Jan
Stainless Bird Toys @ Blu's Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
It is my pleasure to highlight Jan's wonderful aviary as this months Feathered Estate's Showcase. Thank Jan, you did an awesome job! 
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
As far as pets go, I have 5 pets. Kuka an almost 19 year old B&G Macaw, Chester a Hawk Headed Parrot that is along 12 years old, Gabby a 3 year old Coral Billed Pionus Parrot, Blu a Blue Headed Pionus Parrot and she is 3 year old and Cockatiel named Tiely Bob which he was acquired through a friend who found him and the owner never claimed him.
Originally, my design of the aviary was not intended for my pet birds. I had bred Pionus and Amazons for many years and once bred Cockatiels as well. But now with my last 2009 breeding year and having sold off most all my breeding birds, I have now turn part of my Pionus Aviary for my pet birds. Due to my severe asthma / COPD condition my doctor keeps telling me to get rid of the birds... uh, doc, I simply can not do that!! So my alturnative is to house them in the aviary so I can still enjoy them!
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
While my set up is not having to accomdate and handicapped birds at this time, I feel that I could easily convert an area for such a bird, that would not be a problem to do!
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Oh gosh, I always have felt that I budgeted when I built my aviary. I can honestly say that I wish I would not have been so cheap as to cut corners even though the majority of it is well built.
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
In this aviary, I have always screwed every thing together just for the pure fact of being able to change it and it has been a huge plus in doing it that way! If it was nailed in most places, it would have been much harder to change things. I have probably changed the inside of this area at least now for the fourth time!
5~ Where did you find your materials if you made it yourself or where did you purchase the setup and do you have favorite places to purchase safe toys and/or supplies that you find reliable?
Materials for building the aviary was just bought like at Home Depot. The toys that are now in there are ones that they had in the house and right now they have two of the Atoms... and we all know where Atoms come from! I've always been very alert about toy safety and like most all my breeders have toys on stainless steel skewers so no entanglement can occur. Any ropes or leather lacing I use I watch all the time and do not have long lengths, I keep things like that short and maintained.
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
Other than how I love the Atoms, I have also included a couple of my Jolly Balls in there as well. Blu has to have her Jolly Ball and she can now sleep in it all night long!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
My birds seem to love any toy I make them up... they are not picky.
8~ Did you incorporate into your setup any foraging toys and how did your bird(s) take to them and was age or inactivity a factor?
I have not incorporated much in the way of forging in there yet, I will be trying out a couple of things soon.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
So far no difficulties have occured and if there was to be any, it would probably be perhaps one of the birds bullying another bird by chasing and such, hopefully that does not happen. If it does, there might have to be some separation.
10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
Right now, I do not like the fact that the inside of the walls are not finished off, but next year come spring/summer I plan on working on that.
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
I like that it is more light coming in now since I cut open some window areas. Plus I hung up two lights. I like that it is large enough for them to be able to fly back and forth!
12~ Did your bird(s) take to the setup right away or did they approach it tentatively needing time to adjust and do you feel their age was a factor?
The 4 birds took to the set up just fine! They had once been in there but in the wire caging last year but then was in the house for last winter then moved back out into other wire caging for 2.5 months until now but they were not too timid about it, so I'd say that they are fine and happy with the set up!
13~ Any future renovations planned?
LOL! Anything is possible! I guess my next big renovation will to be to insulate and put up something to finish off the 3 walls and ceiling this soming summer of 2012. The one wall that faces the other part of the aviary will remain with wire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, this has been an on going project for sometime, As many of you know I use to breed Pionus but have sold most of my breeding stock. So in the one area I had torn out all the wire caging and have been fixing it up to keep them in it from here on in. As it is, I really needed to for my health which is my breathing difficulties is to clear pretty much all the birds out of the house. I am keeping Kuka my B&G in but she has been staying outside during the nice days and comes in late afternoon.
So for the time being, my 8 photos show how I have it - plus I show a video so it gives a little bit better prespective of how it is.
My videos I put on YouTube always turn out darker looking than they really are.
Their area is 36 feet long x 6 feet wide and 6 feet high. The other area on the other side is about as equally the same size where the breeder birds are at.
This is Blu at one of the feeding areas.
Blu again, this is in the center.
Chester and Gabby, two peas in a pod!
One of two of this type of feeding area.
Once of the Atoms and over view on the one side.
Standing at the south end looking towards the north end.
