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 timesaving 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, so allowing colour to pass into the blood stream prior to commencement of new feather growth.