Part 3

IMPORTANCE OF BIRD GRAVEL

Nature did not supply your Canary with teeth to help grind his food. The food goes directly to the crop where it is mixed with digestive juices and softened. Thence it passes to the gizzard, where with the aid of gravel previously swallowed, it is "ground up" for assimilation. The gizzard is a small thick pouch with very tough, muscular walls which rub against each other at great pressure. When gravel is present, this action grinds the food into a soft, easily digested mass. Therefore it is essential that your canary have free access to a plentiful supply of gravel of the right kind and size. Gravel composed of limestone or magnesia should not be used, because it is readily dissolved by the bird's digestive juices. Beach sand may have harmful impurities and is usually worn and rounded.

Gravel should be hard, sharp rather than round, and not affected by digestive juices. French's Bird Gravel is crushed silica sandstone quartz and meets these requirements perfectly. It is thoroughly washed, carefully screened to a uniform size, and then sterilized by heat. When sprinkled on the floor of the cage, it helps keep the bird's feet in condition by wearing off the scales and dirt, and it is a distinct aid in keeping the cage floor clean and dry.

FEEDING GREEN FOODS

One of the best green foods for birds is a slice of sweet apple or orange placed between the bars of the cage. Chickweed and watercress are also good. Many bird owners feed lettuce, which is satisfactory; but it must be examined carefully and any frozen parts removed. The long stalks of the rattail plantain weed are much relished. You can keep them several days by standing them in water. Before giving them to the bird, cut off the ends. Both flowers and the tender new leaves of dandelions are pleasing and beneficial to canaries.

An interesting and simple way to provide greens for your pet is to scatter a pinch or two of French's Bird Seed on the soil surface of some of your house plants. The seeds soon root and make excellent greens.

Sprouted seed is a wonderful treat. Place one teaspoonful of seed per bird in water and allow it to stand overnight. In the morning rinse the seed in two or three clear tepid waters and spread on a moist clean towel. The tiny sprouts will soon break through and the seed may be dried and fed. Renew daily, for soaked, sprouted seed spoils fast.

WILD SEEDS FOR CANARIES

Gathering seeds can be a delightful pastime. The following are most beneficial: seed heads of seeding grasses, Plantain, Chickweed, Shepherd's Purse, Dock Groundsel, Clover, Teazle, Queen Anne's Lace, Charlock, Smartweed, dandelion and thistles, except Burdock. These seeds are particularly good at moulting and mating times and a few are always relished as a treat.

INSECT FOOD

Meal worms, the stand-by food of bird fanciers who keep soft-bills as pets, are a real delicacy and are very beneficial for canaries, especially during the breeding and moulting seasons, or when a bird is run-down as a result of soft moult. Meal worms are the larvae of the small grain moths such as are prevalent in any cereal product, and which you sometimes find in bird seed. Meal worms can often be raised as a profitable side line and sold to pet shops.

EGG FOOD

Egg food is a required food supplement at mating and moulting. It is made by mashing a 30-minute hard cooked egg with enough toasted whole wheat bread crumbs to give a crumbly moist mixture. Crushed cracker crumbs, Pablum, chick starter mash, or French's Nestling Food may be substituted for the whole wheat bread crumbs to provide variety. Egg food spoils quickly. As a precaution, any remaining in the cup or scattered on the cage floor should be removed within two or three hours.

Egg food can be kept a short while under refrigeration, but it should be fed at room temperature, rather than cold. At the first off taste or odor it should be discarded, and a fresh lot prepared. French's Nestling Food moistened with water or scalded milk makes a reliable egg food substitute for occasional feeding.

COLOR FEEDING FOR CANARIES

It has long been the custom for bird fanciers to add certain substances to the diet during moulting which will tint the bird's plumage to colors ranging from deep yellow to orange or red.

To do this, start feeding color food at the beginning of the moult. The food is prepared as follows: to a hard boiled egg add two or three crackers and a half-teaspoonful of fresh paprika. Mix well together with two or three drops of olive oil to form a paste and supply each bird with a teaspoonful of the mixture daily. Each morning give a fresh supply. After the first week gradually increase the amount of the color food until the desired color is reached. The amount may then be gradually decreased until the end of the moult, when color-feeding should be discontinued, as it is effective only while feathers are growing. French's Moulting Food and this color food in equal amounts, moistened with a drop or two of olive oil, is an effective mixture relished by canaries.

Once or twice a week, a small portion of flaxseed should be mixed with the regular seed. Other delicacies should be withheld, as they may induce the birds to neglect their color food. Use great care to exclude drafts. Avoid keeping the birds in a strong light, as this may fade the tints you are trying to obtain. It may be well on very bright days to lay a cloth over the bright side of the cage. French's Iron Compound should be given in doses of 8 to 10 drops to the drinking-cup, if your bird seems off its feed.

BATHING

A bird should be trained to bathe in a regular bathing dish at least three times a week. Any small, shallow dish may be used for a bathing dish. If the cage bottom is not removable, the dish should be small enough to pass through the cage door. The outside baths that hang over the cage door opening are practical and easy to use. Fill the dish or bath with about one half inch of cool water.

Many owners have found that birds can be tempted into their bathing dish by floating a small bit of green food or a few seeds on the surface. The bird picks these out of the water, finds it is rather pleasant, and is soon enjoying his bath. If this is not successful, try placing a small mirror in the bottom of the bathing dish. Sometimes the bird is attracted into the water when it sees its own image.

In very warm summer weather, the bird will enjoy a bath each day but in winter allow a bath only two or three mornings a week. Never force your bird to bathe. If he persists in bathing from his drinking cup, remove or empty the cup while the bathing dish is in the cage.

The bird's feet should be examined to see that they are clean and healthy. The feet of birds inclined to shirk their bath often become caked. If this condition is found, the feet should be soaked in warm water, and the accumulations gently removed. It is then well to rub a little sweet oil into the bird's feet.

ESCAPED BIRD

One day when you have the cage door open, or the floor of the cage removed for cleaning, your pet may escape and fly about the room. If this happens, do not chase or grab at the bird. He will become frightened, and if you catch him, you may grasp him too firmly.

If your pet escapes, remain calm. First shut all the doors and windows in the room, and turn off any open flames on the kitchen range if the bird is loose in the kitchen. Pull down the shades and turn off the lights. When the room is darkened, the bird will cease to fly about. Then you can easily approach it, take it gently in your cupped hand, and return it to the cage. If you cannot darken the room, just prop open the cage door. Left alone, most birds will fly back inside the cage for food and water in a short time.

If the bird gets out-of-doors it will not usually fly farther than a nearby shrub or tree. Again, tie the cage door open and set the cage where the bird can see it, and the canary will usually come "home" in short while. The main thing is to keep calm and avoid frightening or injuring the bird.

When the weather is warm, an escaped bird perching on a low shrub or branch is sometimes caught easily after his feathers have been dampened by a fine mist from the garden hose. This method should never be used in cold weather.