Collection: Canary Essentials

Feeding canaries is very much the same as all small seed-eating birds and over generations, the champion breeders and showmen, particularly of the Type Canaries, have developed their own particular bird seed formulas, which they have relied upon to achieve their desired results.

Haith's have produced their well-proven bird seed mixes from the finest quality ingredients based upon these formulas and now offer a good selection of the most popular. However, feeding canaries is no different to any other bird in that they all have their specific nutritional requirements, which may vary throughout the year and depending on their state of health and well-being. So feeding these little birds becomes an art for the specialist and many additives and supplements are on offer to cater for almost any condition.

A basic canary seed diet consists of a mixture of Canary Seed and Millets with other bird seeds introduced to provide variety and a broader spectrum of vitamins and minerals. At certain times of the year and depending upon the way they are housed, their diet must be changed to account for their specific needs. The number of fats, carbohydrates, protein and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus all vary depending on the variety of seed, so we have the flexibility of offering different seed mixtures or seed supplements to help manage the bird's condition.

It should be obvious that birds in heated winter accommodation will require fewer fats than those kept in much colder conditions. And similarly, the demands on birds, which have greater flying space in aviaries, require more carbohydrates than those in cages. These examples illustrate that when canaries are housed in aviaries, they can benefit by the addition of yellow millet to any of Haith's standard canary mixes to satisfy their greater energy demands.

It must always be remembered that variety is essential and most seed-eating birds will consume some insect and greenfood along with the essential Grit and Cuttlefish bone.

Pet Canaries are usually those birds that do not match the standard set by competition judges either because they do not hold their pose correctly or they are adversely marked in some way. They are by no means inferior birds and have exactly the same requirements of care and feeding as their show-bird relatives.

Pet canaries are more usually housed in a conventional open-type wire cage and kept in the home where anyone can enjoy their song or colourful plumage and therefore there is little chance of them enduring cold conditions. For this reason, care must be taken not to allow pet birds to become too fat through incorrect feeding. If you want your bird to sing, make sure it is a male.

Coloured Canaries

Coloured Canaries should be fed a similar diet to the Type or Posture Canaries with the addition of 'colour foods' or 'colouring agents' but adding colouring agents can be a risky business as too much will undoubtedly give unwanted colouring effects.

Novices are recommended to use Haith's Ready-mixed Colour Food, as it is time-saving and trouble and risk-free but these are the very reasons why many champions use it as their standard mix.

In the UK it is normal for Coloured Canary breeders to wait until the first moult before commencing colour feeding which results in many unflighted types showing contrasting flight feathers. In Europe, breeders prefer to colour-feed small quantities throughout the year and even to fledging birds, claiming that a more intense plumage colour is achieved. For best results colour feeding should begin before birds start to drop feathers, allowing colour to pass into the bloodstream prior to commencement of new feather growth.