Photos of Edible Greens

Plots of Plenty       Most canaries love eating greens, and there's a good reason for this; a great many of those greens contain nutrients that canaries (and for that matter, many other bird species) need in fairly hefty quantities.       Vitamin A, for example, is plentiful in a great many dark leafy greens, and most avian species, including canaries, require much more of this essential nutrient, for their size and weight, than do we humans.       Other commonly found ingredients include other vitamins and minerals, especially easily-lost water-based nutrients such as vitamin C and some of the B vitamins. Many dark leafy greens also offer plentiful trace elements or minerals, along with roughage and moisture, a particular necessity for birds on an fairly dry seed or pellet-based diet. Even a bird can't always drink as much as it needs, so a little extra moisture included with the food taken in, helps the body to stay healthy.       Organically grown greens are getting easier to find in many areas of the county, and tend to be a little more expensive than commercially grown greens, but are generally a lot safer to use, if you're planning to feed them to your canaries.       A lot of people enjoy growing their own foods, when the seasons permit it, and this is an excellent way to produce your own bird greens, too. After all, if you grow it yourself, you can be much more certain of just what went into that produce! Just be careful what you use; remember, too much fertilizer in or on a plant can be as toxic to a canary as any pesticide.

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