Πτερορροια, διατροφη και διαχειριση !

Η πτερορροια ειναι μια δυσκολη και κρισιμη περιοδος του ετησιου κυκλου ζωης των πτηνων.Μια περιοδος με πολυ υψηλες απαιτησεις στον τομεα της διατροφης και της ηρεμης διαβιωσης. Αναφερομαστε σε 40 εως 60 ημερες που τα πουλια διακατεχονται απο εντονο στρες και πολυ μεγαλη καταναλωση ενεργειας εως οτου αντικατασταθει και το τελευταιο φτερο.
Στα ενηλικα καναρινια που εχουν περασει ηδη μια πτερορροια στη ζωη τους,ολο το φτερωμα αντικαθισταται με πρωτα τα φτερα πτησης και τελευταια του κεφαλιου.Τα νεαρα πουλια δεν αντικαθιστουν τα μεγαλα φτερα πτησης,ουτε και την ουρα τους. Δυστυχως καποιοι εκτροφεις αναλαμβανουν τον ρολο της μητερας φυσης και αφαιρουν την ουρα για να κερδισουν ενα εκατοστο σε μηκος ενοψει διαγωνισμων.Συνηθως ειναι ομαλη η διαδικασια αντικαταστασης φτερωματος ωστε να μην επηρρεαζεται η ικανοτητα πτησης των πουλιων.Περιπου 2000 φτερα αντικαθιστανται με την διαρκεια φωτισμου να ειναι η βασικη  παραμετρος για να ξεκινησει αυτη η ιδιαιτερη περιοδος.Οταν αρχιζει και μικραινει η διαρκεια της ημερας σηματοδοτειται και η αρχη της πτερορροιας. Αναφερομαστε παντα στην φυσιολογικη  και οχι στην παθολογικη.
Διατροφη κατα την περιοδο της πτερορροιας
Μια διατροφη πλουσια σε πρωτεινες ειναι το κλειδι  για την ταχεια αντικατασταση του φτερωματος σε συνδυασμο με ενα καλο συμπληρωμα βιταμινων και αμινοξεων. Στο εμποριο υπαρχουν τωρα πια πολλα προιοντα που παρεχουν ολες τις απαραιτητες βιταμινες για την περιοδο αυτη, επισης υπαρχουν πολυ χρησιμα συμπληρωματα αμινοξεων αλλα και καποια προιοντα που συνδυαζουν αυτα τα δυο. Οταν πρεπει να παρεχουμε πρωτεινη στα πουλια μας το πρωτο πραγμα που μας ερχεται στο μυαλο ειναι το αβγο,  καλοβρασμενο -τουλαχιστον 15 λεπτα για αποφυγη σαλμονελας- καθως και η αυγοτροφη. Η αυγοτροφη παρουσιαζει το μεγαλο πλεονεκτημα οτι ειναι το καταλληλοτερο μεσο για να περασουν τα συμπληρωματα διατροφης και η χρωστικη στο σιτηρεσιο των πουλιων μας. Ενα σημειο ακομα οπου υπερεχει η αυγοτροφη σε σχεση με το αβγο  ειναι οτι καποιες αυγοτροφες μπορουν να μεινουν στις ταιστρες μας  καθολη την διαρκεια της ημερας χωρις τις αλλοιωσεις που παθαινει το αβγο μετα απο καποιες ωρες σε ζεστο περιβαλλον.Προσωπικα φροντιζω να παρεχω και αυγο και αυγοτροφη ταυτοχρονα.Οι περλες ειναι το νεο διατροφικο υπεροπλο, πολυ ευκολο στην προετοιμασια του και λιγοτερο εκτεθειμενο σε αλλοιωσεις. Αυτος ειναι και ενας σημαντικος λογος που κερδιζει ολο και περισσοτερο εδαφος σε σχεση με τα φυτρα, τους βλαστωμενους σπορους.Το μεγαλο στοιχημα ειναι να καταφερουμε να εχουν την καταλληλη αποδοχη απο τα πουλια μας.Στην περιπτωση των βλαστωμμενων σπορων η αποδοχη θεωρειται δεδομενη. Η γυρη  ειναι μια ακομα εξαιρετικη πηγη πρωτεινης, απαραιτητη τοσο στην προετοιμασια αναπαραγωγης οσο και κατα την διαρκεια της πτερορροιας.
Δεν ξεχναμε ποτε τα χορτα και τα λαχανικα για μια ισορροπημενη διατροφη.Ορυκτη αμμος πρεπει να παρεχεται με εξαιρεση περιπτωσεις που τα πουλια ταιζουν νεοσσους οπου ειναι απαγορευτικη η χορηγηση της.Φρεσκο δροσερο νερο και σουπιοκοκκαλο πρεπει να παρεχονται καθολη την διαρκεια του ετους και ιδιαιτερα τις ζεστες ημερες που διαρκει η πτερορροια. Επειδη αυτη η περιοδος ειναι συνωνημη του στρες και οτι αυτο συνεπαγεται (μυκητες κτλ), καλο θα ηταν να παρεχεται και μηλοξυδο για μια βδομαδα καθε μηνα.
Διαβιωση
Θα πρεπει να εξασφαλισουμε οτι τα πουλια μας θα εχουν αφθονο χωρο να πεταξουν, να δυναμωσουν και να αποφευγουμε τον υπερπληθυσμο στις κλουβες πτησης η στα κλουβια διαμονης.Η δυνατοτητα του μπανιου θα πρεπει να καθημερινη. Ιδανικη θα ηταν η προσθηκη αλατων η ξυδιου στο νερο της μπανιερας για να περιοριζεται ο κνησμος και να ειναι το φτερωμα καθαροτερο και πιο λαμπερο.

