A World of Color

We receive many questions bout color feeding color-bred canaries. Most of the confusion revolves around the differences between Quiko Intensive Red and Quiko Canthaxantin. Both are listed as coloring agents for red birds; what’s the difference? These two products both contain the coloring agent Canthaxantin. They differ in the percentage of Canthaxantin that they contain; Intensive Red contains 10% Canthaxantin, while Quiko Cantaxantin contains 50% of this coloring agent.

Generally the use of Intensive Red is sufficiently potent for most people’s needs. It will maintain a red factor canary’s red coloring. We recommend that pet owners or casual hobbyists use the Intensive Red. If a more intense, deeper, more vivid red color is desired for competitive exhibition then Canthaxantin should be used.

Canthaxantin is very hard on the liver of the birds and extensive use over an extended period of time leads to liver damage. Heavy use of the chemical will shorten the life of the bird.

For this reason we recommend that even serious exhibitors use Red Intensive be for most of the year, switching over to Canthaxantin only during the last molt before the show season. The average canary owner will find that using the Red Intensive will produce the desired results without damaging the liver.

In either case, the coloring agent should be used year round. When the bird is molting, or feeding chicks the coloring agent should be used every day to assure that the new feathers will indeed develop as red ones. During the balance of the year the coloring agent should be used from one to three days per week. This action colors the down or under feathers that the birds develop through out the year. Without this occasional color feeding the down and under feathers will come in without the red coloring and the bird will lose some of its overall red coloration.

Quiko’s Special Red Eggfood contains Red Intensive. This makes color feeding a simple matter of feeding Special Red as the standard eggfood. For general use this method will produce the desired results with the least amount of effort.

Canary owners who want to color feed without causing future liver damage can use Beta Carotin. This natural coloring agent produces a nice red color without injuring the liver.

Two last coloring agents worthy of mention are Quiko Orange and Quiko Yellow Intensive. The names of the products give clear indication of their results.