Colorbred

TO COLOR FEED OR NOT TO COLOR FEED?

	The contents of this article will spark tremendous controversy and has done so for many years.  Much of this article is

based on laboratory research and much  is based on actual  finding within my own birdroom.  The practice of feeding Red Factor

canaries  a coloring agent called canthaxanthin has been a topic of great debate for many generations.  This article is not intended

to persuade  the reader one way or another as to whether it is right or wrong, it is simply designed to explain the term  “Color-bred,

not Color-fed”, and to try and educate potential Red Factor owners  as to why Red Factors must be given something in their diet to

ensure that they maintain their brilliant color.  The method that an individual breeder  or pet owner chooses to provide the

carotenoids   in the diet is strictly a matter of preference.  Hopefully after reading this article the reader will have  a much better

understanding as to why I do not feed my birds’ canthaxanthin, and also why I feed them what I do.  I will not try to convince

anyone that my way is the right way  and that other ways are the wrong way; this article is strictly to educate.

COLOR-BRED NOT COLOR-FED

	"Color-bred, not Color-fed”, exactly what is meant by this term?  My breeding efforts are focused on breeding the

best colored birds by breeding what is  inherent in the birds’ genetic make-up.  By pairing together only the best colored birds

together year after year one hopes to end up with some outstanding looking specimens.  Every bird that is produced is not a

show quality bird whether they are color-fed or not.  In order to show Red Factors they must be fed some form of a coloring agent.

The most common coloring agent that is fed to show specimens is Canthaxanthin.  I personally do not feed canthaxanthin

choosing to feed a powdered form of Beta Carotene instead.   With this said I must say that my birds will never achieve the

color of a bird that has been fed canthaxanthin, but it is my humble opinion that Beta Carotene is a much more natural ingredient

to supplement the diet of Red Factors, simulating what their ancestors ate in their natural environment.   People have argued

the fact that even feeding Beta Carotene is also a form of color feeding my Red Factors, and maybe they are right, but to fully

understand why Red Factors must be fed some form of supplementation to help them achieve their optimum color, please

continue reading below.

BASIC UNDERSTANDING

	To understand what is meant by color feeding Red Factors one must first possess a basic knowledge of how the Red

Factor came into existence in the first place.  People who do not know the history of the Red Factor Canary will be surprised to

learn that the Red Factor is a hybrid bird which  was obtained by crossing the Venezuelan Black Hooded Red Siskin

(spinus cocullatus) to a Yellow Canary (serinus canaria), thus the Red Factor Canary derives their red gene pool from the

Venezuelan Black Hooded Red Siskin. If the Siskin is fed only seeds and egg food/softfood it will moult out a creamy yellow.

With this in mind you may then begin to ask yourself where the Siskin obtains their bright red plumage.  The answer lies in the

diet that the Siskin receives in their wild environment. Their diet is comprised of seeds, fruits, berries, crustaceans and grasses

which are all rich in carotenoids and enables their feathers to achieve a nice reddish-orange color.  The same is true of the Red

Factor canary which also derives its reddish  orange plumage from some form of carotenoids that they receive in their diet.

Of course the Red Factor cannot go out and forage for the same diet that  the Siskin eats, so breeders of the Red Factor must

supplement the diet with an “ingredient” for them to receive the carotenoids that they need to achieve  the most beautiful plumage.

Red Factor canaries derive their colorful plumage, which ranges from bright red to pale orangish color, from carotene  pigments,

the same pigments that are responsible for the orange color of carrots, and the redness of autumn leaves.  Only photosynthetic

organisms like plants and algae can manufacture the pigments from these molecules, so birds and other vertebrates can only display

carotenoids in feathers by first acquiring them in their diet.  The same situation happens to a cardinal, and to a flamingo.  In the wild

both cardinals and flamingos receive the diet necessary to obtain the correct coloration. The feathers of flamingos are colored with

carotenoids (red and orange) pigments found naturally in small crustaceans.  However, to keep the feathers of these birds bright,

zoos supplement their diet with carotenoids. If the Flamingo was not fed these agents,  they would molt out completely white.  The

male cardinals’ diet during the time of the molt consists of primarily fruits and berries which gives them the  carotenoids to achieve

their color, if not given the correct diet male cardinals will molt out a faded rust color.  Carotenoids pigments are the primary

source of coloration in vertebrates (i.e. birds).  Birds do not have the ability to synthesize carotenoids for them to be utilized,

they must be ingested.

UNDERSTANDING FEATHER COMPOSITION

	Feathers are made of a very light strong protein called keratin, and  the two main pigment types in bird feathers

are the red, orange, and yellow carotenoids  and the black, gray, and brown melanins.  The red and orange pigments are

obtained from the diet which the bird eats. The principal color pigments are melanin pigments, and lipochrome or fat pigments.

