Lixit glass water bottle

[Nicole R.]

Hello all,

Has anyone successfully introduced a bird water bottle to finches? I know they can be used for bigger birds, but wondered if anyone had first hand experience with finches. Of course I will provide an alternate water source until (if) my birds can figure it out. I will try to attach photos.

Nicole

[Nicole R.]

[Sojourner]

I've used them for birds before - like any other new feeder or water source, it takes them some time to find it.

But I've discovered that all it takes is one cheeky blighter to play with the things and empty them in nothing flat.

So I stick with water silos. My birds will STILL splash all the water out of one of those if I don't give them a bath at least every 2 or 3 days but I usually at least notice that. It takes a lot longer to empty a silo by splashing than it does to play with the ball on one of those LIxit type water bottles.

[Nicole R.]

Wow! I had no idea finches could be so michevious, or focused, with a bottle tube waterer. Now I'm going to definitely try it for the fun of seeing them (hopefully) tinker around.

Nicole

[Dave]

Like Sojourner said. Also, if the ball sticks the bird has no water. And sooner or later the ball will stick--they're hard to keep clean.

[Nicole R.]

Dave, thank you for the input. I will add some silos before the birds get here. I've been putting it off since I already bought silos with troughs that don't fit my 3/8" bar spacing. Didn't want to buy any more stuff. . . but I will.

Nicole

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Hi Nicole,

During the breeding season, I use some antique milk bottles I acquired a few years ago.

They work fine for both finches and canaries and make servicing 14 breeding cages a lot easier and faster. The water stays cleaner and doesn't need to be changed so often.

My bottles are over 75 years old and because each bottle is held at an angle, they don't need a ball valve. A small amount of water is released when they break the droplet at the end of the tapered tube.

My only advice is that if this will be their only water source besides bath water, you should offer plenty of other water sources while you're "bottle training" your birds.

When you see them drinking from the bottle you can remove the other sources.
Paul

[Nicole R.]

Hi Paul,

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm delighted to hear your breeding pairs use bottles. Sanitation is the driving concern for me. I will of course have other sources available until I can see they are all drinking regularly from the bottle. I've admired your breeding setup on other threads. Thanks again - Nicole

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Thanks, Nicole
Getting ready for the breeding season this month. The whole interior space gets a pressure wash from ceiling to floor. Then each breeding cage is pressure washed individually before spraying everything with a low dose of HEXOL. All the perches, nest boxes, feeders and water devices were cleaned and sterilized last summer before storage.
The prep work and selection process makes this the busiest time of year for me but it all becomes pretty routine once they're all settled in. Nest material and new silver bands came last week.

P

[Nicole R.]

Paul,

Out of curiosity, what kind of sanitizing solution do you soak your bottles in for your day-to-day maintenance? Those milk bottles and holders are neat. Did you buy them from another breeder, or get the bottles separately and fashion the stopper/tube yourself?

Also, I'd love to see a list of each of the finch species you keep. 19! What are some of your favorites?

Nicole

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Nicole,

I just use fresh water and a bottle brush for the routine maint. There's a stainless sink at one end of the walk-in that drains to the garden.

Workbenches are hinged to the wall and fold away to keep clean and out of site.

At the end of the breeding season, all removable small equip is hand scrubbed at another outdoor workbench and sink and then run through the dishwasher.
Bottles were purchased in 1930 by another breeder. Stoppers and tubes can be easily fabricated.

Since I still work the place was designed to maximize maintenance efficiency. Italian breeder cages use continuous paper rolls to catch everything.

Feeding and maintenance happens every other day and takes me about a half hour during the off-breeding season...a full hour every day during the breeding season. Paper is changed and the floors get a major wash down every 2 weeks which takes about 3 hours to refresh everything.

Nestling food and veggie prep is done on the workbench in the garage where I have an egg cooker, food processor and fridge dedicated for the birds.

Here's the list from my spreadsheet:
Aviary inventory 10/17/16

Bird Species

Green Singer
Spice
Red Face Parrot
Orange Face Parrot
Star
Shaft Tail
Whyda
Cut Throat
Florida Fancy
Society
Lady Gouldian
Lavender
Orange Cheek
Owl
Cordon Bleu
Gold Breast
Manikan (Magpie)
Black Bellied Fire Finch
Red Ear

Bleeding Heart Doves
Button Quail
Diamond Doves

Canaries 51
Total Dove and Quail 42
Total Finch 106

Total Aviary Population 199
Total Bird Species 23

Probably TMI but this is how my hobby developed.
P

[Nicole R.]

Paul - I LOVE it! Not TMI - it's a dream for a newbie like me just starting out. Thank you so much for sharing. What an amazing setup.

My husband surprised me with finches for Christmas. (He said, "I really wanted to surprise you, so please try to act like this never happened. Help me find a good finch cage.") Once we had the cage ordered, we started our species selection research project - it was so much fun going back and forth on what types of birds we both wanted.

His latest: when I sent him a listing for a house for sale, he responded, "That sun room would make a great aviary." We don't even have a single bird in the house yet! : )

Nicole

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

I started out with a single male crested canary I called Mozart.
I'll never forget him...

P