Outdoor Parakeet Aviary

[Sparkles99]

This is the best update yet! I love the pictures of the overpacked button quail & the new budgies. They're too cute. Budgies are the best! I'm impressed at Foggy's determination. That series should be shown to those tempted to clip wings.

 

[Destiny]

This is the best update yet! I love the pictures of the overpacked button quail & the new budgies. They're too cute. Budgies are the best! I'm impressed at Foggy's determination. That series should be shown to those tempted to clip wings.

Yeah. Flight is such a natural part of being a bird. Removing that ability diminishes them in so many ways. Watching the differences in behavior between Oliver and the two clipped budgies is honestly heart-breaking.

Oliver is so happy and he is singing so much. I can tell that he is in is element and living his best life. Foggy and Frost are are still budgies, so they aren't letting being clipped keep them down, but it is so obvious that they are crippled in comparison to their flighted friend. They just aren't as comfortable and relaxed as Oliver. They don't sing. They move around significantly less. They are much more reserved and cautious. They are vulnerable and they know it. I wish I could give them back their flight feathers. Waiting for those feathers to grow back is agony. It takes so long!

Within a few minutes of being freed, Oliver was flying around the aviary, exploring the space and meeting the other budgies. He never went down to the floor, even though his friends were down there. He just kept calling to let them know where he was, hoping they would follow him to safety. I don't think it ever occurred to him that he could fly down to them. He knew that THEY needed to come up to where he was.

The other budgies were stuck on the floor for a long time, trying to figure out how to get up higher without functioning wings. They spent quite a while just frozen in place, trying to figure out what to do. Foggy figured it out first and managed to climb up to Oliver through sheer determination. But if he lost his footing or got startled, he would fall off. This happened several times during his attempt to reach Oliver. Climbing back up was a pretty big effort, but he kept on doing it until he eventually made it.

There are ladders, ropes and other ways to access the upper perches from the floor, but it took a while for Frost to find them. For the first day or two, he was stuck on the ground with the button quail. Foggy would be up with Oliver and the other budgies, but I'd come in to the aviary and find Frost just two feet off the ground, hanging out on one of the metal trellises all alone. He clearly wanted to be higher and I was worried for him, because his feathers were getting worn from falling repeatedly and from jumping around, trying to fly with his clipped wings. Fortunately, he did eventually learn from Foggy and managed to reach the upper level. Now he and Foggy are almost always together, hanging out with the other budgies most of the day.

The saddest thing with the clipped birds is watching the other birds all fly away, leaving them behind. When I'm in the aviary, cleaning and moving stuff around, the parakeets will sometimes all decide to fly from one side of the aviary to the other in mass. This usually happens when one bird gets startled and they all decide it is time to move, move, move! When this happens, Foggy and Frost look so frozen and scared. You can tell they want to follow, but they know they can't. I can only imagine how that must feel for them. I'm really looking forward to when their wing feather grow back in fully and they can join the flock as flighted birds. That day can't come fast enough!

 

[BudgieLove]

The finches loving having a bath! Just love all these photos!

 

[BirdyBee]

Hello, what are some tips you'd reccomend for building aviaries? I love your aviary, it is lovely.

I've been thinking on and off about building an aviary and I'm not sure if it's a good choice and if I have a good area for building an aviary. What is the minimum size you reccomend for 5 budgies? What are some risks of birds living in aviaries? What can you do to reduce these risks?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Destiny]

If your budgies will be living in the aviary full-time, bigger is better. It gives your birds more room to fly and it gives you more room to be in the aviary with your birds. Rather than thinking in terms of minimum requirements, approach from the other direction. How big can you make your aviary? There are always going to be practical limits that restrict the size of a backyard aviary, due to space or cost. Only you can decide how big you are able to make your aviary or if an aviary is right for you and your birds.

Regarding risk for birds in aviaries, there are several important risks to consider. First, if you are building an outdoor aviary, like mine, weather is a significant concern. I live in a temperate climate, so it gets hot in the summer time and cold in the winter. When planning my aviary, I had to consider carefully how I would handle normal seasonal fluctuations and extreme temperatures, like during a heat wave or snow storm. If you live in a tropical climate, you might not need to worry about as much temperature changes, but you will still need to provide adequate shelter and protect the birds against bad weather. Ideally, you want to have access to electricity for your aviary, so you can run lights and provide safe heating/cooling options.

