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How to properly feed canaries. Feeding canaries

Canaries appeared in Russia in the 18th century and still they delight us with their beautiful trills and joy of life. As practice shows, the basis of good health and long life is a full and proper feeding. This is what we are trying to figure out.

First we need to talk about the amount of food. The norm for a grain feed canary is 1 tsp. per day and 1.5 tsp. during molting, but there is a slight limitation, the bird must be able to fly. If she sits in a small cage, then 1 tsp. enough for her. During the period of the appearance of chicks and their fattening, the daily rate can be increased by 1.5-2 times, well, protein food. An important factor in feeding is the palatability of the feed. You give food in the morning, you can divide the daily norm into two times, half in the morning and half in the evening, do not leave food at night. At the same time, you can check whether the bird eats everything.

Now let's look at the composition. Cereals should include the following seeds: rapeseed, flax, millet, canary seed, hemp, sunflower, oatmeal, poppy and noug.

Rape, colza- "black seed" is considered the best food for all canaries by many canary breeders. This is a big mistake. The fact is that we often have bitter varieties of colza on sale. Birds are involuntarily forced to eat unloved bitter seed, live almost starving, are emaciated, unhealthy and give frail offspring. In appearance, these are small (about 1.5-2.5 mm in diameter), round grains of almost black color. It should be noted that in feed industrial production rapeseed is usually used. However, there is also colza, which is both spring and winter. Moreover, spring - sweet, reminiscent of the taste Walnut, while winter is bitter and eaten by birds very reluctantly.

Linen- small, oblong, flat brown seed. May have a weakening effect on the intestines. In large quantities, it can cause obesity. Not always included in the main mixture.

white millet Not all birds love. But it's useful. Commonly found in our blends is red millet. Of course, it is more useful from the point of view that it contains more carotene than white (yellowish), but it is very poorly eaten by canaries due to the rather strong shell (it is difficult for a bird to peel it). On the other hand, it does not play such a big role in terms of nutrient richness and, as a result, special usefulness. The rate of millet content in feed should not exceed 5% (according to global standards). Appearing in Lately commercially larger black millet is almost never eaten by canaries. As part of some mixtures, the so-called "small" millet, or chumiza, is found, which is eaten by birds more willingly.

Canary seed (light)- one of the cultures very beloved by canaries.

Hemp- seed rich in vegetable fats. It is very fond of canaries, which, when receiving food, often first of all choose these rather large (about 3-4 mm in diameter) grayish grains. Their number in the mixture should be strictly limited! Since birds that eat hemp seeds in large quantities get fat rather quickly, especially when they live in small cages, which adversely affects both health in general and the reproductive ability of the bird. Kenara with obesity stop singing. The share of hemp in the grain mixture should be no more than 5%. It is recommended to give one canary no more than 4-5 hemp seeds per day.

Oatmeal- grain very useful for canaries, sometimes you have to teach it separately. Oatmeal is peeled oats, in the form of a whole grain. Its share in the grain mixture is 10-15%. A slightly increased amount of oatmeal in the main food is usually found in mixtures intended for song canaries and some ornamental breeds.

Poppy- probably known to everyone. Has fixing properties. Occupies 2-8% in the composition of the mixture.

Noog- it is often included in high-quality mixtures (in a very small amount, usually no more than 5-9%), they are useful, loved by canaries.

All norms and figures given are general. In ready-made mixtures, manufacturers use their own variations. But on the other hand, if you yourself decide to make mixtures, then you will have approximate guidelines for compiling diets. If you are using prepared foods, try to buy them without added vitamins and minerals. In the feed, they are uncontrolled and ineffective.

sunflower seed it is necessary to knead it well with a bottle or a rolling pin, otherwise the canaries will not cope with it. Sesame, camelina, turnip, swede, cabbage and turnip seeds can also be used to feed canaries (of course, only if they have not been pickled).

A canary eats from 3 to 5 grams of pure (without husk) grain per day. The weight of a full teaspoon of unshelled seeds of the mixture is approximately 5 grams. Of this amount, the husk usually accounts for about 1 gram. Therefore, one full teaspoon of grain mixture may be sufficient for some birds and not for others. In this way, individual approach essential for feeding birds. But birds should not be overfed, the maximum daily intake of pure grain without husk should not exceed 1.5 tsp. per day.

