A WILLOW TREE

• can grow massively over a short period of time.  

• Most birds love these leaves. 

• They will also strip and chew the fine stems/branches that you put in with them. 

  • Willow contains “Salicylic acid” which is the main ingredient in Aspirin — so it has medicinal properties. 

  • If you have room in your garden, you can strike a Willow cutting very easily, by breaking a piece off the desired tree (approx 1” diameter is ideal) then plant the cut end 3 — 4” into the soil. 

  • It should strike and start to grow by spring but beware, they do grow alarmingly quickly.
    

EUCALYPTUS LEAVES

• Parrot-like birds, inc. Budgies and other small parakeets, also love 
  Eucalyptus leaves. 

• Galahs use them in the wild to line their Nests. 

• The leaves contain a natural insecticidal deterrent. 

• Mice and Mites don't seem to like their odour!
   

BREEDING SEASON

• Don’t forget as the BREEDING SEASON approaches, you should be upping your birds’ protein levels. 

  • (Egg Food i.e. EMP (or similar) Eggfood, slightly dampened or make your own:- 

    • digestive or rich tea biscuits crushed with a rolling pin and mixed with a finely mashed hard boiled egg . 

  • ( You can add a powdered vit/mineral supplement). 

  • Feed 2—3 times per week until breeding imminent, then you can feed every day.  
    

• **You can also add Egg food to the Frozen Sweetcorn. 
  

  • Cook the Sweet corn first by pouring boiling water over, to it's own level,

  • then put in microwave for 2 -3 mins.  

  • Drain off all water then add some DRY egg food + any supplements. 

  • (Birds don’t like sloppy food).  

  • Make sure you remove any left over soft-food and clean feed dish b4 replacing with new food
    (esp. in warm weather). 
    

• Some birds relish mealworms or finely minced/grated cooked chicken added to the Egg food.  
   

• Click ► How to Make a Mealworm "Farm" and Breed your own Mealworms so you can Feed this Highly Nutritious "Live Food" to your own Birds + Wild Birds during the Winter Months.
  

• **Aldi sells packs of cooked, frozen strips of chicken breast @ £1:99 (Can be cooked in with the sweetcorn).
   

• *Calcium is also essential at this time (cuttlefish bone, grit & /or Calcium supplement added to the water or the soft food) Good Feeding at the appropriate time helps maximize your Breeding potential. GOOD LUCK!!  
   

• *See Note on Calcium overdosing in Budgies below:

• *See Peter McGoughs Feeding Regime for Waxbills for more in-depth info. on optimising your Feeding for Breeding.
  

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SEXING YOUR BIRD - The Non-Scientific Way 
 - You can either use Grandad’s “Pin and String” method

• —i.e. Attach a pin or similar onto a thin piece of string, hold the end lightly
  between Finger & thumb.

• Hold the bird gently, upside down in your hand and suspend the pin above the vent area.

• If the pin swings from side to side it’s meant to be a Cockbird 

• if it goes round in a circle, it’s a Hen!
   

• Or you can use the Scientific-proven method of  “Sex-linked Genetics” 
  - See article by Alan Pennington
   

• or you can send a feather or blood sample off to be DNA'd

• or you can have your bird Surgically sexed by an Avian Vet

  • (not done as often since the advent of blood/feather sexing)

WINTER WEATHER

• Make sure all Aviary Birds have plenty of Shelter (perspex/wood) to get under and behind, during these unforgiving winter winds/sleety showers & Frosty nights.

• Birds can cope with cold, dry, quiet weather but can't cope with draughts. 

• However, they do need plenty of fresh air and some chance of exposure to rain (if they wish).

• Most Birds love light non-drenching rain showers.

• This helps keep their plumage healthy.

• Watch out for any Fluffed up Bird—bring into the warmth. 

  • (See Hosp Cage above)  
     

• If you keep smaller birds i.e. Budgies / Canaries / Parakeets / Finches and you spot one fluffed up and don’t have a Hospital Cage. As you know, the first thing a poorly bird needs is Warmth and the sooner the better!  You can use a Gardeners’ “Seed Propagator.” You can get a smaller 12 watt one or a bigger 22 watt version for a fraction of the cost of a Hospital Cage.  Line them with Newspaper or Magazines, (minus the Staples from the middle), then you can just roll the top sheet of paper up each day to keep the base clean or, as in the photo you can use Easibed. Then jam a piece of wooden Dowel diagonally, so the bird can “perch” just up off the floor. They have sliding Ventilation holes in the top of the Perspex Lids. You can buy them from B & Q or Focus etc.                          

• The Picture above shows a Budgie in a 22w Seed Propagator - a thin layer of "Easibed" to absorb droppings - not so deep that the heat  ▲
  can't get thru the base.  A length of rounded doweling with flat base to perch up off the floor. Vents in the top to allow stale air to escape.