Another risk for aviary birds is predation. There are a lot of creatures that would love to eat a parakeet. Dogs and cats, certainly, but also snakes, rats, hawks, and much more. When building an aviary, you want it to be sturdy enough to keep the birds inside but also strong enough to keep predators OUT. The measures you need to take to keep your birds safe will vary depending on what kind of predators live in your area and where your aviary is located. A solid concrete foundation and a solid roof can provide aviary inhabitants with a lot of security.

Lastly, when designing an aviary, be sure to include a safety porch. Always have at least one closed door between your birds and the outside world. A safety porch is a little "air-lock" for your aviary, so you can step inside, close the outer door, then pass through a second door to reach the aviary. If a bird flies into the safety porch, you can just gently shoo it back into the aviary. But if you didn't have the porch, a bird could fly straight out and be gone in an instant. The birds in my aviary rarely fly at the door. They seem to sense that it is a "no fly zone". But over the years, there have been a few times when having a safety porch and following proper procedures when entering or leaving the aviary saved a bird's life. You definitely want to include this feature in your aviary design. It is super important.

 

[BirdyBee]

If your budgies will be living in the aviary full-time, bigger is better. It gives your birds more room to fly and it gives you more room to be in the aviary with your birds. Rather than thinking in terms of minimum requirements, approach from the other direction. How big can you make your aviary? There are always going to be practical limits that restrict the size of a backyard aviary, due to space or cost. Only you can decide how big you are able to make your aviary or if an aviary is right for you and your birds.

Regarding risk for birds in aviaries, there are several important risks to consider. First, if you are building an outdoor aviary, like mine, weather is a significant concern. I live in a temperate climate, so it gets hot in the summer time and cold in the winter. When planning my aviary, I had to consider carefully how I would handle normal seasonal fluctuations and extreme temperatures, like during a heat wave or snow storm. If you live in a tropical climate, you might not need to worry about as much temperature changes, but you will still need to provide adequate shelter and protect the birds against bad weather. Ideally, you want to have access to electricity for your aviary, so you can run lights and provide safe heating/cooling options.

Another risk for aviary birds is predation. There are a lot of creatures that would love to eat a parakeet. Dogs and cats, certainly, but also snakes, rats, hawks, and much more. When building an aviary, you want it to be sturdy enough to keep the birds inside but also strong enough to keep predators OUT. The measures you need to take to keep your birds safe will vary depending on what kind of predators live in your area and where your aviary is located. A solid concrete foundation and a solid roof can provide aviary inhabitants with a lot of security.

Lastly, when designing an aviary, be sure to include a safety porch. Always have at least one closed door between your birds and the outside world. A safety porch is a little "air-lock" for your aviary, so you can step inside, close the outer door, then pass through a second door to reach the aviary. If a bird flies into the safety porch, you can just gently shoo it back into the aviary. But if you didn't have the porch, a bird could fly straight out and be gone in an instant. The birds in my aviary rarely fly at the door. They seem to sense that it is a "no fly zone". But over the years, there have been a few times when having a safety porch and following proper procedures when entering or leaving the aviary saved a bird's life. You definitely want to include this feature in your aviary design. It is super important.

Thank you so much Destiny.

The only reason I asked about the minimum is to know if I have enough space. The biggest I can is probably 2×3m although I'm not sure. I'm on vacation so I can't measure anything.

If I build an aviary, I plan on building it on concrete.

The safety door is a must in an aviary. I definitely will build that. The area I plan on having an aviary has a roof. The only predators are mongeese(very rare) and cats. My dog isn't very aggressive to them and probably won't be able to reach them, but I will keep him out of the aviary.

The temperatures in winter/autumn are usually about 16-18°C, minimum 10. Summer is usually about 25-28°C, maximum 30-32. I don't think it's too bad, right? I will cool them if temperatures are too high and I will heat them if cold. What can I use to heat them? A lot of bird specific heaters are not available in South Africa.

 

[Destiny]

Two meters by three meters is small for a walk-in aviary, but should be okay for five budgies. It is important to not over-crowd the birds, because they need to have enough room to get away from each other occasionally and relax. Too many birds in a small space will get stressed and may bully weaker birds. The layout of your aviary makes a big difference in how the birds are able to utilize the space and how many you can safely house together. The species, disposition and personality of the individual birds is also very important. You need enough room inside the aviary for you to enter when you want to clean-up/feed/enjoy the birds. And you need space for multiple perches, feeding stations, toys, and other things so the birds do not need to compete for their essential needs. You will also want to leave some nice open spaces for flight between the perches. Keep in mind that the safety porch will take up some of the floorplan and reduce the interior space that the birds can use. Depending on the size and layout, you might be able to use part of the safety porch for storage. If not, you will want to consider where you will keep your supplies for feeding the birds and cleaning the aviary. It helps to have a dedicated space set aside close to the aviary to save time and keep all your bird-related stuff organized. Makes sure that you store all food items in good air-tight containers to keep it fresh and avoid attracting mice, rats, or other pests that might harm your birds.