Molting period of our birds !

A bird will naturally shed its old feathers and replace them with new ones. Feathers, which are “dead” organic parts - like human fingernails - cannot be repaired by a bird’s natural processes, so they are replaced instead. Like a hair follicle, a feather follicle will not stimulate growth for a new feather unless the old one has been removed. This removal process is called molting.

Seasonal Molting

Different species of birds molt at different times, and molting often coincides with the seasons, migrations, nutritional status, or reproductive cycle. Besides replacing old or damaged feathers, molting also helps to regulate a bird’s body temperature during the winter. When you purchase your bird, find out what time of the year you can expect it to start molting.
During its regular molting period, your bird will slowly replace most of its feathers. This is a tough time for your pet. It uses extra energy to generate the new feathers, and is often stressed. Birds that sing or talk will do so less often during its molting period. The period can last anywhere from several weeks to several months. Parrot species in particular are known to have extremely long molting periods.
More than ever, this is the time to ensure that your bird has the nutritional diet that it needs. You should increase the amount of food that you give it by at least 25%. Some stores will sell special molting food, but you can also just add fresh vegetables, fruits, and cereals to your bird’s diet.
It is also important to make sure that your bird’s environment is warm during molting. Feathers function as insulation, and the loss of even a few feathers can make your pet vulnerable to drafts.
Your bird will naturally feel more defensive and fearful during the molting process. In the wild, birds often find a quiet, dark place to rest, as the process consumes much of their surplus energy. Help your bird out by providing it with the quiet that it needs. You can also give it a small measure of privacy by covering part of the cage. Your bird will feel more comfortable and be less stressed during the molting process.

Irregular Feather Loss

If your bird is losing feathers at a time other than its regular molting period, there may be a problem. Often, feather loss due to plucking can be mistaken for molting. Some potential causes of plucking are:

• Boredom or lack of exercise
• Too much or not enough natural sunlight
• Too much or not enough humidity
• Improper nutrition
• Illness

In particular, birds will often pluck their own feathers during the winter, when household humidity often drops. Most birds that are kept as pets are naturally used to a rainforest climate, so their feathers can become dry and itchy. To remedy this, be sure that your bird has access to a birdbath, and try lightly misting its feathers with water once a day. This will make its home environment more similar to wet, humid rainforests.

Abnormal Molting

Most species of parrots, cockatoos, and macaws and lovebirds are vulnerable to a virus called Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD. PBFD attacks the immune system and the cells responsible for feathers and beaks, and will often show up when birds molt. If your bird’s feathers grow back abnormally, are missing, or are loose immediately after molting, you should immediately contact your veterinarian and make sure that it isn’t sick. There is no cure for PBFD and the disease is highly contagious so prompt treatment and prevention are the best ways to combat this illness.




Source : www.hartz.com/

How to colour feed, a great article of Brian Keenan !

Another excellent article of the master of Yorkshire canaries, Brian Keenan. Breeders are confused while colour feeding, they tried alot of products with the aim to find the most suitable. It costs money and it can costs  failures in shows.My choice the last years and most successful till now, is a great product from Standard Laboratory. A new company that  founded  by my good friend George Weeks . specialized in colour feeding. Many champion breeders around the world are using these products with the best results!!!

contact : george@standardlab.co.uk

Learn how to colour feed from the master, Brian Keenan....

Yorkshire Canaries are one of several canary varieties where it is permitted to enhance their natural plumage, a process know as colour feeding. There are several other canary varieties which are also colour-fed, including Norwich, Coloured canaries, Lizards and Stafford canaries.
Colour feeding is easily accomplished today, and has never been simpler.
To most people's minds good colour greatly enhances the birds appearance, although it remains of limited value according to the exhibition standard, where a maximum of 10 points are awarded for colour  so the difference between a moderately coloured specimen and one brimming with strong, evenly distributed colour is only slight, but it can be enough to tip the scales, if the birds are otherwise evenly matched.

