COLOR FEEDING.
That the color of canaries may be deepened or intensified by certain foods given during the molt is well known and has attracted much interest. Turmeric, marigold flowers, saffron, cochineal, annatto, mustard seed, and other agents rich in natural color are often used for this purpose, ordinarily in combination with red pepper as a base. For a long time methods of preparing and feeding color foods were kept secret, but now they are outlined in many manuals on canary feeding.
In selecting canaries for experiments in color feeding preference should be given to strong, vigorous, male birds. During digestion and assimilation the concentrated food used puts more or less of a strain upon the system, and birds that are old or constitutionally weak may not thrive, or may even succumb under the treatment. Color food may be given young canaries at the age of 7 or 8 weeks to produce a deep color at their first molt. Birds with color that is naturally full and rich should be selected. Those having greenish markings or those descended from a male parent well marked with green are preferable. Pale birds seldom color well.
A standard color food may be prepared as follows: To the ordinary egg food (one hard-boiled egg chopped fine with an equal bulk of bread crumbs or unsalted cracker crumbs) add a teaspoonful of ground sweet red pepper. Mix until the food shows an even reddish tint throughout. Care should be taken to see that the supply of ground sweet pepper used is fresh and clean and that it is not artificially colored. Each bird to be experimented upon should receive one small teaspoonful of the prepared food daily. The quantity of pepper in the mixture is increased gradually, until two heaping teaspoonfuls are used. Addition of a little brown sugar and a few drops of pure olive oil is beneficial, and a small quantity of hot red pepper gives a better flavor. The food should be prepared fresh each day, and in mixing allowance must be made for variation in the size of eggs used.
Some breeders increase the proportion of sweet red pepper until 4 teaspoonfuls are added to the usual quantity of egg food. Half a teaspoonful of this concentrated food is allowed each bird. This method may be used during a short, quick molt. The usual supply of seed must be kept in the cage, for canaries can not subsist on the color food alone.
Those who do not care to use such an elaborate preparation in color feeding may substitute pieces of the common sweet red peppers sold in fresh vegetable markets for the bits of lettuce ordinarily given as green food. Canaries eat these readily, and from the effect of this food eaten during molt become noticeably deeper and richer in color.
Color feeding to be successful must be started as soon as the canaries are ready to molt, and feeding must be continued until no more pin feathers can be found anywhere on the body when the feathers are carefully blown aside. The color food actually supplies an enriched color element that otherwise is lacking. Until the artificial color is firmly fixed in the matured feather it fades easily when exposed to strong light. The birds chosen for color feeding should be kept in a dim light away from the windows and with the cages shaded. Open-front cages are easily provided with a screen of paper or cloth, but care must be taken to leave space for ventilation. Direct sunlight must be avoided. Bathing must not be permitted more often than once a week, and the birds should be disturbed as little as possible.
Should a bird refuse the color food, the seed supply may be removed for a short time morning and evening and the color food substituted. Usually in a day or two the stimulating food will be eaten eagerly. Linseeds should be given (as during the regular molt) to impart a gloss to the new feathers. With proper care there will be little trouble in producing fine, healthy birds with rich, highly colored plumage. The enhanced color lasts only during the continuance of the growth of feathers, and if color feeding is not resorted to at the next molt the canary will again be plain.