Diet Research

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

In the past, I have used traditional methods of seed, soft food and various supplements to feed my canaries.  I chose these items because they were easy for me to order or appealed to me in some way.

I decided to do some serious research into what is the best diet plan for my bird room.

My first discovery was:  diet is an area of both pride and debate!  Most experienced canary people have definite opinions of what should be fed to our birds, and they are not shy about stating these opinions as strict facts. These statements are often contradicted by other people.  Even if the differences are minor, each side seems willing to argue endlessly! 
Also, I found that 'making soft food', planning pre-breeding conditioning supplements, and buying new seed is FUN.  I enjoy preparing food treats and watching my birds enjoy them.  And this seems to be how other people feel too!

➽  The Beginning:
I read all the 'diet chapters' in my shelf of canary books. Then, I searched for webpages that specifically discussed what canaries needed in a diet. There are many good articles on what part each nutrient plays in our birds' health. 

• There was general agreement that the nutritional needs for a canary will vary depending on what a canary is doing.  When a canary is in molting season, it will need more amino acids and certain minerals.  Before breeding time, a canary will need increasing amounts of vitamins and protein, and essential fatty acids.  During the 'off-seasons' such as fall and winter, the chance of becoming too fat increases, but also is the time of year our birds may need more energy to keep warm.
• The environment around our canaries also plays a part.  Sunshine, fresh air, clean water, and how large the cage/exercise space all effect how our canaries stay healthy.

➽ Basic Nutritional Findings:

     To properly nourish a pet bird, balanced amounts of nutrients must be ingested, digested and absorbed into the body. The food that your pet bird eats is composed of a variety of ingredients and the ingredients are composed of nutrients.
     There are six major categories of nutrients: (1) water; (2) proteins; (3) carbohydrates; (4) lipids; (5) minerals; and (6) vitamins.
     ..... any food that is eaten is really not yet inside the animal body until it is digested and the prepared nutrients are absorbed.

(from Understanding Pet Bird Nutrition by Butcher and Miles/IFAS Extension of University of Florida)

There were many articles on avian nutrition and many chapters written about the subject!

For every paragraph of solid information stating one thing, there was another paragraph written by someone else saying just the opposite!      Yes, really!!! When an author recommended a recipe, diet, or product to feed our canaries, it was after some time of successful use in his/her own bird room. ➽ My take-away from this:   Canaries seem to thrive with many different diets and care! There is definitely NO ONE WAY to feed our birds!

Our canaries need proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins.  Some people use supplemental feeds, such as grit, probiotics and herbs.  Some people warned of pesticide residues, toxic foods, artificial preservatives or colors, and sugar.

After I answer my question of WHAT to feed, my next question will be HOW to feed!

Keeping this in mind, I separated the basic seed group from the other supplemental foods.  And I divided those supplemental foods into 'generally dry' and 'generally moist'. 

(More on methods of food preparation later on pages three and four.)

➽ Here is a general outline:

• Seed Sources of all 6 categories of nutrients:
  All seeds contain an assortment of protein, carbs, fats, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and even moisture, in different proportions.  Seeds are grouped as predominately oil seeds, protein seeds, or starchy/carbohydrate seeds.
  Pelleted diet could fall into a lower level of this category.
  Most seed diets are considered 'raw' food, in a natural state.
  In human nutrition, many of the seeds we feed our canaries such as canary seed, canola (rape), hemp, flax, sesame, fennel, etc. are considered 'powerhouses' of excellent nutrition!
• Dry Supplemental Sources of the 6 categories of nutrients:
  Plant-based dry/raw:  grains (oats, wheat, corn, etc.), seeds (sunflower, quinoa, sesame, anise, etc.), beans/legumes (soybean, pea protein, split green pea, etc.) and vegetable/herb (dandelion leaves/tea, alfalfa leaves, herbs, moringa powder, potato protein, etc.)
  Plant-based dry/processed:  cereals (dry bread crumbs, shredded wheat, baby cereal, wheat gluten, etc.) and dry soft/nestling food mixes (bisko, rusk, poultry mash, egg food, etc.)
  Animal-based, dry:  mealworms, bee pollen, charcoal, dairy, etc.
  Sea-based:  kelp, spirulina, cuttlebone, oyster shell,  etc.
• Moist Supplemental Sources of the 6 categories of nutrients:
  Plant-based raw or minimally processed:  vegetables (carrots, kale, cabbage, broccoli, peas, yam, green peppers, etc.), fruits (apple, apple cider vinegar, etc.), and oils (omegas, wheat germ, coconut oil, red palm oil, etc.)
  Cooked/moistened cereals and mixes:  fresh bread crumbs, couscous, moistened soft food mixes, etc.
  Animal-based, moist: egg, dairy, fish oil, etc.
• Processed Supplemental Sources of the 6 categories of nutrients:
  Concentrates:  breeding supplements, citric acid/water conditioners, wheat germ oil, vitamin and mineral formulas, etc.
  Pelleted diets and hand-rearing formulas