How to colour feed

To successfully colour a canary's plumage, the colouring agent needs to be in the blood-stream at the same time as the bird moults. It is common practice to remove first round young birds from their parents when they are three or four weeks old, housing them in small groups for the next two or three weeks of their lives, until the better birds are caged separately to begin their training as potential exhibition stock. The fancier should begin colour feeding between the time the stock is weaned from their parents and when the young birds are caged individually. Because the birds are not actually moulting at this stage, their nest feathers will not show the new colour until they are moulted out, but any odd feathers which do appear, replaced because they have been plucked in the nest perhaps, will carry colour, as the colouring agent will already be in the bird's blood stream. This is important, because colouring should always be even, carried throughout the entire body, and not patchy, which will detract from the end result. A similar pattern is followed for later hatched birds, and finally, once parent stock has finished breeding, they are colour fed as soon as they are removed into their flight cages for mouting out.
Colour-feeding parent stock whilst they are rearing young birds in the nest, will not cause the young birds any harm whatsoever. It will however, partially colour the plumage, including the juvinile bird's flight feathers. Unflighted birds displaying colour-fed wing flights, could potentially disqualify themselves from the unflighted classes if viewed by an inexperienced judge, as he or she may consider the bird to have undergone a second-year moult, to have achieved coloured flights. For this reason, colour feeding is best left until the birds have feathered-up and left the nest, rather than risk disqualification.

Carophyl

Today, almost without exception, breeders use a branded product named carophyl* (Trade mark of Roche Products). Only minute quantities are required to colour-feed canaries, and when used as such, the product is completely harmless. There are three derivatives: Carophyl Yellow, Orange and Red. Yorkshire Canary breeders use the Carophyl Orange product, although some continue to use it's predecessor, Carophyl Red. Carophyl Yellow provides no benefit to Yorkshires, whilst Carophyl Red is too intense for use by all but the most experienced, having been developed for use with red-ground rather than yellow-ground coloured birds. Carophyl Orange however, is a blend of both Red and Yellow, and is designed to deliver exactly the right amount of colouring agent that can be absorbed by the bird. Even potentially overfeeding the colouring agent will not distract from the end result, although it may of course unnecessarily damage the fanciers wallet!

Various ways to feed

Most experienced fanciers have developed their own methods of feeding carophyl, and all achieve effective results. Minute quantities are required, and a rule of thumb is one gram of carophyl per bird, fed throughout the entire moulting season. The effect is immediate, and as soon as the bird consumes the carophyl, the digested results will show in the new feathering. As the bird moults, the new colouring is displayed in the wing butts, down the breast, often showing vividly, until the newly emerging feathering opens fully. The new feathers continue throughout the body, then finally the head and neck areas, with the small areas around he eyes being the last to be moulted out. Fanciers may choose to place a few grains of carophyl into boiling water (which breaks down the oil-base of the product), and use the cooled water to mix their soft food. Alternatively, others allow the boiled water to cool, then mix with further cold water, and feed through the drinking water supply, although this often results in a badly stained bird room floor. Others mix the dry grains of carophyl with boiled egg yolk, and stir this into their soft food mixture, in the knowledge that their birds will pick out the yolk first, and so pick up the colouring quickly, whilst others place carophyl into a salt or pepper-pot, and apply a small amount to the standard soft-food, on a daily basis.
My method is a combination of the above, initially sprinkling a few grains using a pepper pot onto my standard soft food mix, because it saves me making up two different batches of soft food when only a few birds need to be coloured. Once my second round gets underway however, I make up a separate colour food mix, adding carophyl into a carrot base, allowing this to absorb the colouring before mixing it into the softfood base and refrigerating overnight. In the morning, the softfood is a rich orange, and eaten with relish by the chicks. Clear, variegated (including cinnamons) and dark birds are all colour fed, although white ground birds and self or foul green birds are not colour fed. Carophyl will enhance the wing bars of a dominant white canary, resulting in pink wings tails and wing butts, which looks attractive, but debars the exhibit from competing on the showbench.
Enhancing the colour of non-fed greens is simplicity itself, and needs no magic potions or special skills. Just hang the bird in a training cage in the sunshine for a few minutes on warm, sunny days. The effect of the sun's rays will deepen the green body colour, and make the striations blacken and stand out to the best effect. Now everyone enjoys a little sunbathe, from time to time, don't they!

The source of this great article is the official page of YCC : http://www.yccuk.com/briankeenan/