To Feed Egg Or Not To Feed Egg, That Is The Question...

Eggs have been used by canary breeders for a very long time... Some breeders swear by them, some swear by their egg free diet alternative- in the end what really matters is how are YOUR birds doing?

I am a voracious reader of all things canary related and I am also notorious for picking the brain of any and every breeder I meet. Feeding methods are very different from breeder to breeder- the one truth I have uncovered is that once you have developed a method that works for you, don't change it!

I know breeders who have bred canaries successfully for over forty years on two servings a day of a nestling food that consists of Petamine nestling food (this used to be called Peep nestling) and mashed up whole boiled egg mixed together. In addition to 80/20 canary seed /rape seed and occasional song food, that's all the birds ever eat- no greens, no fruit, nothing- and the birds are very fertile, very healthy, and successful at the shows. I've seen others (including my own) who eat better than their owners and are very fertile, very healthy, and successful at the shows.

Certain lines of birds (and certain individual birds) are more susceptible to developing problems from eating egg than others. (Just as in an entire flight of 100 birds all fed exactly the same diet there will be skinny and obese birds- some lines are just genetically predisposed to getting fat.) If your line of birds is one which is sensitive to gout or something along that line- don't feed too much egg (yolks or whites) at any time of the year. I have never personally seen a feeding hen develop gout while feeding chicks- even when fed straight egg yolk every day while she is feeding- but some breeders have reported it happening. My babies get mashed up egg yolk when they are being weaned as they need the fat and protein and the color is attractive to them. After several years of this, I have yet to see any impact on their health. After weaning, birds only receive egg when breeding and occasionally during the molt.

Whatever works for your birds is just fine. Sometimes I think a breeder will run into trouble (which is only to be expected eventually) and pounces on the diet because it's easily manipulated and there is a wealth of conflicting information about the subject. Robirda and Dr. Abbate- both experienced breeders who I respect greatly- disagree on greens. Robirda believes you should feed lots of them, Dr. Abbate believes they should be offered more sparingly. What's a novice breeder to do?

Try to locate a local canary club- there are many who happily provide assistance to novices. Some, like the Michigan based DRAGON- Chapter 22 of the American Singer Club- have extensive libraries of canary related articles and members who are happy to mentor new members. Contact the breeder you purchased your birds from and follow his or her method until you know your birds and gain experience, then watch your birds and let THEM dictate what you do! Remember that there is no substitute for diligent husbandry.

If a bird has a problem with the diet you provide your flock, separate him and feed him differently- my fat birds are separated into diet cages frequently (though since I have become more familiar with some of the genetic traits of certain lines I have managed to eliminate some of this tendency towards obesity through selective breeding) and the one bird I have had who had a problem with gout lived separate from the rest- feeding anything beyond canary and rape seed led to gout flare-ups until he went to a pet home (with strict dietary instructions). Breeding birds like that just leads to more birds with similar problems.