➽  I read about the various essential amino acids that make up proteins, the vitamins that are made by birds, and those essential vitamins that they are not able to make.  I learned how the bird uses the nutritional parts of the food it eats. I learned which amino acids build muscle and which carbohydrates provide more energy.
Research has found food-based nutrients are used by our birds in the same ways they are used by our human bodies.  There are articles on hormone response to things like iodine, salt, or their brain's response to day length.

➽  There were many little bits of information that I found very interesting and thought provoking.
Sometimes, it was not what a breeder wrote about diet that made the most sense, but putting that page of information together with the breeder's feeding schedule gave me an answer!
     I am not going to copy here ALL of the interesting chapters/webpages of good information.  I have re-typed some of information I want to keep for myself on Page Two. (Link below.)
     I have listed some of these pages on my CANARY SEEDS (LINKS) page.  I encourage all of you to read.... it is enjoyable as well as helpful!

➽ My take-away from this part of my study: ✅  In this study, I have PROVEN to myself:  the WAY we KEEP our canaries works WITH what we feed them to give us a SUCCESSFUL year! ➼ The WAY we KEEP our canaries every day throughout the year (hours of daylight, flight space, selecting pairs, privacy for parents, reducing fights and other stress, etc.) is the first thing to get right. ➼ By OBSERVATION of our birds, we can change what is not helpful --- to something that makes them happy, healthy, and productive.  There are differences in climate, room conditions, and in breeds kept. (There ARE differences in care and diet needs of the different breeds of canaries!) ➼ After working with all these things, and feeding the basics of fresh water, seed and vegetables, the smaller questions of individual food items will work themselves out.

✅   I decided that SEED should be the largest 'volume' of the feed. A seed mixture of canary seed and rape seed, supplemented with nyjer seed, and various other seeds would give me a balance of the basic nutrients.  It must be fresh, not old or dirty.
Basis for this decision:  Seed is both dry and moist.  It provides fiber, at a proper ph.  Seeds are sources of protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrition.  Seed provides entertainment as well as exercise, for the canaries.  Most canaries readily eat seed.
I feel seed as the largest volume of a canary's diet will insure the proper 'consistency' within their digestive system.

I concluded SEED creates a 'base line' of diet..... a middle step of nutrition.

✅  Vegetables and grains would be my 'high' and 'low' steps.
Vegetables with significant levels of important nutrients (including vitamins, minerals, and enzymes found on raw foods) would be fed as part of a supplement.
My vegetables of choice, that are also convenient to obtain, are:
carrots, broccoli, kale, dandelion, alfalfa, kelp and spirulina.
Grains with a good range of essential amino acids, also including minerals and essential fatty acids, are:
oats, wheat, and corn.
Both vegetables and grains contain proteins and carbohydrates, as well as minor nutrients.  They also carry beneficial enzymes if minimally processed or raw.
(I am particularly impressed with the nutrients in oats, corn, and wheat.... containing a range of essential amino acids, oils, both protein and carbohydrates, as well as minerals and vitamins.)
✅  For the times I need to increase the protein level, I feel hard boiled egg is my best choice. I use it with success. ( See Boiled Egg Nutrition, also contains vits A and D)
✅  Vitamin/mineral supplements will be used, although possibly in lower than recommended dosage.

Continued... 
- Page Two -  Information I Found Most Interesting
- Page Three - Experiments and Comparing Soft Foods (with photos)
- Page Four - I Decide For and Against Some Popular Foods
- Page Five - Specific Brands of Seed/Supplements, plus my revised Soft Food Mix