The Gallery of Articles Page Three

The Gallery of Articles

PAGE THREE

Page Three of The Gallery or Articles series is an expansion of Step Two - Diet that is part of the NINE STEPS TO SUCCESS article that appears in its' entirety elsewhere on this site. There will be more articles on this site that will delve deeper in each of Steps the NINE STEPS to help you succeed in your "quest to raise the best!"

THE HOUSE OF CRESTS 2008 DIET PLANÓ

By Donald Perez

Here is the recently updated House of Crests 2008 Diet Plan along with the appropriate sources for all products. Please call or e-mail their customer service or sales departments for catalogs of available products and current prices. This page was last updated January 21st, 2008. Please note that while there are probably more recipes and diet plans than there are breeders and fanciers in the world, these are what work and have worked for many years in The House of Crests. The successes over the years speak for the success of the diet plan. Those that have visited The House have always admired the quality of the birds both in health, stamina, vigor, sheen of feather and alertness exhibited in them. Just look at the quality of feather in all the birds in The Gallery of Stars. The Stable of Stars and The Winner’s Gallery to appreciate the richness of color and feather quality. Once fanciers have some of these birds in their own room, they comment on how long-lived they are as well.

A proper, quality diet must be administered to the adults long before the egg has even started to develop in the hens is one of the main steps that will always yield excellent results in your success in your “quest to raise the best!” And this quality diet must be continued year 'round for continued success!

During the breeding season the charges are given only bottled water for drinking. By that, I do not mean "designer" bottled water either! There are stores out there that sell spring water for as low as 62 cents a gallon and there are inexpensive "purified" water products that work very nicely as well. Bottled spring water is also used as the 'base' moisture to the nestling food. Actually any bottled water without chlorine or bacteria-killing chemical additives or agents would be considered safe to use. Having read some medical articles on the Internet, it's been said that distilled water is the best for you to drink. However, based on recent articles, it is also said that drinking distilled water leeches minerals from our bodies, hence the reason I prefer to use spring water for my birds.

Spring Water is also used for drinking, coffee, tea and cooking here in The House. Regardless of what bottled water one uses in the birdroom, suffice it to say, my feeling is that it must be free from chlorine or other bacteria-killing additives or agents.

The soaked seed is rinsed in tap water, drained then stored without lids in the refrigerator to allow the chlorine to dissipate. Several pounds of soak seed are made at once then after it has drained well, it is placed in quart-sized plastic freezer bags and frozen until ready for use.

During the rest of the year the canaries get tap water for drinking which is refrigerated 24 hours in Tupperware pouring containers or pitchers with the lids off to allow all chlorine and chemicals to dissipate. If you have a reverse-osmosis water filtration system, it really is the best-treated water to use, from what I've read. If not, in my opinion, the bottled spring water mentioned above is best. Vitamins or additives are never added to the drinking water, ever. The birds all get fresh, water every single day with nothing added. Any vitamins, supplements or additives they need, they get almost every day in the form of a daily supplement in a finger cup (treat cup) as you shall read.

Please be sure to wash your hands for at least 30 seconds prior to beginning any project that requires handling your birds or bird utensils and especially prior to the preparation and administration of foods! As an added precaution, it's always a good idea to wear disposable plastic gloves.

THE HOUSE OF CRESTS Egg Food or Nestling Food Formula

Place 2 cups of QUIKO Rusk or any white RUSK in a very large bowl along with 2 tablespoons of poppy seed and 2 tablespoons of anise seed (grind the anise prior to using if desired) then mix well. Put this mixture aside for the moment.

Many say that Rusk is nothing but a non-nutritional filler and while that may be true of some rusk, the reason it is used here is because of its' superior-absorption qualities as compared to any other product on the market to date. In fact, the Rusk I use is made from wheat using a special baking process that greatly increases its absorbency. According to the manufacturer's label, the guaranteed analysis is that it contains a minimum of 9.50% crude protein.