Did you know that a Weasel can fit thru a man's - wedding band  

• and therefore could easily get in thru. 1" x 1"  (poss. even 3/4" x 3/4") Aviary Mesh and make a real mess of your bird stock.  

• Telling the difference between a Stoat (Mustela erminea) and a Weasel (Mustela nivalis)
  is very difficult at a glance.

  • Both have a very similar diet and enjoy similar habitats and range around Britain,

  • yet they tend to stay out of each others way if possible.

  • Male and Female stoats and weasels are referred to as a dog and a bitch respectively.

  • The young are called kittens or kits.
     

Here are a few facts about each:

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POISONOUS PLANTS, FOODS & Household items

• XMAS Poinsettia

• WINTER CHERRY - with it’s orange-red berries - this can be deadly if eaten by parrot-like birds. 

• CHOCOLATE

• AVOCADOS (the type we know is deadly to most birds) 

• MUSHROOM 

• RHUBARB

• AEROSOLS - any and all (a birds' lungs are not the same as ours and can't tolerate any type of aerosol being sprayed anywhere near them!

• PLUG-IN Room fragrances - once again lethal to birds as are  >>>>>>

• VAPONA Fly repellants (the ones you hang with the yellow insides)

• Cigarette SMOKE

• ALCHOHOL or CAFFEINE 

• ANY BULBOUS PLANT - Hyachinths and Daffodils

• Fumes off TEFLON (non-stick coated) Cookware can KILL your bird in a very short time
  after exposure! 
   

  • Once the pans are heated they give off LETHAL FUMES which can permeate the house
    - so keep the Kitchen Door SHUT if you are using Non-stick pans, esp. Frying Pans.  
    

• NEVER have your Bird in or near the Kitchen, esp.  when you are cooking.  

OTHER POISONS

• include ammonia, bleach, many glues, nail polish remover, oven cleaner, paint,
  perfumed candles, and heavy metals 
   

  • (e.g. lead and zinc that may even come from a "cheap cage"). 

Non-Stick Coating

• While technically not a poison, non-stick coatings (like Teflon, Stainmaster, and Scotchguarding) demand special mention because so many household products contain this fatal product. 

• Any coating that contains PTFE is a poison, to birds AND humans. 

• Many companies are now claim that their non-stick surfaces are "animal safe" or even "bird safe". 

• If they contain even trace amounts of PTFE this is NOT TRUE. 
   

• When over-heated, non-stick coating on cookware emits fumes that are very toxic to inhale 

  • - and the temperatures recorded that have killed birds keep getting lower and lower!
     

• It used to be that people thought only in excess of 500deg F could kill a bird.

• But sadly, this is not true. 
   

• Birds are particularly susceptible to the toxicity in this poison

  • - it affects them within hours. 
    

• Teflon is found on non-stick cookware, in waffle irons, bread machines, on irons, ironing board covers, curling irons, space heaters, blow dryers,  George Foreman Grills, many brands of microwave popcorn bags, and other appliances.

  • also fabrics that are "Scotchguarded" or have "Stainmaster"
    

•  By the way, this stuff is not good for humans, either. 

  • It is a known human carcinogen, so why cook in it?

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NEST BOXES (bits & pieces of info. you may find useful)

• Birds like their Nest boxes to be as high as poss. 

• So, if you are putting a few Nest boxes up in the same Aviary for birds that will breed en-colony 

  • (ie. Budgies, Rosa Bourkes, Cockatiels, Barabands etc.)
     

• Most breeds of bird do like a gap between the roof of the Aviary/Shed and the top of the Nest box so that
  the Cockbird can sit on top of the Nest box while the Hen incubates and keep "guard".
   

• Make sure the Nest box is NOT sited facing the sunny (south side) of the Aviary where the sun can shine
  in to the Pop hole during the summer months.

  • It can end up like a Greenhouse

  • Birds like to be warm but in the shade.

  • make sure all the N. Boxes and their pop-holes are all the same height,

  • and very similar or same design and size.

  • Otherwise you will get the hen birds fighting over the higher ones,

  • which can sometimes end up in injuries and worst case scenarios - fatalities.
     

• The perch on the outside of the hole should just be long/big enough to allow room for one bird only. 

• The cock bird can then can sit outside the hole to protect and feed the hen and prevent
  other birds trying to claim the Nest box and/or it's contents.
   

• The next thing to take into consideration is the interior size and depth. 

  • Birds like N. boxes that are deep, dark and not too spacious to give them a secure-feeling. 

  • Too big and the chicks/eggs could get scattered and end up cold and often Dead.

  • Try and keep the pop-holes as high up the Nestbox as possible.
     

• If you are making your own Nest boxes - think about where you want to put the Door.

  • If you are putting a few Nest boxes in an Aviary, it's much better to put ALL the Doors on the front
    of the Nest box with the Pop-hole and perch in the Door. (See picture above).