The melanin pigments occur in the form of granules and give rise to the black, brown and grey tones; or they may combine

with those of the lipochrome series. The lipochrome pigments tend to be diffused throughout the entire feather, and give rise

respectively  to the red and yellow colors.  The melanins have been divided into two categories; the eumelanins which produce

black and dark brown coloring, and the  phaeomelanins which produce paler brown ranging through to yellowish coloration.

Feathers are colored in different ways, in some feathers; pigment synthesized by the feather-producing cells is deposited in the

feather as it forms. These pigments are different kinds of melanin, which can be either almost  black or a reddish-brown color.

TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTATION

	All of my birds, not just Red Factor canaries, get a powdered form of Beta Carotene mixed in with their softfood

mixture, this additive only enhances the depth of color in the Red Factors, and it does not change the color of the bird.  Beta

Carotene also does not influence the colors of the feathers of Yellow or White birds, it only influences the feathers of the birds

that have the red genes of their genetic background.   I have stated that it is combined with the softfood, but there is  absolutely

no reason why it cannot be combined with the drinking water.  The Beta Carotene product that I have is water soluble and

mixes easily with water. Through my experience I have found that supplementation of Beta Carotene in with the drinking water

is quite messy and it also is a more wasteful way to supplement as the water should be changed daily.  My softfood has no egg

in it so therefore there is no requirement for it to be changed daily.  Beta Carotene is not a coloring agent such as canthaxanthin;

it is a naturally occurring substance that occurs in carrots, grasses and many other forms of vegetables.  I must also add that

canthaxanthin is not a normal part of the canary or siskin diet.  Canthaxanthin, it is a coloring compound that will change

a Yellow or White canary to orange if fed to these birds during a molt.

RESEARCH ON CAROTENOIDS

	Research has been done using goldfinches as specimens, the goldfinches when fed canthaxanthin during the moult,

molted out a striking orange color.  The same research also suggests that many birds in the wild have the ability to utilize the

carotenoids of the red and orange pigments; however their diet does not consist of the food types that contain these red and

orange carotenoids pigments.   Research has also shown that when birds are fed canthaxanthin you bypass the enzyme systems

that would naturally convert yellow pigments like beta carotene to red pigments.  Birds that are fed canthaxanthin simply

deposit this color directly into their feathers. This research further emphasizes my point as to why I do not feed the coloring

agent canthaxanthin, if many birds have the ability to utilize the carotenoids of the red and orange pigments, I could then change

the colors of my Yellows and Whites and market them as  Red Factors!

PROS AND CONS OF SUPPLEMENTATION

 	All of the Red Factor breeders that I know that do use canthaxanthin are truly reputable breeders and breed some

extremely beautiful birds, they feed canthaxanthin due to the fact that they show their birds and the feeding of canthaxanthin is

a requirement for showing them.  However my regimen of feeding  Beta Carotene allows for the production of some outstanding

birds which have the most natural color that a wild diet would give to them.  If I fed canthaxanthin, how would I determine

which birds were the best colored?

COLOR AND MATE SELECTION

	Research has also shown that only the most colorful males can out-compete their rivals and serve as suitable, attractive

mates for females.  Researchers have become particularly interested in why females pay particular attention to the more colorful

males when making their mating decisions.  What information are males  communicating to females with their color?  What advantages

do females gain by mating with the most colorful male?    Laboratory experiments, demonstrated that the more brightly colored

males are preferred as mates by females, but that they also obtain the largest quantities of carotenoids in their diet, are in the best

nutritional condition, help provision females with food as she prepares for breeding, and have the highest survival rates.  Thus, males

use their color to demonstrate to females  their foraging abilities, general health, and willingness to provide parental assistance.

While the above discussion of mate selection is true for wild birds, it is we breeders who select the most colorful males to mate

with compatible females as we decide upon our pairings.  With this statement being made, I question how  breeders of Red Factors

that are fed the coloring agent canthaxanthin can decide which males are the most colorful males?  When fed Beta Carotene, it is not

difficult to determine which are the brightest colored males and even which females are the brightest colored.  This is due to the fact

that they do not all color up with the same depth of color, this is largely due in part to the genetic make-up of the red gene pool,

and how the color is assimilated in their plumage.

SUMMARY

 	I would hope for a day when judges allow classes at the shows for Red Factors that are not fed canthaxanthin to be judged

for the way they should be and that is for their natural beauty. This article was written to stimulate debate and hopefully to enlighten

people on why Red Factors are fed the way in which they are.   It is not intended to be the “answer all” to all questions, nor is it intended

to be all-inclusive.  I hope that through the reading of this article many people will have a  greater understanding of how the Red Factor

achieves and maintains their beautiful color and to give individuals the options of how to proceed in their quest for

the ultimate RED FACTOR!