Because of the ability of Rusk to absorb and retain moisture, I know that every single item from the finest, live, avian specific probiotic on the market (more on this later) to every single vitamin and any other additives will certainly be absorbed into the Rusk which means that something good will be consumed with every bite! The consistency of this well-wetted Rusk is likened to egg white. The Rusk is relished by the feeding hens, and that gives me the confidence that no matter what else the hens consume and feed, ALL the nutrients and the friendly bacteria in the probiotic will be absorbed by the digestive system of the chicks and thus any e-coli or other pathogens will be kept at a safe minimum! This means that the chicks will grow to their fullest genetic potential as quickly as possible and the adults will stay healthy and live longer.

Get 2 cups of very cold bottled water and put it in a bottle with a cap that fits on tightly. Best advice, get a 16 oz. heavy plastic bottle of the bottled water type that's normally sold in stores at outrageous prices. Empty out 1 ounce of the water that came in that 16 oz. bottle. Into this bottle of water add a tablespoon of a liquid vitamin like the QUIKO Quikon V, two teaspoons of wheat germ oil, 2 teaspoons of Barlean's Organic Flax Oil, 2 teaspoons of BRAGG Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of liquid QUIKO Vitamin E. Also add a 1/8 teaspoon of either Spirulina (dry powder) or Quikon Seaweed Liquid, a teaspoon of Trio Bee Pollen Mix, two teaspoons of Lewis Labs Brewers' Yeast, and a tablespoon of Quiko Davinova Liquid Calcium Supplement or any other type of liquid calcium supplement. Put the cap back on the water bottle and shake the heck out of it. Please note that I've found that other then the vitamin E in the Quiko Vitamin E liquid, no other additional vitamin supplement is needed at any time of the year when using the complete Quiko Quikon V Vitamins. Fact is, the only time of the year that the vitamin E is used is just before the breeding season to get the birds into breeding condition. More on this later in this article.

If like myself, you are used to using a pure, very high-quality probiotic; that is indeed alive and specific for the avian intestine , then add approx. 1/2 gram or a little under a 1/8 tspn at this time to the water. Make sure you are not using tap water with chemicals and chlorine or antibiotics in it for moistening your nestling food mix as the chemicals will kill all the lactobacillus!

Again, make sure the probiotic you are using does indeed contain a LIVE avian-specific bacteria! Ask your supplier if the probiotic they sell needs to be refrigerated. If they say no, then you will know that what they are trying to sell is a product that is probably worthless because it's most likely dead and will most likely not "come back to life" when added to water!

To insure that the bacteria is alive or at least most of what is in the container is alive, be sure that the establishment you bought it from is storing it in a freezer or at least a refrigerator! ANYTHING ELSE THEY MIGHT TRY TO SELL YOU THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SITTING ON A STORE SHELF FOR A WHILE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE IS USUALLY NOT GOING TO BE ALIVE. No matter what they might tell you, you can be sure that it is not very viable!!

MAKE SURE THE PRODUCT IS AVIAN-SPECIFIC and not a generic strain that is used for swine or cattle and repackaged for this market! Having done much research on beneficial bacteria used over the years in the poultry industry, trust me when I tell you a quality beneficial bacteria works to reduce if not completely eliminate intestinal disorders, especially during the stresses of the breeding season!! A high-quality probiotic will also help all your canaries to assimilate all the essential vitamins that will allow them to develop to their fullest genetic potential and stay healthier and live longer!! You need it to prevent your chicks from "going light" too!

The beneficial bacteria in a probiotic must be alive to breed and multiply to become the flora of "friendly" bacteria normally found in the healthy avian gut. The proper flora is what's needed to keep the negative bacteria and pathogens to a minimum in the intestinal tract of your charges!! This healthy flora of bacteria is what helps all birds grow quicker as they are then able to absorb all the nutrients of the foods they consume and thus develop to their fullest genetic potential! You cannot overdose the canaries on lactobacillus for all the surplus that the body cannot use is eliminated when they void. It amazes me to hear of people who will spend large amounts of money on good stock only to ruin them with a poor dietary regimen. It also amazes me to read articles or comments written by fanciers who talk about all the best seeds and foodstuffs they feed their birds, yet still have some "going light" every year or losing chicks in the nest. Why spend so much money on good foods only to have them, no matter how much they eat, not be able to absorb all the nutrients from them because of a high pathogen buildup in the intestine? Read all the facts on the subject of Probiotics at: www.avi-culture.com .