Egg food is especially useful for a growing organism. A hard-boiled egg is cooled and, after peeling, rubbed on a grater (or carefully chopped with a fork), and then mixed well with white cracker, crushed into a fine powder. For one egg, take one or two tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Rusk can be partially replaced with baby food flour. This mixture should not be too dry and crumbly, and therefore it is slightly moistened with fresh carrot juice or finely grated carrots are added. Carrots can be added 1 tsp. half an egg. Also, many canary growers recommend adding a few grains of confectionery poppy to this mixture (without additives).

In hot weather, the egg-rusk mixture spoils rather quickly, and for birds that feed chicks, it has to be cooked again two or three times a day. During the fattening period of the chicks, this mixture should be constantly. Adult birds in the nesting season are given about a quarter of a teaspoon per bird 1-2 times a week. After the chicks are covered with feathers, by the age of 2 months, such a mixture can be gradually removed from the diet and replaced with an ordinary hard-boiled egg. You can give the egg in its pure form, cutting it with a knife into two or three parts along with the shell. So the egg is preserved longer, and the birds sometimes eat it more willingly than mixed with crackers. An egg can be fed up to a year while the body is growing, then only when feeding and breeding offspring. Up to six months of age can be given 2-3 times a week, and up to a year can be given once a week.

Fruits and vegetables. From vegetables and fruits, you can ripe sweet apples, pears, apricots, grapes, bananas, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers and carrots. Give one thing a day, in a small amount, so as not to provoke loose stools. Under vegetables, fruits and herbs, it is better to use a clothespin.

Greenery. From greens, you can give dandelion, summer garden spinach, wood lice, common ragwort, watercress, dioica nettle. You can not parsley and cabbage. Greens, due to the rich content of carotene, are very useful for colored canaries during the molting period, when a new feather is growing. At the moment, special feeds have appeared on the markets to give color to the feather, but this is true for show breeds. The most favorite greens for canaries is an ordinary lettuce, until its leaves are coarsened. Canaries are very fond of young, tender leaves and dandelion buds, while they are still very small.

Vitamins. In addition to vegetables, fruits and herbs, which contain a certain amount of vitamins, unfortunately, they do not fill the body's needs, which can lead to vitamin deficiency (for example, and). Therefore, it is recommended to give additional vitamins. Do not use vitamin supplements in feed, as practice shows, they are ineffective. The most convenient option is vitamins in a drinker. The course of such vitamins ranges from 10-14 days, and then, as a rule, a monthly break follows. And this is how it is done all the time. During the period of giving vitamins to the drinker, the amount of vegetables and fruits is reduced to a minimum or completely eliminated. So that the bird drank more from the drinker, and did not receive moisture from vegetables and fruits.

Mineral food. Minerals need a separate feeder. It should be permanent, it can be changed if the bird stains the contents, but it just needs to be updated as the components decrease. The composition of the mineral feed should include: river or sea sand with a particle diameter of 1-2 mm, finely ground shells from boiled eggs (1-2 mm), it is necessary to remove the shell film from it, crushed shell rock (1-2 mm), crushed chalk, bone flour and sulfur in powder form, one-sixth teaspoon per feeder. Also, in addition, a mineral stone should always hang in the cage so that the bird can use it to grind its beak.

The article uses materials from the book "Singing, colored and decorative canaries" by E. V. Lukin. Moscow publishing house "Forest industry" 1987.

If you decide to have a feathered friend, but parrots seem too difficult for you to care for (read how to care for parrots), you can consider the option of canaries. These are one of the most musical birds, quite unpretentious in matters of their content, and for more than a century in a row they have been delighting their owners with melodic trills, a variety of their colors and shapes.

Our publication will tell you more about keeping canaries at home ...

What do canaries look like?

The body length of an adult domestic canary can reach 12-14 centimeters, while wild species somewhat smaller, and differ from domestic ones in their coloration. On top of the males, the green color of the plumage is combined with longitudinal black stripes, the upper part of its head, the throat area and the uppertail are yellow-green, and the color of the chest closer to the tail turns yellow, while the belly is painted white. The color of the female canary is somewhat paler, she has more gray tips of feathers, and her back is painted brown-gray with black stripes. And, here are domestic canaries, they have a bright yellow plumage that covers the bird from head to toe. You can also meet a mixture of a wild canary with a domestic one - in this case, its color is also very beautiful, and it is dominated by green and yellow colors.

So attractive appearance and the ringing voice of the bird, its cheerfulness and sociability make it one of the most beloved birds.

