As the collection of finches grows......

[cindy]

I started of with a small collection of finches and now as I add more so has the housing expanded. Below is a Wall O'Birds set on shelving. This was done out of two 5 shelf tiers I bought at Target for $38.99 each. I lined each shelf with clear plastic to help keep the mess down. I found stacking like this is easier to clean and care for. It is a little overwhelming to see when you walk in the room but, hey it is a good conversation piece!

I actually now have (10) 30x 18 x 18 cages one is a Bachelor pad for Chipper and Lance who are waiting for lady friends. I also have a larger flight for my shaftails (female is sitting on eggs) and of course little Louey, the lovebird's cage.

Ok...I know ~ I need an aviary!

[aero]

Great collection cindy. Even I started with a couple and am eager to have so much more, just can't afford now. Your birds are lucky. I'm sure you are busy keeping them. Enjoy birding.

[lovemyfinch]

It looks beautiful Cindy, a very lovely set-up.

[L in Ontario]

Yes, very nice set up indeed!

[CandoAviary]

Very attractive set up. I bet the birds love it too.

[cindy]

What was I thinking down sizing from a 4 bedroom split plan house to a 3 bedroom but we have a pool deck that is completely screened in. Who would have guessed I would love finching this much!

I am reluctant to build an aviary on the porch but did tell hubby that one that is portable and can be brought in during cold or bad weather would be nice.

I just saw a coyote that was hit off the main road behind us, thank goodness we have a tall cement wall around us but the development is open on the main road coming in. It is gated but a coyote can slip through. We never used to see them here and construction has halted plus there are lots of preserves all around us. Just add it to the list of stuff I don't want to see ~ snakes, rats, mice.....

I do need a step stool to care for the birds up top since it is about 80 inches from top to the floor. It also doesn't help that I am under 5' 1"!!!!!!!

[CandoAviary]

I've got the same problem in the height department. I joke that when it's time to feed and water the birds I call it excercise on the stairmaster. I did get smart and bought more than 1 stepstool/ladder. Now I don't have to carry it from room to room.

[MLaRue]

Cindy,

I love your cage decorations! So much so that I went to my Pier One to look for those gorgeous looking Philodendron leaves! They had a vase full of them and I bought every one of them! Now I just have to decorate! You see this plant everywhere in Florida but not in Georgia if at all. They only had one stem of the Apple Blossom flower...

Thank you for the ideas! BTW - do all the cages have a pair in them?

[cindy]

Misty,

Don't you love Pier 1? Wal-Mart had something very much like the apple blossoms for $1.99 a stem. They also have a bunch of fern leaves for $3.00. I did the zebra cage in it.

What I do with the flowers from Pier 1 (sometimes they smell like the store) I take a little bleach and fill a basin with it and hot water. Soak and move the silks around a little to wash any dust off. Dump the water and fill the basin back up with fresh water and soak them for a few minutes, then I rinse and dry them in a dish rack until dry. The color is pretty colorfast and I never had silks bleach out and loose their color. Some of the scents in the store are strong and I don't put the leaves and flowers in until I wash them.

If you set them on a towel out in the sun any bleach residue breaks down also.

Below are the red flowers from Wal-Mart. (I wash those to)

[cindy]

Misty,

Each cage has just one pair of finches in it. The Gold Breast cage has 2 females and a male in it.

And then there is the cage for Lance and Chipper, the bachelor pad!

[dfcauley]

Cindy!! Looks wonderful!!!!

[cindy]

Thanks Donna,

My husband hasn't seen it yet, he is returning from a business trip today. It's the Great Wall O'Birds.

I love changing things around when he isn't home!

[SuzE]

Cindy,
I love the way your cages look How do you clean the bottoms? Can you just lift the plastic out? That would be so much nicer for me...I found another good place for silk flowers is JoAnn fabric. Something is always on sale!

[cindy]

SuzE,

Thank you. Each cage has a tray that pulls out and I use newspaper with a thin layer of aspen chips to catch the seeds and keep them from bouncing onto the floor. My little cavalier, Zoe likes to eat seeds so I try to keep the floor clean.

Once a week I clean the grates and perches in a mild solution of vinegar and water and change everyones trays. The plastic sits onto of the shelf and the cage is on top of that. I can wipe that down.

To make it easier to attach flowers use small zip ties (they even come in colors) threaded around the flower through the bars, and fasten the ends pulling tight outside of the cage, trim off the excess end of the zip tie as close as possible.

[mickp]

very nice
that screened in pool deck sounds like it would make a great set up similar to Donna's though