New Aviary :)

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Rox
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New Aviary :)

Post by Rox » Mon Dec 30, 2013 7:01 am

I hope everyone has been having a awesome festive season! It's blazing hot my side of the world, with our breeding season kicking into full swing. I've been working on the new aviary for the last 2 months and I moved the birds in 15 December. So far everyone is doing well :)

I was inspired by Monotwine's aviary to convert our wendy house into an aviary. After having heart failure from a couple of 'professional' quotes to attach a flight (all in steel), I decided good old fashioned wood would have to do, along with some amateur cage builders, lol. I know the wood and mesh will have to be replaced a lot sooner than metal would but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day :wink:

The earth was completely dug up and a mix of potting soil and compost was added to make a bed. I've planted all safe plants and seeding grasses. I will have to wait and see how large everything gets and do some rearranging as need be. The grasses also die down over winter. The marigold's were planted as food :) All food dishes have been kept outside, besides the bowl in the doorway of the wendy house. The plan is to go into the breeding section as little as possible. It is very sheltered in there and even in the heaviest wind, with the door open, the straw barely moves. Outside is another story, hence the clear plastic drops (we often get gale force winds). I was planning on closing the door during winter but I may end up just putting plastic drops all around the flight instead.

There are 3 gouldian pairs, mostly from Monotwine and a friend, all outside bred. There is also a pair of OC waxbills, soon to be 3 pairs (2 pairs in quarantine), as well as a pair of diamond doves (Joy, the hen that flew into my garden in April and a new mate for her) and the red headed finches who are being allowed in there as long as they play nice. So far, so good :D

I eventually decided no canaries in here. I want the plants to live and grow...

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All getting on well so far
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The gorgeous "Old Man"
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Two hens
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Joy. Her and her new mate have already built a nest inside :shock: All the birds love eating the seed which is sprouting, super cute to watch them pull it out.
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Roxanne

Gouldian's, Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu's, Orange-cheeks, Violet-eared, Black-cheeked waxbill's and Peter's Twinspots

debbie276
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by debbie276 » Mon Dec 30, 2013 7:28 am

Oh my!!!!! That is wonderful =D>
The only thing I would warn about is the food dishes hanging on the wire. Not sure what type of wild critters you have there but be careful your not enticing curious critters with a food source.

It looks absolutely wonderful and I'm sure the birds just love it, best of luck :)
Debbie
long time breeder of lady gouldians:
Green
SF Pastel (SF Yellow)
Pastel (Yellow)
Blue
SF Pastel Blue (SF Yellow Blue)
Pastel Blue (Yellow Blue)

GREAT articles on avian lighting:
https://mickaboo.org/confluence/downloa ... ummary.pdf
http://www.naturallighting.com/cart/sto ... sc_page=56

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Sally
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Sally » Mon Dec 30, 2013 11:42 am

Beautiful! Lucky birds to have such a nice home.
3 Purple Grenadiers, 1 Goldbreast + 1 cat.

National Finch & Softbill Society - http://www.nfss.org

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monotwine
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by monotwine » Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:42 am

Looks fantastic Rox! Birds look super happy too.

Thanks so much for giving my "ol man" a home. He was so terribly bored and got no reaction from non-Gouldian hens. I'm sure he will give those young ones a run for their money though. The girls always fancied him most.

Glad I could offer some inspiration. The aviary looks great and all your modifications should equal plenty babies in the upcoming season.

Best wishes.

frenchstyle712
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by frenchstyle712 » Tue Dec 31, 2013 12:40 pm

So lovely!
I am a newbie to finch love. I see a picture of a cutthroat in with the "peaceful birds." Is he disruptive to them? I have two separate flight cages right now because the cutthroat was picking on my adopted spice finch, but I would like to reintroduce everyone to one home. Any suggestions? Is it the size of your aviary that makes it work? The number of birds?
Thanks,
A

home to one adopted spice finch….which led me to get a european society, cutthroat (because I couldn't resist his curiosity) and then a grey singer (for song and to give the disruptive cutthroat a friend)

cjkrit
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by cjkrit » Wed Jan 01, 2014 4:50 am

The Cutthroats are classified as aggressive - keep a close watch.
Not very compatable with other finches.
Christo Kritzinger
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Rox
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Rox » Wed Jan 01, 2014 6:10 am

Thanks so much everyone and Happy New Year!

