Yellow and white (and more!) canaries

[Anhinga]

Hello!
I'm currently finishing up my dissertation on canary coloration in Auburn University, AL, and I have a colony of 80-90 canaries I've maintained in my aviary on campus for the past several years--and now they're looking for homes! I have color-bred yellow, white dominant, white recessive, and red-factor lipochromes, as well as a few green Spanish Timbrados. Almost all birds are sexed and 1-3 years old.

Because I'm not looking for profit--only good homes--the prices are highly negotiable depending on quantity. I would part with them for free if I hadn't been maintaining the colony out of my own pocket (vs. research money) for quite some time now... that's the problem with working from research grant to grant, there are gaps in between!

Let me know if you're interested. I can ship USPS but in person exchange is highly preferred for the sake of the birds.

Thank you,
Rebecca

P.S. More info on me and my research:
http://rebeccabethkoch.wixsite.com/homepage

[GouldianGuy]

Amazing stuff! I am looking forward to reading your papers!

[lovezebs]

Anhinga

Interesting reading on your website (love the Corgies, by the way).

If I were closer, I would def be interested in a few of your birds (they are beautiful). Regretably, I am way too far, but still wanted to wish you good luck with your work.

[Anhinga]

Thank you both so much!

[jonvill]

Thank you for sharing your research.
I enjoyed reading your paper "Effects of Diet on Plumage Coloration and Carotenoid Deposition in Red and Yellow Domestic Canaries".
Your discovery of "parallel conversion pathways" explains why so many red factor canaries have that yellow-orange coloration.

[Anhinga]

Jonvill, great to hear that you enjoyed it! I haven't yet written up the coolest (I think) canary research I've been working on, but those smaller studies have been fun.

It's a bit technical, but you might also be interested in one of the recent studies by my advisor and collaborators: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/ful ... 16)30401-8
Basically, they found that TWO genes (not just one) determine whether a red factor canary will be truly red or not. Awesome stuff! I don't know that level of genetics...

[jonvill]

Hi Anhinga,
Your link did not work.

[Anhinga]

Maybe the best solution is to go to my advisor's website at http://www.thehilllab.com. If you scroll down, he'll provide the PDF to the article as well as a bunch of links to press about it

Sorry for the copy-paste error!!

[jonvill]

Thanks Rebecca!
I'm currently reading G. Hill's book "Red bird in a bag"

[jonvill]

Rebecca, do you have photos of the three test groups of red canaries you used in your study "Effects of Diet on Plumage Coloration and Carotenoid Deposition in Red and Yellow Domestic Canaries"?
I believe one group was fed Lutein & zeaxanthin, while the second group was fed B-carotene and the third group was fed B-crytoxanthin.
Thanks
John

[Anhinga]

I actually didn't get photos of those birds, unfortunately! i wish I had.

[lovezebs]

Anhinga

Just a quick question (while we have you with us )

Is it true, that feeding Canthaxanathin to your birds over a long period of time, causes liver damage? ( and/or other health issues? )

My old Italian breeder passed this information on to me, and he had been raising Canaries from the time he was a boy, as had his father before him.

So long story short, I have stayed away from it, and all Canary colour foods.

Instead, I've used natural foods, like carrots, dark greens, pomegranate, beets, beet greens, sweet red peppers, berries, mandarine oranges, and red grapes.

I get lovely orange colouring, but never a true red.

Thanks.

[Anhinga]

Good question!! I'll have to look into it. I don't think we've ever done long-term supplementation experiments in the lab, but there is surely data out there at least from the aquaculture industry.

I know that high levels of dietary canthaxanthin is absolutely NOT natural for the birds, which isn't to say that it's harmful, but just that it's certainly not something their bodies are adapted for. I've heard of crystals of excess canthaxanthin forming in the eye, but not sure yet about liver damage. Since the supplementation is only really once a year--during molt--it probably would have limited consequences. I know carotenoids can turn from antioxidant to pro-oxidant under certain conditions... maybe that's part of it? I'll see if I can find anything!

[lovezebs]

Anhinga

Thank you, I' def appreciate knowing