From the center looking south.
Standing at the north end looking towards the south end.
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?
As far as pets go, I have 5 pets. Kuka an almost 19 year old B&G Macaw, Chester a Hawk Headed Parrot that is along 12 years old, Gabby a 3 year old Coral Billed Pionus Parrot, Blu a Blue Headed Pionus Parrot and she is 3 year old and Cockatiel named Tiely Bob which he was acquired through a friend who found him and the owner never claimed him.
Originally, my design of the aviary was not intended for my pet birds. I had bred Pionus and Amazons for many years and once bred Cockatiels as well. But now with my last 2009 breeding year and having sold off most all my breeding birds, I have now turn part of my Pionus Aviary for my pet birds. Due to my severe asthma / COPD condition my doctor keeps telling me to get rid of the birds... uh, doc, I simply can not do that!! So my alturnative is to house them in the aviary so I can still enjoy them!
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
While my set up is not having to accomdate and handicapped birds at this time, I feel that I could easily convert an area for such a bird, that would not be a problem to do!
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
Oh gosh, I always have felt that I budgeted when I built my aviary. I can honestly say that I wish I would not have been so cheap as to cut corners even though the majority of it is well built.
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
In this aviary, I have always screwed every thing together just for the pure fact of being able to change it and it has been a huge plus in doing it that way! If it was nailed in most places, it would have been much harder to change things. I have probably changed the inside of this area at least now for the fourth time!
5~ Where did you find your materials if you made it yourself or where did you purchase the setup and do you have favorite places to purchase safe toys and/or supplies that you find reliable?
Materials for building the aviary was just bought like at Home Depot. The toys that are now in there are ones that they had in the house and right now they have two of the Atoms... and we all know where Atoms come from! I've always been very alert about toy safety and like most all my breeders have toys on stainless steel skewers so no entanglement can occur. Any ropes or leather lacing I use I watch all the time and do not have long lengths, I keep things like that short and maintained.
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
Other than how I love the Atoms, I have also included a couple of my Jolly Balls in there as well. Blu has to have her Jolly Ball and she can now sleep in it all night long!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
My birds seem to love any toy I make them up... they are not picky.
8~ Did you incorporate into your setup any foraging toys and how did your bird(s) take to them and was age or inactivity a factor?
I have not incorporated much in the way of forging in there yet, I will be trying out a couple of things soon.
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
So far no difficulties have occured and if there was to be any, it would probably be perhaps one of the birds bullying another bird by chasing and such, hopefully that does not happen. If it does, there might have to be some separation.
10~ What do you like least about your set up (if anything)?
Right now, I do not like the fact that the inside of the walls are not finished off, but next year come spring/summer I plan on working on that.
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
I like that it is more light coming in now since I cut open some window areas. Plus I hung up two lights. I like that it is large enough for them to be able to fly back and forth!
12~ Did your bird(s) take to the setup right away or did they approach it tentatively needing time to adjust and do you feel their age was a factor?
The 4 birds took to the set up just fine! They had once been in there but in the wire caging last year but then was in the house for last winter then moved back out into other wire caging for 2.5 months until now but they were not too timid about it, so I'd say that they are fine and happy with the set up!
13~ Any future renovations planned?
LOL! Anything is possible! I guess my next big renovation will to be to insulate and put up something to finish off the 3 walls and ceiling this soming summer of 2012. The one wall that faces the other part of the aviary will remain with wire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, this has been an on going project for sometime, As many of you know I use to breed Pionus but have sold most of my breeding stock. So in the one area I had torn out all the wire caging and have been fixing it up to keep them in it from here on in. As it is, I really needed to for my health which is my breathing difficulties is to clear pretty much all the birds out of the house. I am keeping Kuka my B&G in but she has been staying outside during the nice days and comes in late afternoon.
So for the time being, my 8 photos show how I have it - plus I show a video so it gives a little bit better prespective of how it is.
Their area is 36 feet long x 6 feet wide and 6 feet high. The other area on the other side is about as equally the same size where the breeder birds are at.
This is Blu at one of the feeding areas.
Blu again, this is in the center.
Chester and Gabby, two peas in a pod!
One of two of this type of feeding area.
Once of the Atoms and over view on the one side.
Standing at the south end looking towards the north end.
From the center looking south.
Standing at the north end looking towards the south end.
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I want a place where my birds can fly and get sunshine.
Jan!