  • If you put the door on the side, they are not as easy to get into to inspect and you HAVE to
    leave quite a gap between the Nest boxes to allow for opening.

  • Then you have to try and get a look into the Nestbox via a small gap.
     

• Also do not forget to provide something for the chicks and parents to climb up the inside of the nest box on,
  esp. if it's a deep Nest box.

  • I use a small square of Aviary mesh stapled to the inside of the door leading up to the Pop Hole

    • Make sure you cut off all sharp edges before you fix into place

  • Or you can also use a few little staples hammered 1/2 way in to just give a foot hold

  • Or you could put the perch thru to the inside, by 1/2" then add another small piece of wood below it

  • This is all just to give the chicks something to grip onto when trying to get up to the Pop hole when they are ready to fledge.

  • You can sometimes use the round piece of wood you have cut out when u made the Pop hole.

  • It also helps the parents get in and out.
     

• An easy way of hanging Nest boxes is to get 2 mirror hanging hooks. ( they can also be called "J" Hooks)

  • (reasonably priced in Wilkinsons) - fix them onto the back of the Nest box

  • and then they can just be hung on the Aviary mesh.

  • The nestboxes are then easy to remove for cleaning etc.,
     

• With the bigger birds  the interior space doesn't want to be so big in the Entrance-tunnel or the base,
  so that the cockbird can't easily get in while the hen's sitting. 

  • Esp. with those breeds of bird where the cockbird can damage the eggs.  
     

• The N. box base must either have a concave or something that the chicks can push against
  when moving about, while their legs are developing. 

  • If you don't have a layer of  bedding that the chicks can get a purchase on and push against or concave sides to the base, then you could get "Splayed legs", which can be a big problem.

  • (Lack of calcium, while the hen is feeding the chicks, can also predispose to this condition).

  • The worst thing you can have is nest box with  a slippery, flat bottom and no bedding.
    
     

• Before you put any "Bedding" in the bottom, either spray or sprinkle some anti-mite preparation into the crevices to help to keep the N. Box mite-free throughout the breeding season. 

• Eucalyptus leaves crushed into the bedding can also help.
   

LOVEBIRDS

• prefer to have a little annex with a perch, built on to the side of their mates' Nest boxes, so they can keep guard under cover, in their own little "Sentry Box"! 

• **(A note on Lovebirds for those of you who may just be starting out with them and wondering
  if you can put them in a mixed Aviary

• - Yes, you can mix but not with birds smaller than them as they have been known to nip the legs
  clean off finches/canaries etc.)

 
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Click picture to enlarge www.easibed.net

"Easibed" is an ideal medium to put in the base of your nest boxes.  It's a clean, non-dusty, bedding.  It comes baled & is made from small chips of wood.  It's ideal for young chicks, as they shouldn't be able to swallow it, as they sometimes can  with shavings or sawdust.   Also, eggs & chicks don't seem to get moved about or buried.

A small mirror with a swivel head on telescopic, extendable handle (or a Dentist's mirror - I found mine on the local market) is a very useful tool for inspecting deep Nest boxes with minimum disturbance to the occupants. For a clearer view if N. Box is deep, shine a small torch onto the mirror.

☼ A Good idea to protect a WOODEN FRAMED AVIARY from CHEWING DAMAGE from your Parrots & Parrot-like Birds
As you know most Parrot-like and all Parrots/Cockatoos live to chew wood and the fact you have just spent a fortune in money, time and energy building them a palatial Aviary means not a jot to them and they can wreck the wooden frame of their Aviary in no time at all.The obvious answer is to erect a metal-framed Aviary (if you can afford it) or if you have already built your Aviary and want to protect if from damage (or further damage) from your Birds - you can cover the wooden uprights and cross-members with metal conduit cover (the stuff that Electricians use to protect external wiring from damage)(see pictures).
This stuff comes in 10ft lengths and is thin enough to screw thru easily but totally Parrot/chew-proof.  You can get it from SENATE or any other Electrical Wholesalers and the best bit is - it's not expensive.  It is a lot cheaper than a metal Aviary and looks good too!

AVIARY SHELTERS
If you don't have room for a Shed attached to your Aviary or inside shelter/shed then providing your birds with a wooden shelter as in picture will give them somewhere to roost at night or sit and rest during the day or during inclement weather.
It will also help block the chilling effects of frost as wood is a good insulator.  I put a layer of Wood chip ("Easibed") on the bottom to absorb droppings then give the birds a natural branch to perch on - the birds do seem to like using it. 
It has a sloping roof with a slight overhang and a lip on the bottom to hold in the substrate.  When designing, allow room for the bird you are making it for to sit erect and also allow for the length of the tail when it's sitting on the perch.  Leave a small gap between the Aviary roof and the lid of the shelter, as most birds enjoy exploring in that gap.

◄ Click on the pictures to enlarge

 

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