Outdoor temperature

[mohum]

Is it safe to leave my aviary birds out all winter? I intend to make some screens to keep out the worst of the winds and they have some shelter in the roof space but no separate enclosed hut of any kind. I am already worrying about tucking them up each night.

[lovezebs]

mohum

I honestly don't know what the Winters are like in Lancashire. A little background info in that department would be helpful.

What kind of temperatures do you get? What's the coldest that it can possibly get (I mean for me here in Canada, we have been known to get into the -30's Celsius, plus winds that can make it even colder). Are we talking rains, snow, blasting northerly winds? That all will have an effect on the answer to your question .

Elana

[MariusStegmann]

I have seen photos of snow-covered aviaries of Finch Forum UK members who keep their birds outside during the winters, but I think that the aviaries are totally enclosed and probably have heating inside. Gouldians would probably not make it without heating. Padraic would probably be able to help with advise. What kind of birds do you have?

[mohum]

Just zebras and canaries. The canaries are already fluffing up but I think they are going through a moult. Most winter nighttime temperatures are just above freezing with possibly about 14 days below. the worst case scenario would be -10. Would a lamp help?

[lovezebs]

mohum

If I were you, I would enclose a part of your outdoor space, and keep a couple of heating lamps in the enclosed area with perches near by. A small opening, will allow them a chance to come and go at will.

Just my opinion.

Plus, if your Canaries are moulting, they should probably have extra heat and comfort anyway. If they are fluffing, it ususally means they're cold.

Elana

[MariusStegmann]

I live in Cape Town, South Africa and I have enclosed most of my one aviary for the winter and put all of my birds into that aviary. The lowest winter temps that we get is about 6 Celsius. Basically I enclosed all of the weather side of the aviary and left a half a meter gap open on the one side. It didn't help to warm up the aviary, but kept the wind out. I bought a lot of thick clear plastic that I was going to cover the other aviary with, but never got to it. Maybe you should do that. You can roll up the sides when it is pleasant and cover the sides when it is cold.

[mohum]

Thanks for your comments. I intend to rig up some cover as I think the wind is probably worse for them than the cold. I am also looking at suitable heaters in case of extreme temperature drop. We have had relatively mild winters in uk recently so should be ok. As a last resort I will have to bring them indoors but other people nearby think they will be fine.

[Rox]

mohum wind or just a draft is the biggest problem for outside birds in winter. Combine that with damp and unfortunately you can get dead birds quite quickly. If you can block off all drafts, then your birds will definitely stand a better chance against the cold. That said, you have much harsher winters than we do in SA, so some heating or insulation would probably be a good idea.

Good luck!