Beaphar Intensief Red

A bird's moult is when its next set of feathers is laid down, which is also the only window in which colour feeding can actually change how those feathers turn out - miss the timing and there's nothing left to influence.

Intensief Red is a complementary feed containing Carophyll red plus vitamins B and C, mixed at 10g per 1kg of rearing food, or dissolved in 1 litre of drinking water, prepared fresh daily. Beaphar recommend starting at least a week before the moulting season and continuing through it, with feeding also possible during breeding, up to four times daily maximum. It carries crude protein at 6.1% and crude ash at 0.0038%.

• 10G pack
• Contains Carophyll red plus vitamins B and C
• Mix 10g with 1kg of rearing food, or dissolve in 1 litre of drinking water
• Start at least a week before moulting and feed through it
• Crude protein 6.1%, crude ash 0.0038%
• For canaries, linnets, goldfinches, cardinals, flamingos and other coloured birds

On overdoing it. Beaphar warn against exceeding the recommended amount - excess is stored in the liver and can strain vitamin storage and detoxification, and if a bird develops purple skin colouring, the advice is to stop immediately and only resume at a lower dose after seven days.

Who it's for: keepers of coloured birds - canaries and similar species - who colour-feed through the moult and know their timing, rather than someone starting cold partway through.