Keeping blue and gold macaws outdoors

[Mickey678]

Hi I have 2 b and g macaws and I want to give them a much bigger cage, I have a large concrete shed in the back in my garden, the walls are a few inches thick and I have a heat fan I could always put they're. It would be great if anyone could give me some advice on how to keep them outside and wether I can keep them outside

 

[tka]

Depends on where you live and the weather you get there, the dimensions of the shed, whether it has good ventilation and light, what the shed was used for previously... Hard to give an answer without knowing more.

 

[Destiny]

How large is the shed? What kind of flooring does it have? What is your local climate like - temperate or tropical, average temperature, highs and lows, etc? Will you be keeping the birds outside all year or only some of the time? Where do your birds live right now? Do they get out of cage time? Are they easy to handle?

Also .... Welcome to the forum!

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue Bilal!

 

[Shezbug]

Welcome to the Avenue

 

[Mickey678]

How large is the shed? What kind of flooring does it have? What is your local climate like - temperate or tropical, average temperature, highs and lows, etc? Will you be keeping the birds outside all year or only some of the time? Where do your birds live right now? Do they get out of cage time? Are they easy to handle?

Also .... Welcome to the forum!

Thanks hi, I live in the UK Birmingham we occasionally get cold snaps with snow but not that often, during summer we get around 15 to 25 and currently were about 1 to 5, the parrots don't fly, preferably all year round it's got concrete floors and the shed is about 25 foot long 11 foot wide and about 8 ft tall

 

[Destiny]

That is a nice size for an aviary. Do you know if the shed is insulated?

This is important for both summer and winter in a temperate climate. Tropical parrots do not tolerate extreme temperature shifts and will do best in a climate-controlled environment. You mentioned a heat fan. Is that a dish heater like this or something similar?

Robot or human?

You will definitely want to provide heat at night and during fall/winter/spring. Just be sure to confirm that the heating unit is bird safe and not in a position that would allow the birds to get burned or electrocuted.

In the summer, you will need to make sure the shed has adequate ventilation and cooling. Insulation can help here too. A macaw should be fine with temperatures between 20 to 25 Celsius, but if you are looking at temperatures over 30 inside the shed, that is not okay. The bird will likely show signs of over-heating at those temperatures.

Ideally, you would want to be able to provide consistent comfortable temperatures, day and night, through out the year. This could be accomplished by fully insulating the interior and installing a central heating and cooling unit, similar to what you would use in a human dwelling. Or by setting up a smaller air conditioner and heater in a location that is protected from the birds, for example in the safety porch.

A safety porch is a small entry space into an aviary or bird room which has two doors - one leading into the aviary and one to the outside. It acts like an "airlock" to prevent birds from flying out through an open door. You will want to build a safety porch either inside or directly outside of any doors that lead into the shed. Since this area will not be normally accessible to the birds, it is an ideal location for heaters, fans, and other potentially hazardous electronics or other equipment.

 

[Mickey678]

Thanks mate that's a lot of useful information, but I have one more questions, would rabbits quail and finches be compatible with these guys, one of my macaws was housed with a goose in his old home, but I'm not sure about smaller animals, they can't fly and fairly neutral

 

[Zara]

would rabbits quail and finches be compatible with these guys

No.

 

[Shezbug]

Can I ask what the reason for a that they don’t fly?

 

[Destiny]

No, large parrots are not compatible with smaller birds and animals in an aviary setting. I have read stories about what happens when people have tried mixing them. They are pretty grim.

Not recommended.

 

[Mickey678]

No, large parrots are not compatible with smaller birds and animals in an aviary setting. I have read stories about what happens when people have tried mixing them. They are pretty grim.

Not recommended.

Okay, I sorta gotto an image know

 

[Mickey678]

Can I ask what the reason for a that they don’t fly?

I got Mickey when he was 5 and he couldn't fly, but he kind glides a few feet nothing along he lines of flying and I got Sammy when he was 8 and he just can't fly at all, they sorta gracefully fall but as far as I'm aware they can't fly

 

[Pat H]

WELCOME to the Avenue!!!

When you asked your Q about incorporating a shed for them... I thought maybe you just wanted an intermittant outdoor playpen for them. Somewhere for them to play while you were outdoors also...

DO NOT take it for granted that they won't/ don't fly-- Birds can get 'spooked' by unfamiliar sights, outdoors especially! Once up in the air, sometimes they don't know how to get down, silly as that may sound.

A friend of mine once said-- "There is nothing as beautiful as a macaw in flight... unless it's yours."

 

[Mickey678]

WELCOME to the Avenue!!!

When you asked your Q about incorporating a shed for them... I thought maybe you just wanted an intermittant outdoor playpen for them. Somewhere for them to play while you were outdoors also...

DO NOT take it for granted that they won't/ don't fly-- Birds can get 'spooked' by unfamiliar sights, outdoors especially! Once up in the air, sometimes they don't know how to get down, silly as that may sound.

A friend of mine once said-- "There is nothing as beautiful as a macaw in flight... unless it's yours."

I'm loving the quote, and as they don't fly I have massive logs outside currently they're full of holes and have lots of character, I wanted to stick them out of the ground and make it look like a rainforet canopy

 

[Destiny]

That sounds very cool. I love natural looking aviaries. They provide a lot of enrichment for the birds. Do you know how you will enclose the area with the logs? I assume it will be outside of the shed. The whole aviary space needs to be fully enclosed to protect the birds from predators and to prevent escapes.

As Pat H said, parrots can sometimes surprise you when they are outside. Sudden wind and wide-open flight paths can combine to allow a usually flightless parrot to gain altitude. Their bodies are built for it, even if they have learned to be grounded.

When picking construction materials, make sure you are working with bird-safe supplies that are strong enough to contain a macaw. Many common materials are either not safe for birds or not sturdy enough to withstand the prolonged attention of a bored parrot. For macaws, you will likely need to invest in something very strong - they have built-in wire cutters.

 

[Mickey678]

That sounds very cool. I love natural looking aviaries. They provide a lot of enrichment for the birds. Do you know how you will enclose the area with the logs? I assume it will be outside of the shed. The whole aviary space needs to be fully enclosed to protect the birds from predators and to prevent escapes.

As Pat H said, parrots can sometimes surprise you when they are outside. Sudden wind and wide-open flight paths can combine to allow a usually flightless parrot to gain altitude. Their bodies are built for it, even if they have learned to be grounded.

When picking construction materials, make sure you are working with bird-safe supplies that are strong enough to contain a macaw. Many common materials are either not safe for birds or not sturdy enough to withstand the prolonged attention of a bored parrot. For macaws, you will likely need to invest in something very strong - they have built-in wire cutters.

my mane materials are concrete mortar and chicken wire are these all acceptable

 

[Shezbug]

Chicken wire to contain macaws? No.
Chicken wire is really easy for predators to get through also. I had cats (not feral or stray- neighbours pets) break through chicken wire to get my chooks.

 

[camelotshadow]

Wire fencing has to be of a certain gauge or they will destroy it.

There was a discussion somewhere of the gauge. 9 I think.

 

[Mickey678]

Chicken wire to contain macaws? No.
Chicken wire is really easy for predators to get through also. I had cats (not feral or stray- neighbours pets) break through chicken wire to get my chooks.

It's gonna be inside a solid concrete wall