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Seed Sraights For British Birds
 
There are lots of commercially grown seeds that we can feed to our finches, mules and hybrids.
Here is a list of some of them and their nutritional values:
 
Click to enlarge image
CANARY SEED:


Canary seed usually goes towards making up the bulk of any British finch/canary mix.
It has small amounts of vitamins and minerals and traces of oils, it has around 50% carbohydrate and a protein count of about 14%, which makes it ideal for a basic feed, with other seed added.
Other seeds which are in the mix may be rape seed.
 
RAPE SEED:



There are two types, black and red these seeds have about 20% of each protein and carbohydrate, the remainder is oil, with a small amount of water.
Another oily seed, which some of the larger birds will relish is sunflower, usually not included in mixes it can be fed as a tit bit.

SUNFLOWER:


This seed must only be fed sparingly, as if "overfed” it can cause problems, especially for bullfinches.
This is caused by the birds taking in to much protein and fat, especially if housed in cages.
Sunflower seed is said to contain an average of 28% protein and 45% fat.
NIGER:



This seed is a small black elongated seed, that resembles mouse droppings, lots of times i have seen odd bits on the shed floor and panicked, but relieved when i looked further into it, to see it is Niger seed, again another seed with high fat content (around 40%), extra Niger can be given in cold spells as it generates heat so keeps the birds warm, but as a titbit and not to much.
LINSEED:



Yet another oil seed, but linseed hasn’t the same amount of fat as the previous ones, having an average of 20-25% oil, protein and carbohydrate, another seed usually found in seed mixes is hemp seed.
HEMP:



I am unsure of the exact % make up of hemp seed, but it is said to have high levels of sulphur, magnesium, potassium and other elements.
It is high in fat, so again careful monitoring of the intake of hemp is required; bullfinches and siskins` should only have the minimum amount.
Birds seem to favour it but feeding to much hemp does not go with a balanced diet, often, if over fed, birds will scatter the other seeds around searching for hemp.
Also within a mixture Maw seed can be found again high in fat it should be fed sparingly.
MAW SEED:



This is a tiny blue seed favoured by siskins`, it is said to contain an average of 45% fat, i have noticed my bullfinches and greenfinches don’t seem to care for maw seed, but the smaller ones do, why this is so i have no idea, perhaps their beaks are to big.
Some people believe maw seed carries certain medicinal qualities as well and use it as a starter seed when putting young birds on hard seed.
MILLET:



Millet seed is very high in carbohydrates (70-75%), and speaking from personal experience i have found it to be the least liked of all the seeds mentioned, however I find the "millet sprays" are a good seed when transferring young birds from soak seed to hard seed.
It is an "in between seed" not soft as soak seed, but not as hard as hard seed, weather its because its slightly soft with still being on the spray I don’t know.
Article by John Read ©2004
British Birds - In Aviculture ©2004-2007

BBIA for breeders’ & exhibitors’ of British hardbills & softbills, mules & hybrids, canaries & related species.
British birds, feeding, housing, showing British birds & Canaries, mules & hybrids.