When do I start covering my aviaries?

[MariusStegmann]

This is more a question to Southern Hemisphere members that keeps gouldians outdoors. I never had Gouldians and never did anything special for my birds during winters. My aviaries have a partial roof and partial covering on the weather side. It does not really get colder than 8 Celsius where I live, but I know that it is not the cold that kills gouldians, but drafts. I think that I must cover the some of the sides of my one aviary with thick clear plastic sheets and move all my birds into that aviary for the winter. But the question is when do I start covering up? Yesterday it was 30 Celsius and today 26 with a minimum of 13 Celsius. The average winter temp between June, July and August is 17 Celsius with an minimum of 8 Celsius.

[lovezebs]

MariusStegmann

Hi Marius.
I would pm Roxanne, she has Gouldians, and she's in your end of the world. I think she's had them for quite a while, so would probably know how hardy they are for your winters.

Just a thought.

Can't remember if Chris or Monotwine, have Gouldis, but it wouldn't hurt to ask them as well.

~Elana~

[MariusStegmann]

Thx, Rox would be the best because Christo lives in a different climate and Monotwine has a gardenshed attached to her aviary, where the birds sleep.

[Smurf]

Your average winter temperatures are more like our average summer temps, as you said i don't think cold will be a problem and it will be more an issue of drafts

[MariusStegmann]

Smurf Haha, not quite Padraic. Come on, you do have the odd day in summer where you do get into the high thirties. In winter we get a lot of rain and the damp combined with drafts causes the problems. In the Western Cape, where I stay, we get our rain during the winter. In the rest of South Africa, it is a summer rainfall area. There you get low night temperatures (sub zero), but it is a dry cold. The birds seem to handle that better than the wet cold.

[cjkrit]

Marius,
I think the best time would be as soon as the first cold fronts with associated rain start coming through.
Should begin to happen very soon now I think.

The Gouldians can handle it.

Good luck.

[Rox]

Hi Marius,

I start closing up the aviary's any time from middle April onwards, depending on what the weather is up to. I usually just start by putting the clear side panels back on (to block wind) and then by end May, the aviary's are covered on all sides, with clear plastic in front. We get much more wind than you do, so I'm not sure if you need to bother covering the entire front of your aviary.

Ps. I haven't started covering my aviary's yet. The weather still looks ok for the next week or two, we just need to watch out for the first cold front with rain.