Now, back to the eggfood recipe. Pour the entire liquid mixture into the bowl of Rusk, stir it a bit and let it sit a few minutes so that the water can be totally absorbed into the Rusk.

Are you still with me here? Okay, good! Either use a half a cup of fresh finely grated baby carrots OR you can use the QUIKO Carrot Pellets (To mix the carrot pellets, you get two tablespoons of these pellets, add 8 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes then fluff it up well.) and add the carrot to the Rusk at this time. Fluff it all very well. To this add 4 mashed hard-boiled eggs. (Please do not let the eggs cook to the point of forming that gray stuff outside the yolk as I heard somewhere that it's bad stuff.) Fluff this all up with a fork until it is thoroughly mixed. If you feel some of this mixture in your fingers you will find that the entire mixture has the consistency of cooked egg white. The advantage of doing the mixture this way with the Rusk is that all the nutrients have been absorbed into the Rusk as well as into the carrots. To this moist mixture add one cup of dry QUIKO Classic or QUIKO Special or whatever dry nestling or eggfood mix you normally use. Fluff and mix this all well. Now, add a quarter cup of crushed or cracked hemp seed, half a cup of Quaker Oats Instant Oats to this entire mixture and fluff well. Keep what you will normally use in a weeks’ time and store the rest in the freezer in heavy-duty containers or freezer bags.

STOP feeding this mixture with the Vitamin E and wheat germ oil in it, once the canaries come into condition. If you continue feeding them the eggfood with the Vitamin E the hens will go through the cycle of egg laying but when it gets time to incubate the eggs or raise the young, they are so darned wound up and excited, they abandon all eggs or chicks and want to get serviced again and begin another clutch!! Save what you have left of any of the eggfood with Vitamin E & wheat germ oil in it to feed to the slower ones who have not yet come in condition.

How can you tell if your canaries are in breeding condition, you ask? Well, I guess, once the males are singing their fool heads off and act as if the perches feel like hot coals and the hens begin squatting wanting to be serviced as soon as a male canary is anywhere near and start pulling at their own breast feathers in the attempt to build their nests, they are in condition to breed!

This year once again, once the birds are in breeding condition, I will be omitting the Vitamin E and wheat germ oil from the nestling/soft food and replacing it with 2 teaspoons of Barlean's Organic Flax Oil and 2 teaspoons of organic hemp oil during the rest of the breeding season to the feeding hens which is from March until the end of June. I will continue adding the flax oil and hemp oil in the same quantities to the mix and will feed it as per my "House of Crests Daily Detailed Feeding Schedule".

For a printable copy of the "House of Crests 2008 Daily Detailed Feeding Schedule", send an e-mail to or simply click: 2008 FEEDING SCHEDULE and request one!

This same nestling/softfood mixture but without fresh eggs or vitamin E or wheat germ oil is also fed throughout the molt to all the birds. This is the way I insure all canaries are getting all the vitamins and probiotic they need year 'round. When I make the nestling food with the flaxseed oil and hemp oil, I make enough to fill around 20 quart-sized Zip-Lock Freezer Bags or plastic quart containers and store them all in the freezer, taking out what I need and thawing it in the refrigerator the day before I feed it.

On most all oils one uses not only for the birds but for their own personal use, should be purchased with valid expiration dates on them. Olive Oil and many other oils go rancid rather quickly.

Check the date on which it was pressed and expiration dates, please.

I purchase all my oils from The Whole Foods Store Chain. They have a separate refrigerated section which holds their best wheat germ oils, flaxseed oils, hemp oils and probiotics. I like the fact that the press date and expiration date is listed on each and every bottle of oil.