How canaries became pets

History claims that at the beginning of the 14th century, Portuguese and Spanish sailors began to bring these small and vocal birds from exotic countries to their homeland. Most likely, these were already domesticated canaries, which were purchased from local residents, who often kept the birds in small cages woven from tree twigs. Gradually, canaries became more and more popular, and from wicker cages they moved to expensive and inlaid precious stones cages of noble nobles who liked this bird.

Features of keeping canaries at home

Well, if you decide to have a canary in your home, you should know that these birds are easily and quickly tamed and get used to the owner, they are very trusting, breed well at home and even lend themselves to education. With good and proper care the bird can live up to 15-18 years. The main thing is to create the most comfortable conditions for this.

Canary cage

For a canary, you should choose a cage, the size of which would be up to 35 centimeters in length, up to 22 centimeters in width, and up to 29 centimeters in height. At the same time, the distance between the bars should be no more than 1.2-1.4 centimeters, so that the bird does not inadvertently stick its head between the bars and get stuck. The cage door should be placed on the side. It is better to make the bottom double, and it is desirable to make the inner bottom from of stainless steel. Such a bottom should be retractable, then it will be more convenient for you to clean and clean the cage, change the sand in it and carry out periodic mandatory disinfection.

Cage accessories

Feeders for feed can also be placed at the bottom of the cage, however, as practice shows, birds often scatter food, so it is better to make the feeder retractable and hinged. In this position, the bird will be comfortable to eat, and you will have to clean up less.

Be sure to make sure that there is a special perch in the canary cage - it is a round perch, the thickness of which is at least 1.5 centimeters. The surface of such perches should remain rough and not cleaned, and the distance between them should be such that the canary can flap its wings while jumping from one perch to another.

You should be aware that canaries love water, so they love all kinds of water treatments. By the way, they are useful for birds, cleanse the skin and strengthen the plumage of canaries. The main thing is that the water for such bathing is not cold and not hot, it is better to take it at room temperature, it should be poured into a special bathing suit, which you attach to the outside of the door in the cage so that water does not enter the cage. However, the water bath should not be kept in the cage all the time. After the bird bathes, the bathing suit should be removed and the cage doors closed. These bathing suits need to be washed every day.

So that your canary is not afraid of such water procedures teach her to them from an early age. When the canary is 35 days old from the moment of birth, you can begin to introduce it to the bathing suit and water.

The cage should also have a drinker for canaries. The water in it should be at room temperature, and the drinker itself should be better made of glass or porcelain. It can be installed at the bottom of the cage, in a place convenient for your feathered pet.

Between the bars of the cage, you can also install small feeders or plastic plugs into which you will periodically pour bird feed.

Where to put a cage with a canary

A cage with a canary should be installed in a well-lit place, however, not under direct sunbeams and not in a draft. In case you have the opportunity to close the doors from the room and close the window, you can let the canary fly out of the cage. However, make sure that the bird does not fly out into the corridor or out the window.

Canary Cage Cleaning

It is worth cleaning the cage of your feathered friend at least 2 times a week. At the same time, at the time of harvesting, it is better to put the bird in another cage. During cleaning, you will also need to get and wash all accessories in hot water, including drinkers, bathing suits, perches. Once a month it is worth disinfecting the cage.

After cleaning the cage, you should not immediately transplant the bird there. Let the cage dry well and ventilate, only then it will be possible to return the canary to it.

The main type of food for canaries is a grain mixture. However, to prevent the birds from becoming obese, it is very important to follow the daily feed intake, otherwise the birds may become obese.

On average, 1-1.5 teaspoons of such a grain mixture is required for 1 adult bird.

When the canary begins the molting period, the daily feed intake can be increased to 2 teaspoons.

Also, birds can be offered grated carrots, egg yolk, honey, soft and green food (bell peppers, cabbage, lettuce and spinach, dandelion and celery, parsley, pears, apples, strawberries) as feeding. Canaries can also be offered other vegetables and fruits, they should be cut into small pieces and inserted between the bars of the cage.

Despite such a rich diet, do not forget about the mineral feeding for poultry. It is better to pour it into a separate feeder, and give the canaries chalk, crushed egg shells, shell rock or coarse sand, charcoal. Non-carbonated mineral water can serve as an addition to such top dressing.

It is very important that the birds always have access to food, since the bioenergy metabolism of canaries is quite intense and they cannot be left without food even for several hours.

You can periodically add nuts and sunflower seeds to the canary menu. However, new products should be introduced gradually, since a sharp change in diet can cause intestinal upset in a canary, causing untimely molting.

