Thursday, September 15, 2011

Promoting Peak Condition


Recently, I started using Raff's Universal Extra which I purchased from Connie Gahman (gahmanzoo@verizon.net 215 536-1599). It is an insect product but also contains a number of other ingredients such as bakery products, cereals, minerals, and yeast. The formula is designed so that it can be feed straight from the box without danger of protein overload (favoring a foot). My birds accepted it straight but I thought this would be a great base for one of my marvelous new conditioning dishes!!


So I started mixing, first I added hemp hearts from the health food store. Since these are hulled and will not sprout, they are not treated or aged. Birds love them, even more than the shelled hemp but the cost prohibits feeding too often.


Then I added Peggy's Bee Pollen and a number of other Raff products that I had on hand including Verdurello (vegetables), Delicate (Rearing food), FruttOvo (fruits and eggs), and other products including Sidekick Treat Seed (Wings), and Song Food (Bird of Paradise, Wichita, Ks).

My birds loved it!! And better than that, the condition immediately improved as evidenced by the narrowing of the tails and tightness of feathering. On the borders, in addition to the improved feathering and width of tail, the backs raised and heads rounded greatly improving their confirmation. I am feeding this mix now twice a week!

Some of the Raff products may be hard to locate. In that case, I would use the Universal Extra with hemp, bee pollen, sidekick, song food and orlux pate or eggfood.


Another great conditioner is this Vitamin available from Bird Supply of New Hampshire. A measured amount is added to Orlux eggfood and feed twice a week. This also immediately improves the birds condition.

6 comments:

Donald saunders said...

Hi Linda
Which of the Orlux fertility products do you prefere,Ferti-vit ot opti-Breed.

Linda Hogan said...

During the off season I use opti-breed twice a week and then switch to the Ferti-vit daily when I am getting ready for breeding.

Can you get the Raff Universal Favor? This has potential for coating showcase seeds to keep the birds at their very best during exhibition.

Linda Hogan said...

Oops!, I meant Universal Extra, not Favor(oops, I renamed it in my mind!)

Anonymous said...

you posted your recipe for broccoli and soybeans to help condition canaries in the past I can't find it. I need to know how often I should feed it during the week I know it will take two the three weeks to get them into condition. In the past I feed this and Vit. E in their water that year I had the best breeding season I have ever had. Last breeding season I was on vacation most of the breeding season I didn't feed the vit E or the broccoli/soybean mixture I only got 5 babies out of 4 hens goes to show a little work goes a long ways

eddie horowitz said...


I am thouroley mixed up can you feed Raff red color food year round and including wheb breeding my birds

Linda Hogan said...

Red color food is fed during breeding and through molting. The product shown in this post is not red color food.