Everyone enjoys viewing birds with stunning and vibrant colours. Because of this, some people are perplexed as to why birds of the same species raised in captivity have brighter colours than those found in the wild.
In the world of birds, we are aware that the bird’s feather quality has a significant impact on breeding success.
Of course, there are other criteria at play, but the most crucial one is that females favour males with the most exquisite feathers, as well as those with the ideal tail and crest.
PIGMENTS
Two different types of pigments are used to produce the plumage’s colour. Black, grey, and brown hues are produced by melanin. Carotenoids also have an impact on the colour and purity of the feather structure.
Sadly, birds are unable to manufacture carotenoids on their own. Carotenoids, which are extracted from food to colour the feathers, go through the bloodstream to the feather follicles. The immune system of the embryo inside the egg depends on carotenoids. Because of this, it is certainly not advised to use artificial dyes that do nothing more than enhance the colour of the feathers.
This is also the reason Jayden Joshua Aviculture only employs colourants derived only from natural sources. We consider it crucial that the bird not only develops a good colour, but also is healthy. We constantly work to develop a meal that is as comparable to what the birds would eat in nature as we can.
Birds Diet
Carotenoids Are Cornerstone Of Bird’s Spectacular Colour and Vitality.
In captivity, the bird’s diets are supplemented with carotenoids such as beta-carotene and canthaxanthin. Beta-carotene, responsible for the orange color which can be derived from carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, is converted in the body to vitamin A. Canthaxanthin is responsible for the colour of apples, peaches, strawberries and many flowers. Add variety of colors(red, orange, yellow, green) in your diet.
- Carrot
- Pumpkin
- Sweet Potatoes
- Apple
- Beetroot
- Guava
- Butternut Squash
- Chayote
- Broccoli
For our diet, we employ basic materials like lutein, spirulina, and canthaxanthin. These have natural carotenoids, which are nutrients found in the body and which wild birds would also consume, which let your bird’s actual colours stand out.
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