By the way, when you buy a canary, be sure to ask what the previous owners fed it to spend smooth transition to your diet.

How to tame a canary

Canaries are very sociable birds, so if you take care of them, care for them, talk to him in an affectionate and even voice (it is recommended that the bird see you during your conversation), you will definitely gain the trust of a feathered friend and make friends with him. When the bird gets used to you, you can teach it to sit on your arm or shoulder. Find out here.

Diet and feeding technique for canaries

Properly organized feeding plays an important role in the life of indoor birds. Good health, singing and reproductive ability are very dependent on the food received. Compiling a properly balanced and varied diet is not easy, often it requires certain skills, since the composition of the food required for the normal life of a canary depends on the time of year and local conditions.

Sometimes it is simply impossible, when kept at home, to provide canaries with a full range of natural foods, determined by nature. Therefore, amateurs should look for a full-fledged replacement for them, independently selecting the seeds of cultural and wild plants, fruits, berries, natural feed of animal origin and human food.

Another problem is that it is very difficult for canaries to switch to unfamiliar food. At the same time, they can die of hunger, but never take a single grain or piece of a mixture that they have never eaten before. In this regard, it is necessary to introduce new foods into the diet or replace one with another gradually, over several days, so that the canaries have time to get used to them and begin to eat.

It should also be remembered that a sharp transition from one food to another adversely affects the health of birds, especially such as canaries.

Care must be taken to ensure that all food fed to canaries is High Quality. In no case should you give grain that contains rodent excrement, cockle seeds, ergot, mold and other harmful impurities. For prevention, the grain mixture after purchase should always be sifted, thus cleaning it from dust and dirt, then thoroughly rinsed with hot water and dried in air or in a gas oven at a temperature of 100 ° C.

It is recommended to feed canaries daily (preferably 2 times a day) at the same time. Soft foods, insects and feed mixtures should be given 2-3 times a week and always in the morning. Vegetables, fruits and greens are offered to canaries daily, and in unlimited quantities.

The selection of feed and their presence in the diet depend on the breed and age of the canaries, as well as the way they are kept (in a cage or aviary) and the time of year. For example, birds kept in cramped cages should receive less food than those living in an aviary. The birds in the aviary have the ability to move freely, so it is almost impossible to overfeed them. Birds sitting in cramped cages are very sensitive to any slightest omissions in feeding, which often leads to various diseases.

With improper feeding in the body of a bird, the metabolism is disturbed, feathers begin to fall out. This is often the result of feeding any one food. Unfortunately, in our time it often happens that even an experienced breeder feeds his birds with one grain, as his pets do not want to eat anything else. In this case, it is necessary to teach the birds to eat a variety of food, and not just the most favorite.

Some hobbyists are not careful and often feed animal foods to their pets. Canaries are very fond of this food, but it is far from harmless to them.

During the period of egg-laying and rearing of chicks, the amount of feed and the frequency of its intake per day, as a rule, are sharply increased due to the introduction of additional feed. An incorrectly calculated composition of new feeds can adversely affect not only adults, but also the development and viability of chicks.

In this regard, it has been observed that canaries breed most successfully in outdoor enclosures, where they have the opportunity to find such nutrients that are most useful to them. For example, food of animal origin is more accessible to them - in the soil, on the branches of shrubs and in the grass, they constantly find various small insects and their larvae, and they can catch small flies and mosquitoes right on the fly.

The daily feed rate for each bird is determined empirically, since canaries, even of the same breed and age, with the same method of keeping, as a rule, have a different appetite. You should carefully monitor your pets to establish the amount of food they need per day.

Canaries should not be allowed to seek out their favorite seeds in the grain mixture, and leave the others untouched, as a result, the chicks will remain hungry.

 From the book Breeding Dogs by Harmar Hillery

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From the book Lovebird Parrots author Zhalpanova Liniza Zhuvanovna

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From the book of the Canary author Zhalpanova Liniza Zhuvanovna

5. Breeds of canaries At first, all domestic canaries had the same color: they were dark green, inconspicuous, similar to wild ones. Features of life in captivity led to the fact that individuals with unusual colors, structure occasionally began to appear in the offspring of birds.

