate seed, encourages breeding and egg laying. The rape seed holds them back. In January about 40% canola rape is appropriate. Gradually decreasing the amount of rape and increasing the amount of canary until at pairing you have about 20% rape."

"...what about fussy eaters? Bird are choosy about what they eat when they have been given large amount of extras. They, just like kids, will pig out on their favorites and not eat a well balanced diet. Birds feed a plain diet will readily accept egg food (to feed their chicks)!!"

➼ from the book: Canary Breeding Tips and Tricks
by Herman Osman
"Every year during the breeding season, you will find recipes for nestling food.....They will extol the virtues of their nestling food and tell you they have been using it ever so successfully for 15 to 20 years.

The hens will feed in the breeding cage that to which they have become accustomed whether the food is a well-balanced concoction or not. The success of some prominent breeders is usually attributable to their skill in solving breeding room problems and not their nestling food...."

"Salt is necessary for canaries. Add salt to your egg food in such quantity as you would for the human taste. Without salt your hens become exhausted too soon...."

"Towards the end of the breeding season, when your hens have tired of a nestling food, you can get them to consume them quite liberally again by sweetening it. Sugar is an energy food and should not be added until late in the season when the hens are tiring from the hard work of the previous nests."

"The sentiment of other writers against egg food is becoming more pronounced. In substance, we are now headed from one extreme to another, from the poorest kind of egg food to none at all. Considering that an egg is a near perfect food and generally relished by canaries, the trend is in the wrong direction. We should feed egg food in the breeding cages intelligently and for variety and not as the primary food."

"A variety of greens is just as conductive to high production as a variety of nestling foods. Any greens that your hens will feed are satisfactory except that an abundance of watery greens, like lettuce and watercress will result in nestling diarrhea. Broccoli, spinach, kale, cabbage, chickweed, dandelion, milk weed, rape seed greens, endive and mustard greens are excellent."

"Do not feed greens the first thing in the morning. It is essential that your hens get food into the crops of the young as soon as possible. After about a half hour's feeding, greens should be served."

"Do not feed watery greens like lettuce and watercress for the late feeding....Those young, filled with watery greens for the night, are less able to survive until the following morning."

"Some breeders whose birds receive attention only before going to work in the morning and after returning late in the day feed a large piece of sweet apple to take the place of greens during the day. The writer knows a few very successful breeders who feed apple for the reason given."

"On hot days it is wise to roll your greens like chicory leaves into something that looks like a fat cigar with a thin rubber band around the outside to keep it from unraveling. The inside layers of the greens will remain un-withered for a long time.... "

"Shredded wheat moistened with water is one of the cheapest and best nestling foods...."

"Most breeders use at least part bread crumbs in making their egg food...."


➼  I have enjoyed watching the Red Factor Man YouTube Channel!  I agree with many of his methods.
  • Re-fitting and painting cages, perches recommendations, cage bottom foraging, and :  Preparing for Winter
  • His birds, cages, lighting, etc.:  2019 Breeding Season (video 1)
  • Diet, putting something on floor of cages, and caring for birds while going to work:  2019 Breeding Season (video 2)
  • New birds and discussion of his cages:  2019 Breeding Season (video 3)
  • All paired up, ready to go!:  2019 Breeding Season (video 4)
  • and continuing!
    •  
➼ "Many people talk about the benefits of Probiotics after illness or medicines, but I prefer the simple use of a reliable and potent vitamin to restore nature's balance to the bowel."
by Dr. Rob Marshall (BirdHealth.com.au)

➼ ".... In preparing mixed foods from which birds cannot separate protein from carbohydrate, it is unwise in the extreme to dilute a high protein food with additional carbohydrate. Leave carbohydrates in their natural form or feed them separately. For example, I strongly advise against mixing bread crumbs or corn meal with hard boiled egg, as a nestling food. Such a practice forces the birds to consume excess carbohydrate in order to get the protein content they crave, particularly while feeding young ones. This can and will cause obesity, as the birds are forced to eat an excess of carbohydrates in order to get the protein that they must have...."
"... Mashed, hard-boiled eggs are one of the best and cheapest high-protein foods you can feed. Because of their high water content, add a spoon of powdered vitamin-mineral supplement to each boiled egg and mix it thoroughly. If the egg mix still seems too wet and sticky, add a couple of spoons of soy protein and mix it again. The soy protein greatly increases the protein content of the mix, and makes it even better for the birds nutritionally. NEVER add corn meal, flour, or cereals to the egg mix, as these items are predominantly carbohydrates – they will do no good and will do positive harm to the nutritional value of an egg mix.... "
by Robert G. Black (Carbohydrates article on the NFSS)

➼ "When energy is in short supply the animal has to use amino acids for energy. Amino acids have much more important jobs to do in animals than to be used for energy. Therefore, it is always necessary to have adequate carbohydrate and fat calories available for use as energy."
"It is important to understand that even though crude fiber cannot be broken down for an immediate energy source, a proper amount of cellulose is necessary in the diet to promote normal movement of food through the bird’s digestive tract. It also helps to provide the bulk which is necessary for normal droppings."
(from Understanding Pet Bird Nutrition by Butcher and Miles/IFAS Extension of University of Florida)

➼ The book: The Practical Canary Handbook: A Guide To Breeding & Keeping Canaries
by Marie Miley-Russell
contains descriptions of good/bad points of many seeds, grains, and herbs. Plus, her year-long schedule is interesting. The song training and show chapters are worth studying.

➼ Other interesting webpages I have listed on my Canary Seeds (Links) page.

➽ My take-away from this advice and my reading:

✅ As I compared the various breeders' canary diets with their care and breeding methods,
I reached AN OPINION:
Most novices, including myself at 10 years with canaries, tend to think soft food recipes are more important than do breeders with more years' experience.

The most successful breeders DO feed soft food.
But it is NOT the most important 'tool' in their work bag of Canary Tools!


The first question we may ask another canary person is "WHAT do you feed?"
BUT, when a more experienced breeder is giving his/her best advice, the topic of soft food comes later!  They will name other parts of their 'canary management' FIRST.
 
AFTER talking about flight space during the winter, or selecting a pair that will produce the best offspring, they may say something like: "Feed soft food... I mix this... others in my club mix that, etc."

✅ I gained the impression that the carbohydrate -vs- protein ratio may be more important than we think.   Maybe the birds' needs change with the seasons?   I will gradually lower the carbohydrates in the nestling mix, fed to pairs with youngsters, to keep the hens from too quickly beginning a second nest.. and will include couscous or another source of good carbs in the mix fed to newly weaned youngsters.

Also, many breeders gradually reduced both soft food and soak seed for youngsters as they began eating more regular seed.

✅ While I was reading about FOOD, I found many good tips and suggestions for other areas of canary-keeping!  I found answers to questions about resting hens, choosing pairs, inheritance of traits, etc.

➼ My choices on some of the 'big debates', such as grit, sugar/salt, egg, soy, dairy, etc., and my FINAL 'PLAN OF ACTION' for this coming year is on PAGE FOUR, if you want to skip the experiments.

I want to test more pre-made soft food ingredients, that are used by other breeders.
Next, my study continues with even more experiments.
Continued on Page Three!
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