A canary in a cage cannot choose what's growing nearby, so the whole of its diet comes down to what's tipped into the seed dish — which is the case for putting some thought into what a "mixed seed" actually contains rather than treating it as one thing.

This blend contains canary seed, black rapeseed, linseed, niger seed, hempseed and yellow cereal biscuit. Johnston & Jeff's own reasoning for the mix is that black rapeseed and hempseed contribute omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids for cardiovascular health and growth, linseed contributes vitamin E, and niger seed contributes amino acids and calcium. It's sold in a 1KG bag.

• 1KG bag
• Canary seed, black rapeseed, linseed, niger seed, hempseed, yellow cereal biscuit
• Black rapeseed and hempseed for omega 3 and 6
• Linseed included for vitamin E
• Niger seed included for amino acids and calcium

What's not on the label. There's no protein, fat or fibre percentage given for this mix, and no feeding rate — a seed dish is normally topped up and left rather than measured, but if you want a precise breakdown this pack doesn't carry one.

Who it's for: canary owners who want a varied seed mix built around named ingredients rather than an unlabelled "seed mix" with no explanation of what's in it or why.