Favourite poster EVER!!!
Love the update!! Love your birds!! Simply amazing; I'm still completely in awe of (and obsessed with) your aviary.
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Outdoor Parakeet Aviary
- Thread starter Destiny
- Start date
Love the update!! Love your birds!! Simply amazing; I'm still completely in awe of (and obsessed with) your aviary.
saroj12
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My favorite poster too!Favourite poster EVER!!!
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- Destiny
Now that I've got the sad stuff out of the way, I should talk a little more about the aviary, changes I have made, what has worked and what has not worked.
Where to start? One big change was that I decided to remove all the nestboxes a few months ago. Originally, I had the back wall filled with boxes in different shapes and sizes.
I am not interested in breeding parakeets for a number of reasons, but I don't mind my birds mating and laying eggs. And with ten hens in a lovely aviary with natural light ... I don't think I could stop them from going into season if I wanted to. Instead, I offer plenty of calcium, a good diet, and I have a collection of dummy eggs, when the need arises. I figure that if the parakeets have nest boxes at least I will know where the eggs are, so I can remove them quickly. It pains me to pull eggs, but it is better than irresponsible breeding.
I am SO not ready to hand-feed.
If anyone is curious, I totally did not plan to have this gender distribution. I picked my budgies without regard for gender. In a perfect world, I would have got all boys, like I did with my finches. No eggs, no problems. But most of my budgies were quite young when I got them and I am not that great at determining genders at that age, so I decided to not worry, pick the ones that spoke to my heart and hope for the best. It worked out fine, but it still cracks me up that I got 80% girls on accident.
What are the odds?
Anyways, it should come as no surprise that my birds have demonstrated some hormonal behaviors. Excessive chewing, claiming nest boxes, laying eggs, etc.
I could write an entire novel or maybe a soap opera about all the relationship drama I have witnessed. Different birds courting each other. Nests built. Nests stolen. It has been a rollercoaster.
For example, one of the first things my finches did upon moving into the aviary was claim the biggest nest box and start making a nest together. Sterling and Jasper (both male) worked on this nest together for several days, before they were kicked out by Big Bertha, who claimed that box as her own. They moved to a different box and kept it for about a week before either abandoning it or getting scared off by parakeets. I don't know which.
Then Sterling went missing and I looked everywhere for him. Couldn't find him. Seriously thought he was dead. Then I noticed grass sticking out of a grapewood log I put on the ground to provide shelter for the button quail:
I flipped it over, and found Sterling sitting on his hidden nest, dreaming of hatching imaginary eggs.
Very strange.
Anyways, during the first summer, my older hens, Snowball, Big Bertha, June, Skye, and Johnny Girl all took turns being hormonal. They argued over favorite nestboxes, but nothing too serious. I had one or two hens in nestboxes at a time. It was pretty manageable. When winter came, the hormones died down and everyone returned to what I like to call "normal".
Until we had an unusually warm period of nice weather in the middle of January and all hell broke loose. Apparently, the budgies believed that spring had sprung and it was the perfect time to make some babies. All eight of my hens went into season simultaneously and decided that there was one (and only ONE) nestbox that was good enough to use. Cue lots of vicious parrot battles in miniature.
When I saw the chaos, I knew it was time for an intervention, so I removed the wall o' boxes. The girls were pissed, but I bought their goodwill with chew toys and millet. The territorial battles died out and peace returned to the aviary.
Recently, I've noticed a surge in chewing activity. I suspect that the girls are trying to find or carve out their own nest cavities. I'll have to keep my eyes on them. They are gifted chewers.
Check out this chew toy ... or at least, what's left of it:
And this one:
And this one:
A few days after hanging it up, it looked like this:
And then:
It looked like this:
And then:
Until the whole thing was empty, so I removed it:
One of my tasks today was installing a bunch of hooks to create a brand new shelf of chew toys to hopefully keep the girls entertained.
But I bet they would rather just eat the walls ....
Where to start? One big change was that I decided to remove all the nestboxes a few months ago. Originally, I had the back wall filled with boxes in different shapes and sizes.
I am not interested in breeding parakeets for a number of reasons, but I don't mind my birds mating and laying eggs. And with ten hens in a lovely aviary with natural light ... I don't think I could stop them from going into season if I wanted to. Instead, I offer plenty of calcium, a good diet, and I have a collection of dummy eggs, when the need arises. I figure that if the parakeets have nest boxes at least I will know where the eggs are, so I can remove them quickly. It pains me to pull eggs, but it is better than irresponsible breeding.
I am SO not ready to hand-feed.