SOAKED SEED

Soaked seed is also fed every other day alternating with the eggfood mix to also help get them into breeding condition. Either supplement is fed in a treat cups or finger cups as the English call them. Both the soaked seed and eggfood are put before the feeding hens in a dish or egg food drawer during the breeding season. l also use these same types of vessels to feed to the chicks until they are weaned. After the chicks are weaned, they are put on the diet regimen that all the canaries are on as indicated.

This is what I consider a good Soak Seed Blend and it consists of:

25% Thistle (Niger), 25% French Teazle (Thistle), 10% each of Buckwheat, Hemp, Safflower, White Millet, and Red Millet OR Japanese Millet. If you cannot find French Teazle, the Soak Seed Blend would then consist of: 30% Thistle (Niger), 15% Buckwheat, 15% Safflower, 15% Hemp, 15%White Millet, and 10% Red Millet OR Japanese Millet.

GREENS, FRUITS & VEGETABLES

A clip is used to attach romaine lettuce, endive or dandelion greens to a bar just above a perch for the hens to feed to the chicks during the breeding season. I prefer to use endive as it stays crisper longer than any other green available. The portion is about two inches long. Last year I fed endive and dandelion leaves a couple times a week as well as a wheel slice or raw corn onto which I've sprinkled a dash of probiotic, once a week to each canary and will do the same this year. Variety is the spice of life and they love all types of fruits, veggies and greens. You may also sprinkle some probiotic onto any fruits, veggies or greens you desire to feed your canaries.

After the weaning stage, young canaries are each fed a treat cup of the above mix of nestling or egg food every third day, alternating with soak seed and Song/Gold of Pleasure Blend listed below along with the basic diet in a dish until fully molted out. They then begin the diet plan of the adult Glosters.

SEEDS – BASIC DIET, CONDITION/SONG

The Basic Diet consists of 100% plain canary grass seed. I usually try to purchase this from two different sources to insure at least one is fresher than the other.

In my opinion, NO OTHER SEED should be added to the basic diet as the canaries will all waste the basic diet seed by tossing it out to get to any other oily or colored oat seed found in some of the "fortified diet" mixes regardless of the brand available. No oats, no niger, no flax, no nothing else is ever added to the basic diet mix! Quit wasting money and throwing away seed! It has been found that these “fortified” diets as some call them, are loaded with all kinds of other ingredients that either smell or look colorful to attract the birds to them. While other mixes available on the market have seeds like niger, oats and/or other special seeds that tend to be more palatable over the basic canary/rape diet. When all these other seeds are “blended” into the basic diet of canary and rape, the canary will learn that in order to get to its’ favorite morsel in the feed dish, it must toss aside all other seeds! This is why some seed manufacturers suggest using a deep dish in the cage and only put in a certain amount and not fill it again until it is all gone. This is the suggestion they recommend in order for the bird not to be able to toss out the undesirable seeds. Great idea until you find that the deep dish ends up getting full of bird excrement long before the bird finishes what's in the dish!

When the supplements mentioned in The 2008 House Diet Plan are given as written, the birds will get all the nutrients they need and will eat them when they are given immediately when served. When the supplemented items are consumed, the canaries young and old learn to eat only the basic diet that is provided to them the rest of the day. Lastly, I do not use pellets in my program.

Condition seeds or song seeds, as some would call them, are really a blend or mix of beneficial oily seeds that add to the general well-being of each canary when fed in moderation and help put a grand finish on each canary. This is especially important if one plans on showing their canaries.

This is what I consider a good year 'round Condition/Song Blend and it consists of:

Thistle (Niger), White Lettuce Seed, Black Lettuce Seed, Sesame Seed, Anise Seed, Red Millet OR Japanese Millet, Hemp Seed, Flax Seed (Linseed), Hulled Oats OR Oat Groats which are also known as Steel Cut Oats and Perilla Seed (if you can find it).