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From the book Rescue Dog: Training and Training author Usov Mstislav Ivanovich

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From the book All About Pigeons author Bondarenko Svetlana Petrovna

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FEEDING TECHNIQUE Birds are fed on a platform specially equipped in front of the dovecote, in an aviary or indoors. The feeding area is kept clean. Before each giving of food, it is cleaned of litter, swept and sprinkled with sand. Feed is always placed in the feeder, as

Very an important factor in the content of canaries is the correct mode. Inadequate and malnutrition often leads to various diseases, and sometimes death of birds, therefore, proper and especially high-quality feeding of canaries plays a major role in their life, breeding of young animals, as well as canaries.

Many canary breeders, especially beginners, sometimes simply do not know how and what to feed the birds, and some of them feed their canaries with a mixture of millet and hemp in unlimited quantities. They do not include soft and green-vegetable-fruit food in the daily diet of birds. And as a result, birds get sick and sometimes die. Therefore, every lover, acquiring a bird, must know how and what the bird was fed before. It is better to stick to the diet already familiar to the bird and only if necessary transfer it to a new one. And this should be done very carefully. A sharp transition to the new kind nutrition can lead to overfeeding, resulting in gastrointestinal spasms and the bird may die, sometimes to premature molting and to a number of other diseases. It also happens. Canaries are kept in the most favorable conditions: a bright, sunny room, clean air, and the right diet. It seems that all the rules of care have been followed. And yet, the birds still get sick. Why is this happening? It turns out that they are given either dusty food or bitter turnip seed, which is very harmful.

Turnip seed is a necessary ingredient in a general grain feed mix, but should be used with care.

For proper metabolism and other physiological processes, canary food should consist of a grain mixture, soft food, green-vegetable-fruit and diet food. Grain feed in grams:
Rape (colza) - 100 (1 part)
Oatmeal (oatmeal) - 150 (1.5 parts)
Millet - 100 (1 part)
Canary seed - 25 (0.25 parts)
Flaxseed - 15 (0.15 parts)
Hemp seed - 10 (0.1 parts).

This mixture is given to the canary one full teaspoon per day. If during feeding grinding of the husk of grains is observed, then the rate should be increased to 1-1.5 teaspoons. Hemp seed is given no more than five to six grains per day per bird. From immoderate feeding of hemp, canaries grow fat, males stop singing, females, mating with difficulty, lay the so-called "talkers" (unfertilized, "fat" eggs). There are times when birds become deaf or blind from a large amount of cannabis.

It is desirable to include white salad seed in grain feed at the rate of 5-10% in relation to the total weight. It is also recommended to give a small amount of buckwheat groats. Canaries willingly eat sunflower seeds. One bird can be given five or six grains of raw seeds. They are especially useful for malnourished canaries, because, in addition to other nutrients, they contain vegetable fat. Given that the shell of seeds for canaries is quite strong, it is advisable to crush them before feeding. During the mating season, it is recommended to add a small amount of poppy seeds (0.2 g per bird) to the grain feed.

Poppy is given every other day, until the female lays two or three eggs, after which it is excluded from the diet. In large quantities, poppy should not be given: the opium contained in it can cause the death of birds.

An experienced Leningrad canary breeder, I. A. Rozin, advises excluding flaxseed from the normal diet of birds, because it acts as a laxative. However, practice and long-term observations have shown that the absence of flaxseed in the grain diet often causes constipation in birds. Therefore, it is advisable to include a small percentage of flaxseed in the food of canaries. You can give it only fresh, buying in pharmacies.

It is useful to include sesame and camelina seeds in the grain mixture at the rate of 10-15% of the total weight of the feed. When buying grain feed, check that it is not musty (smell), moldy and rancid (taste), etched with formalin. To remove dust and debris, the grain mixture must be sieved. This food is given once a day so that the bird, waking up, does not rush around the cage in search of food.

soft food. These types include various cereals: buckwheat, semolina, rice, barley and millet, which contain a lot of phosphorus, calcium, iron, carbohydrates and nitrogenous substances. Porridges are boiled in salted water to a state of medium density. You can add a small amount of sugar to the finished porridge. Give porridge only in the morning or afternoon. For very emaciated birds (lactating females and chicks), porridge is boiled in milk. Porridge is given two to three times a week, a teaspoon per bird. Soft foods also include fresh cottage cheese (no more than twice a week), a white stale bun soaked in boiled milk and well squeezed out (once every seven to ten days).