If anyone is curious, I totally did not plan to have this gender distribution. I picked my budgies without regard for gender. In a perfect world, I would have got all boys, like I did with my finches. No eggs, no problems. But most of my budgies were quite young when I got them and I am not that great at determining genders at that age, so I decided to not worry, pick the ones that spoke to my heart and hope for the best. It worked out fine, but it still cracks me up that I got 80% girls on accident.
What are the odds?
Anyways, it should come as no surprise that my birds have demonstrated some hormonal behaviors. Excessive chewing, claiming nest boxes, laying eggs, etc.
I could write an entire novel or maybe a soap opera about all the relationship drama I have witnessed. Different birds courting each other. Nests built. Nests stolen. It has been a rollercoaster.
For example, one of the first things my finches did upon moving into the aviary was claim the biggest nest box and start making a nest together. Sterling and Jasper (both male) worked on this nest together for several days, before they were kicked out by Big Bertha, who claimed that box as her own. They moved to a different box and kept it for about a week before either abandoning it or getting scared off by parakeets. I don't know which.
Then Sterling went missing and I looked everywhere for him. Couldn't find him. Seriously thought he was dead. Then I noticed grass sticking out of a grapewood log I put on the ground to provide shelter for the button quail:
I flipped it over, and found Sterling sitting on his hidden nest, dreaming of hatching imaginary eggs.
Very strange.
Anyways, during the first summer, my older hens, Snowball, Big Bertha, June, Skye, and Johnny Girl all took turns being hormonal. They argued over favorite nestboxes, but nothing too serious. I had one or two hens in nestboxes at a time. It was pretty manageable. When winter came, the hormones died down and everyone returned to what I like to call "normal".
Until we had an unusually warm period of nice weather in the middle of January and all hell broke loose. Apparently, the budgies believed that spring had sprung and it was the perfect time to make some babies. All eight of my hens went into season simultaneously and decided that there was one (and only ONE) nestbox that was good enough to use. Cue lots of vicious parrot battles in miniature.
When I saw the chaos, I knew it was time for an intervention, so I removed the wall o' boxes. The girls were pissed, but I bought their goodwill with chew toys and millet. The territorial battles died out and peace returned to the aviary.
Recently, I've noticed a surge in chewing activity. I suspect that the girls are trying to find or carve out their own nest cavities. I'll have to keep my eyes on them. They are gifted chewers.
Check out this chew toy ... or at least, what's left of it:
And this one:
And this one:
A few days after hanging it up, it looked like this:
And then:
It looked like this:
And then:
Until the whole thing was empty, so I removed it:
One of my tasks today was installing a bunch of hooks to create a brand new shelf of chew toys to hopefully keep the girls entertained.
But I bet they would rather just eat the walls ....
Last edited:
AussieBird
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Cutest Bird Ever!!!
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Destiny, i am sorry for your losses.
I really do love your aviary! You've gotta love those little girls, busy beaks they are. I can't imagine having that many hens to entertain!
I really do love your aviary! You've gotta love those little girls, busy beaks they are. I can't imagine having that many hens to entertain!
fashionfobie
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I am sorry for your losses.
I cannot believe a year has passed already. It is looking fantastic
I cannot believe a year has passed already. It is looking fantastic
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- Destiny
Thank you.
Fortunately for my sanity, they usually do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves. It just gets tricky when their idea of entertainment conflicts with my architectural aspirations.
I am hoping that my efforts will distract them for now. I need to have a careful look around and find any weak points that need to be reinforced or important areas that I want to protect with extra wood. Preferably before the girls do.
For example, Snowball is pretty sure she can fit inside this little crack.
And if she can make it just a little bigger, it might be the perfect spot for a nest.
Oh .. oh .... she is going in.
I didn't manage to catch it on camera, but moments later, Sparkle snuck over and bit Snowball right on the butt. The little stinker!
She wanted this spot for herself. It is a primo site.
Just needs a little reno work and you could fit five, maybe six eggs in there.
...
Oh girls ...
When will you learn?
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- Heidi
What a beautiful paradise you’ve created! I missed this thread before (accidentally slipped into a hiatus) and am so glad it got bumped up for me to find 
Gigibirds
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Oh my goodness I just read through this entire thread and I LOVE IT!!!!! Destiny your aviary is amazing and your birdie-adventure is so lovely to read about. I hope that everything will go on well!! Also your flock is so beautiful! Living on a farm with a MASSIVE aviary is basically my dream! I wish you all the best with your birds, and thank you for all of the pictures!! Such great inspiration for my little aviary!
I wish you all the best with your birds, and thank you for all of the pictures!! Such great inspiration for my little aviary! - Joined
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Wild grasses are seeding right now, so the budgies got a special treat today. A variety of tasty new seeds!
