New catching/feeding cage
Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 7:50 am
With well over a hundred birds in my aviary now,selecting and catching birds has become a major problem.
With many on eggs and feeding young the last thing I want to do is go in waving a net.I've always used a small catching cage but getting the right birds in there has always been a headache.
So....I made a big one.There are various feeding stations throughout the aviary ,but I figured with a large enough catching/feeding cage problems of bullying or hogging the feeders would be minimized.
Utilizing various bits and pieces from other flights and cages I made one five feet long,large enough to encourage even the most nervous birds to use it.
This view is from my side...two service doors to fill seed pots all around the inside of the cage. A central divider both to isolate the birds I wish to catch...and also to make it easier to reach them no matter where they are in the cage.
And this from the birds side...three sliding trap doors for easy access and way out.A fitted perch close to the doors.
The whole cage is monitored by a CCTV camera mounted on the wall.
The three sliding trap doors are connected to a single fishing line (which I've found slides easily without snagging) On tripping the line all three doors close simultaneously.This line crosses the few feet to my kitchen where I can observe the cage on a monitor and trip the line when I feel like it.
Over the next week or two I shall gradually remove the feed pots that are scattered throughout the aviary and flights as the birds start using the new cage.I shall leave water and grit containers throughout as usual.
With many on eggs and feeding young the last thing I want to do is go in waving a net.I've always used a small catching cage but getting the right birds in there has always been a headache.
So....I made a big one.There are various feeding stations throughout the aviary ,but I figured with a large enough catching/feeding cage problems of bullying or hogging the feeders would be minimized.
Utilizing various bits and pieces from other flights and cages I made one five feet long,large enough to encourage even the most nervous birds to use it.
This view is from my side...two service doors to fill seed pots all around the inside of the cage. A central divider both to isolate the birds I wish to catch...and also to make it easier to reach them no matter where they are in the cage.
And this from the birds side...three sliding trap doors for easy access and way out.A fitted perch close to the doors.
The whole cage is monitored by a CCTV camera mounted on the wall.
The three sliding trap doors are connected to a single fishing line (which I've found slides easily without snagging) On tripping the line all three doors close simultaneously.This line crosses the few feet to my kitchen where I can observe the cage on a monitor and trip the line when I feel like it.
Over the next week or two I shall gradually remove the feed pots that are scattered throughout the aviary and flights as the birds start using the new cage.I shall leave water and grit containers throughout as usual.
The perfect solution to how to catch birds in a large aviary!
I think we all do it. 