Canary

When birds are given soft food or eggs, the amount of grain feed is reduced by half. Green-vegetable-fruit food. These feeds include leaves or seedlings of cabbage, beets, radishes, lettuce, spinach, boletus sprouts, dandelion leaves and seeds, tradescantia, seedlings of oats, rapeseed, wheat, fresh sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, apples, pears, peaches , grapes, watermelon, melon, as well as all sorts of berries and fruits, if the birds eat them. The most useful and favorite vegetable food for canaries is fresh carrots. It is given daily. It should be cut or grated and squeezed well, it can be mixed with crumbs of white crackers and semolina. Some canary breeders do not recommend giving dill, parsley and green onions to birds. But our practice has shown that this green food is well eaten by canaries and nothing bad happens from it.

Parsley and dill are rich in carotene, which is the basis for the formation of yellow and red pigments during feathering. Therefore, colored birds are recommended to give greens in unlimited quantities.

Diet food and treats. Adult canaries are given finely chopped hard-boiled eggs in the following cases: when exhausted and during molting, 1/2 teaspoon daily three to four times a day. Make sure that the eggs in the feeder are fresh; when mating - 1/4 teaspoon every other day; for all other adults, instead of soft food, 1/4 teaspoon can be included in the daily diet once every six days; in winter, crushed multivitamins A, B, C, D should be added to chopped chicken eggs. From frequent feeding with eggs, healthy birds get fat, as well as from hemp, especially if they are given without a norm.

Treats include fresh figs, oranges, tangerines. Slightly incised segments of oranges and tangerines are placed between metal rods in order to enable birds to freely peck at the citrus pulp.

Canaries are very fond of sugar, for which the Spaniards called them "sugar" birds. White sweet crackers and refined sugar are placed between the bars of the cage and left for two to three days. Feeding the chicks. One or two days before the appearance of the chicks, green-vegetable-fruit and soft foods are excluded from the feed ration of the female, only grain is left.

From the first to the third day, the emerging chicks are given crushed yolk of a steep chicken egg, from the fourth to the eighth day - chopped yolk and protein, from the ninth to the tenth day - chopped eggs mixed with semolina or grated white breadcrumbs.

On summer days, to avoid spoilage of such food, it is necessary to put it in the feeder more often and in small quantities so that the food is always fresh. The rate of egg feed may be different, depending on the number of chicks. In the early days, chopped eggs are regularly given to the feeder - one teaspoon. With the age of the chicks, this rate is increased, bringing it to three or four spoons. It is advisable to give chicken eggs for feeding chicks, for a long time. Some canary breeders recommend giving egg food to chicks up to six months of age, that is, until the end of the first molt.

In addition to eggs, it is recommended: from the tenth day - boiled carrots, from the twelfth day - grated or finely chopped raw carrots, from the fourteenth day - grated carrots mixed with crushed white breadcrumbs, various cereals, fresh cottage cheese, sometimes small pieces of fresh unsalted butter, from day 15 - separate apple slices, and then gradually diversify fruit food. From the 30th day, the chicks are transferred to the food of adult birds. It is useful for females and chicks to give porridge with fish oil, at the rate of one drop per teaspoon of porridge.

At the same time, it is necessary to carefully monitor how birds eat it. If willingly, then from the 20th day in the winter-spring period, the chicks are given fortified cereals, alternating them with simple ones. In England, Belgium, Holland, to preserve the color of the plumage of red canaries, they also feed cayenne pepper, which is mixed with chopped egg and bread. All this is given in portions, gradually increasing and reaching one teaspoon per bird. This supplementary food is given to birds at six to eight weeks of age, and then each time during the molt.

The author and other amateur canary breeders have repeatedly happened to buy freshly brought bright red canaries from England, Belgium, Holland. Each time such a colorful beautiful canary turned from bright red to light orange over time. Unfortunately, cayenne pepper is not cultivated here in Central Asia, and, in all likelihood, it is not available in our other union republics either. Hence the forced color change.

Literature: B.A. Simonov. Singing and ornamental birds

This type of food includes such plants as dandelion, shepherd's purse, quinoa, yarrow, large plantain and holly, sorrel, sorrel, wormwood, wood lice, medium chickweed, ragwort, nettle, etc. Unripe ears can also be used as green food. oats or millet.

In addition, the nutrients contained in green fodder are difficult to digest, as they are located in cells with a strong membrane. However, this food stimulates the intestines well.

Greens are very rich in vitamins and minerals. At the same time, it has a low concentration of nutrients (carbohydrates - 2-3%, proteins - 1-4%, fats - less than 1%) and a high water content (about 85%). With their help, you can significantly diversify the vitamin table of canaries.