In a surprising turn of events, my two Lady Gouldian finches were first on the scene, beating Kiwi to the punch.
But the budgies quickly noticed that something tasty was on offer and came right on over to check it out.
Many happy bird sounds in the aviary.
In a surprising turn of events, my two Lady Gouldian finches were first on the scene, beating Kiwi to the punch.
But the budgies quickly noticed that something tasty was on offer and came right on over to check it out.
Many happy bird sounds in the aviary.
Greylady1966
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TAILGATING
Cutest Bird Ever!!!
That's a beautiful aviary.
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In other news, I have something very exciting to share .... new birds incoming!
I have four new finches in quarantine right now. If all goes well, they should be ready to go into the main aviary in a week or two.
Now for introductions ...
This fluffy white puffball is Uso, my new silver-backed Lady Gouldian. Unlike Sterling, my previous silver-backed Lady Gouldian, he is almost pure white. Color genetics in Gouldian finches is complex, because there are at least three distinct genes that determine color in the head, breast, and back region of the finch. Head color can be black, red or orange/yellow. Breast color can be bright purple, pale lilac or pure white. Body color can be green (wild-type) blue, yellow, or silver. Individual birds can have a combination of these mutations, resulting in dozens of possibilities.
My new finch, Uso, has a white breast color and a black head color which is masked by the silver body color, resulting in an all white bird. While Sterling had a lilac chest color and a red head, which was washed out to a salmon color by his silver body color.
Here is a picture of Sterling for reference:
And another picture of Uso:
If you like genetics as much I do, here is a cool article on Lady Gouldian finch colors:
www.finchinfo.com
...
Next up, this is Sebastian. He is a European Society finch.
Sorry about the poor lighting and blurry photos. The new birds are in an indoor cage right now so I can observe them more closely while they undergo quarantine. The light source is very close, so all the pictures are either way too bright or in shadows under the silk plants.
Sebastian is a snazzy looking gentleman with black feathers and bright, inquisitive eyes. Society finches are an interesting finch variety. They have the unusual distinction of being a truly "domesticated" finch, rather than a wild species. Also called Bengalese finches, they have been a part of aviculture in Asia for hundreds of years. Although the exact origins are unclear, society finches most likely derived from white-rumped munia or a similar finch.
They are highly sociable, gregarious finches. And they are renowned for being excellent foster parents, happily accepting and raising the babies or incubating the eggs of other finches, when needed ... and sometimes even when it is not needed. They also have the endearing habit of sleeping all in the same box at night, clustered together.
...
And then we have Nutmeg the Spice Finch.
Spice finches are a variety of munia. They are also called scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia for the eye-catching scalloped patterns on their chest. They are similar to the white-breasted munia from which society finches were derived. Like society finches and Lady Gouldian finches, they are a peaceful and social finch that fits in nicely with other non-aggressive finches.
And last but not least, we have Zip!
Zip is an orange-breasted waxbill, also called zebra waxbill. He has a lot of energy packed in a little package. It is hard to get a proper picture of Zip, because he is always moving, flitting from place to place.
Zebra waxbills should not be confused with the much more common Australian Zebra finches. These birds are a smaller, peaceful finch, native to Africa. They are not as cold hardy as my other birds, so I will likely need to move Zip indoors during fall and winter.
So there they are ... the Fab Four Finches:
I am looking forward to introducing them Crimson and Jasper in the main aviary. I hope all goes smoothly when the time comes.
I have four new finches in quarantine right now. If all goes well, they should be ready to go into the main aviary in a week or two.
Now for introductions ...
This fluffy white puffball is Uso, my new silver-backed Lady Gouldian. Unlike Sterling, my previous silver-backed Lady Gouldian, he is almost pure white. Color genetics in Gouldian finches is complex, because there are at least three distinct genes that determine color in the head, breast, and back region of the finch. Head color can be black, red or orange/yellow. Breast color can be bright purple, pale lilac or pure white. Body color can be green (wild-type) blue, yellow, or silver. Individual birds can have a combination of these mutations, resulting in dozens of possibilities.
My new finch, Uso, has a white breast color and a black head color which is masked by the silver body color, resulting in an all white bird. While Sterling had a lilac chest color and a red head, which was washed out to a salmon color by his silver body color.
Here is a picture of Sterling for reference:
And another picture of Uso:
If you like genetics as much I do, here is a cool article on Lady Gouldian finch colors:
Genetics: Body Color Inheritance in Lady Gouldian Finches
Illustrated explanation of the genetics of body color inheritance in the lady gouldian finch. Includes breeding tables, charts, and expected breeding outcomes for green body, yellow body, blue body, silver body, dilute and pastel.