After the chicks are weaned and just before the molt commences in the birdroom, to every 20 pounds of the above Condition/Song Blend, I would add 2 pounds of Gold of Pleasure Seed. This would now be called my Condition/Song/Molt Blend, which can actually be used year 'round, if desired. This is an expensive seed but well worth the price when looking for that super, painted-on finish on your canaries and when only the best will do!

Most seeds listed above are available through Herman Brothers in the USA and listed below as well as from Haith's Seed Merchants in the UK.

When searching for the Gold of Pleasure Seed, an excellent source in the USA is Marx Foods:

http://www.marxfoods.com/products/grains

This is an organic seed shipped directly from their Eastern Washington farms and the price as of this writing is $22.00 for 2 pounds and this includes shipping and handling!

As with humans, one must identify what the metabolic rate is of each canary. By this I mean that in humans, some people burn calories quicker and thus do not put on poundage while others will build up fat in their bodies. Check each canary weekly by grasping it in your hand to see how much fatty deposits they are retaining. Those that build fat reserves must be fed less of the richer foods and more of the basic diet per day. There are some canaries that will favor only the rape seed in the basic diet and as such, get fatter. These then must be fed less rape in their basic diet. Some might even require that they be fed canary seed minus all rape seed. The metabolic rate of all canaries are different regardless of the breed.

For a printable copy of the "House of Crests 2008 Daily Detailed Feeding Schedule", send an e-mail to or simply click: birdmanofillinois@msn.com and ask for one.

MEDICAL ATTENTION

Once in a while one finds that their canaries need some medical attention. I have added a premiere facility to this list of sources for all who live in Illinois and its' surrounding States. It is the finest facility of its' kind in America. It is where one of the finest authorities in the mid-west , if not the entire United States resides. When it comes to knowing how to care for our avian friends, you must seek the opinion and services of Peter S. Sakas, a gentleman I've had the pleasure of knowing for many years.

SOURCES

These are the sources for the products used in THE HOUSE OF CRESTS birdroom and the sources that have earned my trust and thus refer to you on my Links page and here:

THE SITE FOR THE LIVE, AVIAN-SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC OF CHOICE!!

QUIKO DISTRIBUTOR IN THE USA:

ORCHID TREE EXOTICS – Janice Clark – Owner, Toll-Free Phone: 1-866-412-5275

Fax: 419-825-2939, e-mail: OrchidTreeExotics@aol.com

QUIKO RUSK, QUIKO Classic Eggfood, QUIKO SPECIAL Eggfood, QUIKO Carrot Pellets, QUIKO V and Quiko E Vitamins, Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Kelp, Bird Seeds and Song Food & many more supplies for the aviary than you can imagine are available. This is the only company in the country with the plastic drinkers and feeders that will fit perfectly between the bars of the new Fiber-glass Canary Cage Fronts!!! Orchid Tree Exotics is also a major distributor of AVI-CULTURE! Please, give them a call for a detailed catalog and price list.

HERMAN BROTHERS PET SUPPLY, INC., 3650 Central Ave, - P.O. Box 10032 -

Detroit, MI 48210 USA

PHONE: 1-313-843-5430 URL: www.hermanbros-seed.com

Wonderful people to deal with. They will mix any blend of seed you like and ship daily. You will not be disappointed! Visit their site for a listing of products. These are some of the seeds used in The House of Crests birdroom selected from their huge inventory. Check out their web site!

CANARY SEED 100% (Basic Diet in front of birds at all times, year 'round.)

SOAK SEED (Soaked for 24 hours, rinsed, drained and fed in a treat (finger) cup twice a week year 'round. It is also the side dish fed along with the egg food mixture during the breeding and weaning time of the year commencing the third day after the chicks have hatched.)

HEMP SEED (Crushed with a rolling pin on a paper towel then sprinkled over the nestling food for hens who seem not to want to feed newly-hatched chicks.) Also added to the soaked seed mix. Add 2 pounds of hemp to 25 pounds of the soak seed mix.

