1.
Canary Seed - Phalaris
canariensis
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Canary seed
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Home-grown canary grass
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Canary seed is the 'staff of life'
for canaries. It comes from a native
plant of the Mediterranean which was cultivated as a human food for
centuries
before the Canary Islands were discovered or the canary domesticated.
Canary
seed is grown from Spain and Morocco, to Canada and Australia. The
Moroccan
variety known as 'Magazan' is the most prized, and most expensive sold
in the UK. Canadian, Moroccan, Spanish and Australian are all perfectly
good seeds.
Richard
Morse wrote: "Good canary seeds should feel
heavy in the hand, should be sweet-smelling and glossy, golden yellow
in
colour - never greenish. It should be shining and polished, should not
be dusty, dirty or musty in odour; you should be able to easily thrust
your doubled fists into a sack of it - if you cannot, the seed is
kiln-dried
and should not be purchased." and: "Canary seed comes first
on the list of seeds for the canary breeder. It is to the canary what
bread
is to ourselves - the staff of life"
2. Mixed Canary Seed
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Most UK fanciers feed their canaries a commercial seed mix composed of
the following seeds, in descending order of volume; canary seed, red
rape,
linseed (flax-seed), niger, hemp, groats (oats).
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3. Rape Seed Brassica
campestris
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The true Brassica campestris is a species of wild cabbage
but the commercial rape seeds which we buy today are varieties of what
we commonly call 'oilseed rape' - entire fields of which turns the
British
countryside bright yellow in May each year. The best varieties are
German
Rape (or 'summer rape') and Rubsen Rape. Both are a
reddish-purple-brown
in colour while the kernel is yellowish. If tasted it should have a
pleasant,
nutty flavour and it is rich in oil. Some writers compare the flavour
to
that of the walnut but the important thing is that it should not taste
bitter or hot. Rubsen rape is considerably larger than German Rape and
is even milder in taste. Roller canary breeders in the UK often serve
boiled
rape to their birds as a rearing food - simply boil it for about ten
minutes,
rinse in cold water and serve. |
4. Hemp Seed - Cannabis
sativa
Hemp
was grown widely in the UK and America for centuries as a source of
weavable
fibre, used for making ropes and coarse cloth. One variety of the hemp
plant is the source of marijuana and the condensed resin -cannabis -
hashish,
which is an illegal narcotic drug. However there are other varieties of
the same plant which do not secrete the psycho-active drug, and these
are
apparently the source of commercial hemp seed. The best hemp seed is
greyish
brown in colour, often with a slightly green tinge. The kernel is white
and of a nutty taste. It is a very strong seed ( try cracking it with
your
teeth) and it is amazing that adult birds are able to crack the shell
unaided;
it can be partially crushed with a rolling pin and young birds
will
benefit from crushed hemp; care should be taken not to grind the actual
shells of the seed up with the kernels since this is said to
contain
small amounts of an irritant poison. Hemp can also be soaked and
sprouted
and given to feeding hens in moderate amounts; soak it for 24 hours and
rinse repeatedly at regular intervals, feed when the white shot begins
to crack the seed coat. This is by far the easiest way to feed hemp.
Stroud was of the opinion
that "in small quantities, hemp is one of
the most valuable foods for canaries" - since it is rich in oils and in
Vitamin E. He used it to bring birds into breeding condition.
Personally
I have found it well nigh impossible to over-feed hemp as the birds
seem
to know when they have had enough and will not eat more than about a
teaspoon
each.
