Soft Food And Soaked Seed

Soft foods

In nature, insects provide the additional protein requirement during the breeding season. Protein in the form of an egg or soft food mix must also be provided to canaries. Traditionally, soft foods were called egg food. At first, they consisted of a crushed boiled egg mixed with bread or biscuit crumbs and provided to the birds during the breeding season as an additional source of protein. Over time, additional protein sources became readily available (Farex protein cereal, powdered eggs, wheatgerm and so on) and were added to the egg food. Observant fanciers changed the soft food recipe further by adding more bread or carbohydrate products based on their experiences of feeding parents leaving some of the egg food uneaten in preference for the biscuit or bread crumbs. Others combined the soft food with soaked seed with further improvements in breeding results. Nowadays, most soft foods recipes contain both protein and energy for the feeding parents.

Soaked Seed

Soaked seed may also be used as a source of protein and energy for breeding finches. When prepared hygienically soaked seed offers breeding finches the most concentrated form of energy available. Soaked seed also offers the fancier the best medium in which to add those extra vitamins, minerals and trace elements required for breeding success. Soaked seed is, however, easily contaminated and may become lethal to nestlings and feeding parents, unless proper precautions are taken during its preparation. Experienced fanciers administer a special water cleanser continuously in the drinking water at a very low dose to combat soaked seed related nestling deaths and improve breeding performance.

Soft Food/Soaked Seed Combinations

With the addition of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, soft foods/soaked seed combinations offer the finch with everything it needs for breeding success. However, not everyone has time to prepare these recipes hygienically, nor to remove uneaten remnants before they spoil. Products such as Turbobooster, Energy supplement, F-vite, Dufoplus, Ioford and NV Powder have been developed to provide the additional protein and energy, as well as vitamin, mineral and trace element requirements for breeding success in a convenient and hygienic form. They can be added to all of the dry seed, soft food, soaked seed or combined soft food/soaked seed recipes with equal success.

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