Green fodder should be collected away from highways, because due to the high concentration of lead in exhaust gases, dust settles on the grass in the form of tetraethyl lead, which is toxic to canaries. It is best to collect fodder plants in meadows, in the forest or on your own personal plot, located outside the city limits.

If it is not possible to get the above grass, it can be replaced with lettuce, spinach, beetroot leaves, carrot or celery tops.

During the period of feeding the chicks, green food should not be given to canaries in the afternoon, otherwise the parent birds will stuff the crop of their chicks with it so that it becomes visible. However, since the amount of nutrients in the green food is small, the chicks will not receive adequate nutrition and will be hungry all night.

Colored canaries need as much as possible more leaves plants containing carotene. First of all, these include spinach, watercress, parsley, dandelion, wood lice, common ragwort and stinging nettle.

During the molting period, colored canaries should receive green food regularly and in unlimited quantities. Otherwise, their plumage will have an uneven color and the birds will not be able to take a prize at the exhibition.

In the spring and summer, greens should be an integral part of the diet of birds. In winter, for feeding birds, it is recommended to grow lettuce, cabbage, sorrel, fescue, alfalfa, clover, peas in boxes.

When storing fresh greens, the carotene contained in it is quickly destroyed, so it is recommended to pluck it only immediately before feeding. Do not give greens that have been lying for a long time, as mold can form on it, which is poisonous to birds.

For the winter, you can prepare herbal flour. It is a very valuable food for canaries. It can be prepared from nettle or knotweed, as well as from alfalfa, clover, dandelion, primrose, currant leaves, etc.

To prepare herbal flour, plants are dried in the shade, in a ventilated room or in an oven over low heat. The grass is placed on a baking sheet and dried until it begins to rub easily, but does not crumble into dust. The plants dried in this way are then ground into flour.

Herbal flour can be made from a mixture of two or more plants, such as a mixture of timothy and clover. This increases its value.

Herbal flour is stored in a cool dry place. Before use, it is soaked in water for several minutes, then added to mixed feed in an amount of 3–5% of the total feed volume.


Salad

This herb is especially useful in winter and spring. Canaries are very fond of lettuce, but care should be taken to feed only the middle leaves from a lettuce outlet.

It is not recommended to give canaries a salad bought in the markets. It can lead to diarrhea and spoil the quality of singing, as well as significantly weaken the bird. Some canary breeders do not allow canaries to eat lettuce at all, but this is also not true. At home, lettuce leaves can be grown in winter.


Nettle

This is a very valuable food for canaries - 1 g of green nettle contains up to 250 micrograms of carotene and 4 micrograms of vitamin B1. In addition, it is rich in vegetable proteins (up to 24%), fats (2.5–3.7%) and nitrogen-free extractives (31–35%). Nettle also contains a large amount of vitamin K, iron salts, calcium and potassium.

Birds are fed crushed leaves, previously boiled in water for 2-3 minutes and slightly squeezed. It is best to give the leaves fresh, adding to soft foods. However, for winter time, dried nettle leaves can be harvested.

Nettle leaves must be collected before flowering (in June-July), as by July they become very coarse, they contain too much fiber. At the time of harvest, cut off the upper third of the stem of the plant along with the leaves. The leaves are mowed and allowed to wither so that they do not burn. The stems and leaves are then tied into bundles and dried. To better preserve vitamins, the leaves are dried in the shade in the attic, shed or other ventilated areas.

Dry nettles are stored in paper bags or linen bags. In winter, before use, the dried plant must be kneaded in the hands or directly in the bag, while the leaves and flowers crumble, becoming flour, and the hard stems remain intact - they can be thrown away. If necessary, the dry plant is crushed even more.

Herbal nettle meal is added to grain feeds or wet mixes. It is poured with hot water for several minutes, then filtered through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Herbal nettle meal can be mixed with cereals or sprinkled over grated boiled egg or soaked white bread.

Herbal nettle meal is very rich in organic substances necessary for the body of birds.


Woodlouse

This plant is loved by all canaries. It usually grows on moist loose soil, in particular in vegetable gardens. Woodlice are rich in vitamins and valuable nutrients.

This plant can be grown year-round on a window and harvested throughout the year. Sometimes woodlice grow even under snow, as it is not afraid of frost. The leaves and stems of this herb retain freshness and elasticity for a long time.


Tradescantia

Canaries also eat tradescantia leaves willingly. This plant can be placed near the cage so that the birds can pluck the leaves directly from the growing stem.