Regarding predators, do you have any raptors in your area, like hawks, eagles, falcons, or owls? They might notice your birds and try to reach them. Even if you live in an urban area, there's a surprising amount of nocturnal wild-life in most places which the average person never notices. Rats tend to be everywhere.

I'm not an expert on acceptable temperatures for budgies - I did some research while planning my aviary and found a lot of conflicting information and not much solid data. I think that temperature range is acceptable, as long as the birds have time to adapt. But you will want to have a plan in place in case there is unusually hot or cold weather. For winter, I use a couple of approaches. I cover the wire mesh with storm sheeting to reduce drafts and I provide the birds with an insulated roosting box where they can shelter together at night. They use it more in the winter than the summer, so I think they do appreciate it. I also researched for a good space heater to warm the inside of the aviary. There are a couple of bird-safe options, including oil-filled radiators and certain electric heaters. The one I settled on is used for heating greenhouses and it came with a thermostat, so it automatically turns on when the aviary temperature drops below a certain set-point. It is located in the safety porch, so the birds can't get too close or accidentally land on it. Unfortunately, my aviary is not well insulated, so it loses heat rapidly and it is expensive to keep it warm in the middle of winter. In hindsight, it would have been a good long-term investment to design an aviary that had a well-insulated shelter that could be kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter more easily attached to a fully-enclosed outdoor space that the birds could utilize during good weather. But since I was converting an existing structure to make my aviary, I did the best I could with what I had.

 

[dkayehp]

I'm so jealous.. Your birds are beautiful. I'm starting with an indoor aviary and gathering all the information my brain can hold. lol I'm so excited I'm hoping good success with canaries and finches

 

[Pixiebeak]

I hope we get an update one day! So much of this set up is amazing, beautiful, enriching.

So I hate to sound like such a downer , bringing up some concerns....

Do you have a preventative health plan, especially for parasites?
Coccidiosis , ataxoplasmosis
and air-sac mites come to mind right off the bat , but there are others like round worms and tapeworm for aviary bird situations. They are endemic in the population, as in healthy birds may have low levels inside them . But can build up over time in avairy to levels making birds sick or sudden mortality. Stressors can lead to outbreaks. My understanding is a routine treatment/ preventative medicating, and pre treatment of all incoming finches ( and I think budgies too) . Perhaps you already have this in place , and I think would be great to include what your practices are.

Also there is a lot of metal that isn't safe , for finches and qual this is probably a non issue. In the budgies can lead to chronic zinc toxicity, other heavy metal issues. Again as budgie are less likely to chew , or grab metal with beak , or grab to move around ( over time non chewing oral contact can still lead to toxicity) but in other parrot species this is a real risk. It can be insidious, with vague signs of weakness, sudden death or other symptoms that may be confused with other health issues.

I'm just sharing for all of us to be aware , aviaries come with unique risks and challenges, that those new to this may be unaware

 

[Shezbug]

I hope we get an update one day! So much of this set up is amazing, beautiful, enriching.

So I hate to sound like such a downer , bringing up some concerns....

Do you have a preventative health plan, especially for parasites?
Coccidiosis , ataxoplasmosis
and air-sac mites come to mind right off the bat , but there are others like round worms and tapeworm for aviary bird situations. They are endemic in the population, as in healthy birds may have low levels inside them . But can build up over time in avairy to levels making birds sick or sudden mortality. Stressors can lead to outbreaks. My understanding is a routine treatment/ preventative medicating, and pre treatment of all incoming finches ( and I think budgies too) . Perhaps you already have this in place , and I think would be great to include what your practices are.

Also there is a lot of metal that isn't safe , for finches and qual this is probably a non issue. In the budgies can lead to chronic zinc toxicity, other heavy metal issues. Again as budgie are less likely to chew , or grab metal with beak , or grab to move around ( over time non chewing oral contact can still lead to toxicity) but in other parrot species this is a real risk. It can be insidious, with vague signs of weakness, sudden death or other symptoms that may be confused with other health issues.

I'm just sharing for all of us to be aware , aviaries come with unique risks and challenges, that those new to this may be unaware

Would be lovely to have an update from @Destiny, been a while since we have heard from her and her flock.