...
Next up, this is Sebastian. He is a European Society finch.
Sorry about the poor lighting and blurry photos. The new birds are in an indoor cage right now so I can observe them more closely while they undergo quarantine. The light source is very close, so all the pictures are either way too bright or in shadows under the silk plants.
Sebastian is a snazzy looking gentleman with black feathers and bright, inquisitive eyes. Society finches are an interesting finch variety. They have the unusual distinction of being a truly "domesticated" finch, rather than a wild species. Also called Bengalese finches, they have been a part of aviculture in Asia for hundreds of years. Although the exact origins are unclear, society finches most likely derived from white-rumped munia or a similar finch.
They are highly sociable, gregarious finches. And they are renowned for being excellent foster parents, happily accepting and raising the babies or incubating the eggs of other finches, when needed ... and sometimes even when it is not needed. They also have the endearing habit of sleeping all in the same box at night, clustered together.
...
And then we have Nutmeg the Spice Finch.
Spice finches are a variety of munia. They are also called scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia for the eye-catching scalloped patterns on their chest. They are similar to the white-breasted munia from which society finches were derived. Like society finches and Lady Gouldian finches, they are a peaceful and social finch that fits in nicely with other non-aggressive finches.
And last but not least, we have Zip!
Zip is an orange-breasted waxbill, also called zebra waxbill. He has a lot of energy packed in a little package. It is hard to get a proper picture of Zip, because he is always moving, flitting from place to place.
Zebra waxbills should not be confused with the much more common Australian Zebra finches. These birds are a smaller, peaceful finch, native to Africa. They are not as cold hardy as my other birds, so I will likely need to move Zip indoors during fall and winter.
So there they are ... the Fab Four Finches:
I am looking forward to introducing them Crimson and Jasper in the main aviary. I hope all goes smoothly when the time comes.
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I use a variety of bowls, trays and bird feeders for food. Pellet is offered in gravity feeders at all times. I check them daily to ensure that they are working properly, but they typically get cleaned and refilled on a weekly basis.
This is one of my pellet feeders:
For seed, I use a variety of bowls and trays. I offer a small portion divided out into many dishes each day to encourage foraging and decrease food competition.
For veggies, I offer chop in little disposable souffle cups or ceramic dishes. And hang wet leafy greens for the birds to nibble on or bathe in. It is left in the aviary for a few hours and then any uneaten portion is removed to avoid spoilage.
The leftovers go to my chickens, who happily destroy any evidence of fresh veggies in five minutes flat.
"Nothing to see here, folks. Move along."
Kassiani
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I love Nutmeg! I have always wanted a spice finch since my late husband and I saw them in a pet store about 10 years ago.
I have always wanted a spice finch since my late husband and I saw them in a pet store about 10 years ago.
Love the new additions! Cutie little guys. Can't wait to hear how intros go.
Cute chooks too! Especially love the big long-necked chickens!
Cute chooks too! Especially love the big long-necked chickens!
JewellBird
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- Miranda
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The main reason for getting different types of finch is simply that I love eclectic flocks and being able to easily pick out individual birds by appearance. It makes my life much simpler in a couple of ways and allows me to enjoy the unique personality of each bird. It also makes it easier to spot behavior changes that might be an early sign of illness.
I considered getting pairs of each unique species so they would each have a same-species buddy, but I am not interested in breeding finches, so I would rather not get mated pairs. All of these finches are male (theoeretically), so eggs should be a non-issue. Spice finches and society finches are difficult to visually sex, so I am not 100% sure about those two. The rest are definitely not girls, thank goodness. (no offense, parakeets!)
Even if I planned on removing eggs, like I do with my budgies, aggression and other problems can occur during breeding season. I'd rather avoid all that, if possible, by keeping just one gender.
Some day, I would very much like to get a blue-backed Lady Gouldian finch. Lady Gouldians are my favorite kind of finch and blue is my favorite color. It is the perfect pairing! They are such gorgeous birds, but hard to find. The search continues ...
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Totally agree, I prefer more mix and matched flocks, and also agree on the all male note! Can’t wait to see more of them and the pre existing flock! Btw do u have any other birds that aren’t the aviary birds or poultry?
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Does a peacock count as poultry?
Based on Indigo's mating dances, he thinks he is a chicken or turkey ... so maybe?
But to answer seriously, all of my birds are either in the aviary or in my backyard. I don't have any house birds at the moment, unless you count the finches in quarantine.
Over the winter, I had Lemondrop and Goldie in the house, but they are back in the aviary and doing great.