Spinach

You should not give canaries a large amount of spinach, this can lead to indigestion. It is given mixed with protein supplements (for example, hard-boiled eggs).

Spinach can be grown on its own, but keep in mind that its seeds require heat. Before sowing, they are soaked for 48 hours in warm water. Spinach loves full sun and plenty of water. At the same time, it is quite cold-resistant, and it can be grown all year round conveyor way, planting every 2 weeks.

Spinach leaves should be harvested before flowering. It is advisable to feed them to canaries only fresh, not withered. In this case, the leaves should not be wet, they should be slightly dried beforehand.


Ragwort

This plant contains a lot of iron and nitrogen. At the height of summer, when many varieties of fodder plants are already drying up, it can still be found. Canaries willingly eat the seeds and foliage of the cross, which are collected from the time of flowering to ripening.


Dandelion

It contains the bitter substance teraxin, which is often used in homeopathy. It has a beneficial effect on the activity of the intestines and helps with diseases of the liver and gallbladder.

Canaries usually love dandelion seeds, but they also eat foliage. It is best to collect the plant in the meadows. best time collection is the period between flowering and opening of the umbel. The dandelion umbel should be completely removed before feeding the semi-ripe plant to canaries.


It is not a traditional poultry food. However, it is very rich in vitamins and microelements, so mild onion varieties can be fed to canaries, but in small quantities.

Green onions contain 2 times more vitamin C than lemons. In addition, it is rich in vitamins B 2, P, PP and carotene. Green onions also contain phytoncides, which have antimicrobial properties, destroy diphtheria, dysentery and tubercle bacilli, streptococci and staphylococci.

Green onions can be used as a remedy for the prevention of helminthic diseases. It also enhances the secretion of gastric juice, improving digestion and greatly increasing the appetite of birds.

In winter, onions can be grown and some green feathers can be given to canaries.


Sorrel

This plant is often found in fields where root crops are grown, as well as in nutrient-rich soil and near water. However, sorrel should be fed very carefully to canaries due to its high content of oxalic acid.

Sometimes the canary begins to rub plumage with sorrel seeds. Experts don't explain it.


Chickweed medium

This plant can often be found in household plots. It is better to collect it fresh daily, because the starfish quickly withers in the sun. To keep the herb until the next day, it should be placed in the refrigerator.


Knotweed (highlander bird)

It is very rich in proteins and sugars, making it one of the most valuable forage grasses. Knotweed also contains a large amount of vitamins. It has more vitamin C than lemon. In addition, knotweed contains calcium, phosphorus, zinc, silicon and other substances.

Knotweed grass appears in spring and does not disappear until late autumn.


Asparagus

This plant is rich in vitamins C, B 1, B 2, PP, carotene and other beneficial substances that have a beneficial effect on metabolism and blood composition. It is recommended to feed young shoots of asparagus to canaries.


Shepherd's bag

It grows in clearings, as well as roadsides and paths. Often it can be seen in the gardens next to the starfish. Canaries are fed small bags of seeds. They can also feed the chicks.


Sagebrush

Most often grows on abandoned and virgin lands. Canaries eat wormwood reluctantly, but it is still recommended to give it from time to time.


Sow thistle field

Not very fond of canary breeders because of the milky juice that stands out during collection. The seed pods open early in the morning and close around 10 a.m. Canaries happily eat both the seeds and the leaves of the plant.


Trichaetinus vulgaris

This is a tall meadow grass, reaching a height of 60 cm. It grows on roadsides. Canaries are very fond of messing with this wild plant.


Bristle

This plant can be harvested from June to October. In a semi-ripe state, grains can be fed even to chicks.


Plantain

All varieties of plantain are readily eaten by canaries. Seed stems can be attached to the trellis of a cage or aviary and let the birds peck at the plant on their own.


Chicory

It blooms with blue flowers in July-August. Chicory stalks are very difficult to break, so when harvesting, it is better to cut them with a knife. A cut bouquet can be placed in the water next to the cage, from where the canaries will willingly peck the seeds from it.


Primrose

The plant is very rich in vitamin C, the proportion of which can reach 2% of the dry weight of the whole plant. Primrose is also valuable because it appears in early spring, when there is a shortage of fresh vitamin feed. It is recommended to feed the leaves of the plant to canaries.


Green stalks of peas with leaves

They are also used in the diet of birds. They contain proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and canaries willingly eat green pea stalks with leaves.


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