Moving all of the macaws out to the patio has been a learning experience. We ordered flight cages to put them in so we could get rid of the dome top cages. Zelda and Zachary were already in a flight cage, but it was too big to fit in the door. We ordered one for them that is slightly smaller. Putting them together was a chore, but then we had to drag them from the garage to the patio before the doors were installed. Having flight cages outside isn't a big deal because the droppings fall to the ground below. Inside that's not a possibility. We put tarps down and dragged them outside to clean them. That got old really quick. I ordered trays to put under the cages, but having them on the floor meant that the droppings still splattered everywhere and the food bounced off and rolled away. So I built platforms under the cages so the trays are about 5 inches under the bottom grate. That keeps the majority of the droppings contained, and most of the food stays there as well. Dexter, the serial killer African Grey takes issue with everything I do, and trying to remove the trays for cleaning is a chore because he's trying his best to bite me. It's a lot of work and commotion to keep the trays clean and that may be part of the disruption. I've also got a VERY hormonal Buffons who is frustrated and has taken to screaming - sometimes for 5 minutes or more at a time. I'm sure that isn't helping.
It's hard to pinpoint one thing that may be causing them to starve the chicks. I think it's a combination of the relatively new environment, the work needed to keep things clean, and neighbors the birds don't like. I want to shuffle some cages around, but I need to wait until they are through this breeding cycle. I fully expect to have a new set of challenges appear that need some sort of solution. I also want to put cameras on the nest boxes so I can see what's going on inside. I have ideas, but it's something I need to think through so it is unobtrusive to them and doesn't cause more issues going forward. It really never ends, but I enjoy the challenge and learning experience.
In other news, I saw Freya today. She's doing amazing and is head over heels in love with her owner. The only interaction I had was to rub her head while she was having her nails trimmed. I didn't want to intrude so I didn't ask for anything more. She's flying outside on a harness and talking. She will be 1 year old on October 11th and I'm happy that she's happy. Kai is large and in charge. His mom and dad give me updates and let me know how much they adore him. His mom posted a video of him playing with a rope toy. He was rolling all over the floor playing with it like a puppy. Penny went home a few weeks ago. I taught her to fly and did some recall training. The day after they picked her up, they had her wings clipped. <shrug> what can you do? They love her and she's happy. Juju will be going home in the middle of September. She will start harness training tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
As for myself, well I have a cold and I feel miserable, but I'm not complaining. Honestly, I'm enjoying being able to take a lot of naps because I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to. I think I'm just run down from the bird store. We're understaffed and I worked 55 hours there last week in addition to my other job. It's finally catching up to me. The majority of my medical tests came back with very good results. . I have no cardiac issues. The weird electrical path through my heart appears to be normal for me. There was no plaque, no blockages, and no sign of a previous heart attack. The bone marrow biopsy showed no evidence of leukemia, so now we're looking at a genetic test to explain the overproduction of red blood cells. Getting the extra blood drained every 3 weeks is a drag, but I'll take that inconvenience over leukemia any day. The colonoscopy is just a miserable but necessary thing. I had polyps at 41 so I've had to have them every 3 years. This is the 3rd one without evidence of polyps so I don't need to deal with that again for another 5 - 8 years. It did confirm I have IBS-D but that wasn't a surprise.
Now that all that stuff is out of the way - enjoy a picture of a baby harlequin macaw, thirty minutes out of the shell. I'm putting all I've got into this little one. That's all I can do. Nature will do what it wills.
View attachment 391988