@debbie276
Noted re the food bowls on the mesh, I will definitely keep an eye on them, thanks :)

@monotwine
The 'Ol Man' is just fantastic! He is showing all the youngsters what to do, going and trimming the grass for nesting as well. It's super cute watching him and the others all following him :D

@cjkrit frenchstyle712
These are Red-Headed finches and not Cut-Throats. They are a cousin to the cut-throat but much less aggressive. I owned cut-throats for less than a month before returning them - nasty birds. Red-headed finches can be kept with passive birds, as long as it is one pair per aviary. I researched them a lot and spoke to the breeders I know, including a local trader, before putting them in the aviary and everyone said they should be fine unless they prove otherwise. Their old cage is ready and waiting for them but so far, they have been fine. They definitely won't cuddle with another bird on the perch but happily share at the food and water. I'm keeping a beady-eye on them just in case, especially if they go to nest. They were extremely flighty and nervous in a flight cage (had them since September) and are much calmer now, so hopefully that alone is a good sign.

Also known as the Aberdeen finch in Asustralia
http://birdcare.com.au/aberdeen_finch.htm
http://www.avianweb.com/redheadedfinches.html
Roxanne

Gouldian's, Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu's, Orange-cheeks, Violet-eared, Black-cheeked waxbill's and Peter's Twinspots

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MariusStegmann
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by MariusStegmann » Wed Jan 01, 2014 7:21 am

Very nice Rox. I believe in the bigger your aviary, the better and if your birds gets lots of natural sunlight as well, the birds are very happy. Happy = healthy = breeding. Did you use mesh under the ground as well? I hope that you do better than I did years ago when I used wooden frames. The wood warped a bit after the first winter. I also used round mesh and put a lot of tension on the mesh when I put on the frames to make a better display.
Marius
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danaday
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by danaday » Thu Jan 02, 2014 6:09 pm

Your aviary is just beautiful. I wished I had the space and etc to have an aviary as lovely as yours. Someday, I hope! :)
Danaday

GOULDIANS
2 BH PB BB females
1 BH/GYH PB GB male
1 RH WB GB male

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Sam007
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Sam007 » Thu Jan 02, 2014 6:43 pm

Very nice aviary. =D>
I love Gouldian Finches.

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Ginene
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Ginene » Thu Jan 02, 2014 7:24 pm

Gorgeous, Rox!!! :mrgreen:

Rox
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Rox » Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:24 am

Thanks so much everyone, I really do appreciate it :D

MariusStegmann

We sunk the corner posts in cement and then bolted on a wooden frame to pull the mesh tight. The frame was then effectively buried while doing the bed inside and pavers put up on the outside to bank the bed in, bottom of wooden frame and mesh included. I know it will eventually rot and rust but I hope it lasts at least a year or two while I save up for metal frames. There is a guy here in Strand who can attach galvanised steel mesh panels for me.

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Roxanne

Gouldian's, Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu's, Orange-cheeks, Violet-eared, Black-cheeked waxbill's and Peter's Twinspots

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MariusStegmann
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by MariusStegmann » Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:10 am

Very nice. Prepare yourself for more than a few grand. I was very lucky, my cousin gave his steel frame aviary to me. I could then replace my old wooden aviary. Basically it was 8 frames of 3 X 1.8 metre square galvanise steel with 2 frames of 1.8 X 1.8 at the ends. All covered with square wire mesh. Also about 20 Perspex sheats. The material for the aviary cost my cousin R10000 and that was 8 years ago!
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Rox
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Re: New Aviary :)

Post by Rox » Wed Jan 08, 2014 9:58 am

MariusStegmann

You were very lucky to get your aviary from your cousin!

The biggest problem with this aviary is the height, which is 2.1m. All the steel panels seem to come in a height of 1.8m. The extra welding is what was killing me on the quotes.

I shall report back after winter and let you know how straight the wooden frame is :wink:
Roxanne

Gouldian's, Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu's, Orange-cheeks, Violet-eared, Black-cheeked waxbill's and Peter's Twinspots

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