Canary seed is a favorite among finches, sparrows, and other small wild birds. It provides plenty of protein that helps them build muscle mass.
When selecting canary food for your wild bird feeder, it is crucial that you check its ingredients and nutritional analysis to gain a full picture of what kinds of nutrients will be provided to the birds.
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Colorful Bird Feeder Mix
An attractive way to attract many species of wild birds is to provide cracked corn in a platform feeder, particularly ground feeding species and those frequenting your feeder, like squirrels, raccoons and other mammals.
Choose a premium wild birdseed mix featuring black oil sunflower seeds as the main component, alongside other popular seed types like millet, striped sunflower seeds and peanuts. These mixes work best in tube, hopper or platform feeders.
Avoid inexpensive seed mixtures that include large proportions of red milo, an easily dismissed filler seed that most birds ignore and toss aside. Furthermore, the oats in these mixes provide very limited nutrition for wild birds; you would do better purchasing high-quality peanuts or sunflower seed to attract unique feeder birds and reduce filler waste in your feeders – saving money overall by cutting back on filler waste!
Natural Bird Food
Canary seed crops are an invaluable addition to wild bird diets, providing high levels of proteins, lipids, resins, salicylic acid, oxalic acid and nitrogenous substances as well as being an excellent natural source of calcium, phosphorus and other trace minerals. Saskatchewan is home to one of the world’s top producers of canary seed for use both caged and free flying bird mixes.
Millet seeds provide energy-rich food sources for small birds like finches and house sparrows, while also being added to other finch or mixed bird feeder mixes to attract other species such as juncos, buntings and tanagers.
Thistle seed, commonly referred to as “nyjer”, is a specialty seed popular with Goldfinches and Purple Finches. It can make an excellent addition to any finch mix and especially loved by Pine Siskins. Rapeseed oil (rape oil) is another favorite among doves, sparrows and juncos alike – it makes an excellent treat!
Organic Bird Food
As the primary responsibility of any bird feeder owner, providing balanced nutrition to wild birds should be of prime importance. Pelleted avian diets containing seeds, nuts, insects and fruits are an ideal way to provide this vital support.
These diets are composed of organic ingredients and do not expose wildlife to chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Furthermore, these diets do not contain GMOs or preservatives and have been certified mycotoxin-free.
Organic bird food should consist of premium seeds and grains, milo, peanuts, sunflower chips with their seed hulls removed, sunflower chips without their hulls intact, cranberries and various dried fruits and vegetables. These ingredients may be offered year round via tube feeders, perches, bird houses or scattered on the ground to provide energy needed by birds for survival and flourishing. A variety of fruits and vegetables should also be added for proper health benefits.
Made in the U.S.A.
Canary seed, commonly referred to as millet, is a staple in most birdseed mixes. Packed full of high-energy fats and proteins for birds during winter when extra calories are necessary to remain warm, canary seed is especially crucial as part of any winter birdfood mixture.
Canary seeds contain lipase, an enzyme which lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood. This may lower your risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments.
Canary seeds boast high concentrations of amino acids and are free from toxic silica minerals that could potentially poison animals. Canaries can benefit from tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels to promote positive emotions and decrease depression. Weaning off pure seed diets gradually onto one with pelleted foods is important; slowly shift them over, offering pelleted meals in separate dishes first thing in the morning when your bird will likely be at their hungriest.