FRENCH TEAZLE (A very expensive seed that is added to the soak seed mix or sometimes soaked alone for that "special nest" or hen that has a problem getting off the nest to feed the youngsters. It usually always does the trick! Great stuff, but very expensive!) Add 5 pounds to a 25 pound bag of the above soak seed mix.

SONG or CONDITION SEED (Feed this in a treat cup twice a week.)

GOLD OF PLEASURE SEED (Another very expensive seed which is added to the SONG or CONDITION SEED and fed in a treat cup to all canaries young and old during the molt every other day right to the end of show season for a super feather finish!) Add 2 pounds to 20 pounds of Song or Condition Seed Mix.

POPPY (BLUE MAW) SEED (A very small seed that is added to the eggfood mix.) See above.

ANIMAL FEEDS & NEEDS 401 W. Golf Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 USA

Phone: 1-847-437-4738 Fax: 1-847-437-0413 URL: www.animalfeedsandneeds.com

Chuck Hume has had this bird & pet supply business for years and his Dad had it even longer! He is the major supplier of the Chicago land zoos and pet shops in Illinois. They stock the QUIKO products and most all seeds from Kaytee and Kellogg/Scott. They also carry the ASPEN-CHIPS cage bedding material for all you Chicago land fanciers! They've been known to ship the ASPEN-CHIPS via UPS anywhere!! Check out the pigmy goats and llamas in the fenced areas when you visit!

JOHN E. HAITH LTD. Also known as HAITH’S in England

Freephone: 0800 298 7054 Fax: 01472 242883 e-mail: sales@haiths.com

URL: www.haiths.com

Super people who ship all over the world! Great products from a company serving the fancier since 1940! The list below are a selection of the seeds used in The House of Crests of the many they stock.

CANARY SEED

PERILLA SEED

EASISOAK SEED (Soaked for 24 hours, rinsed, drained and fed in a treat (finger) cup twice a week year 'round. It is also the side dish fed along with egg food during the breeding and weaning time of the year commencing the third day after the chicks have hatched.)

HEMP SEED (Crushed with a rolling pin on a paper towel then sprinkled over the nestling food for hens who seem not to want to feed newly-hatched chicks.)

FRENCH TEAZLE (A very expensive seed that is added to the Easisoak seed mix or sometimes soaked alone for that "special nest" or hen that has a problem getting off the nest to feed the youngsters. It usually always does the trick! Great stuff, but very expensive!)

KRAKER TONIC A SONG or CONDITION SEED (Feed this in a treat cup feed twice a week.)

POPPY (BLUE MAW) SEED (A very small seed that is added to the eggfood mix.) See above.

BIRD & ANIMAL MEDICAL FACILITIES

PETER S. SAKAS DVM, MS

7278 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, IL 60714 USA

Phone: 1-847-647-9325 Fax: 1-847-647-8498

URL: www.nilesanimalhospital.com

Dr. Sakas's career in veterinary medicine began with completing a BA in Biology at Northwestern University in 1974 and an MS in Immunology/Parasitology from Auburn University in 1979. His work and research in immune response of dogs to canine heartworm disease was used to develop a diagnostic test still used today in the detection in occult heartworm disease in canine and feline patients. While working toward his Masters Degree, he worked as a teaching assistant, which lead to his position with Auburn University as a General Biology instructor.

A change of interests led Dr. Sakas to Veterinary School at the University of Illinois. While still a student at University of Illinois, Dr. Sakas began working with Dr. Lafeber in 1980 as a student intern. Dr. Sakas and Dr. Lafeber developed a friendship and personal mentoring relationship which continued through Dr. Sakas's graduation from vet school in 1983, which led to the acceptance of a staff veterinarian position with Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center. In 1985, Dr. Sakas became the owner and hospital director at Niles Animal Hospital when Dr. Lafeber retired.

Currently, Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center has four full time and 1 part time veterinarian. Our current clientele of over 20,000 ranges over many states and with approximately 60% of the patients being avian, reptilian, rabbits, small exotic mammals and birds of prey. Although our special interests continue to evolve in non-contemporary companion animal care, we still love our canine and feline patients.

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