Outdoor Parakeet Aviary

[Destiny]

Time for an aviary update. I have some exciting news to share.



New finches!







Meet the new guys.

This dapper chap is Winston the owl finch.



He is super cute and makes the funniest little chirps.

And these two guys are my pied society finches, Mallow and Toffee.



They are rarely apart. Like two peas in a pod.



And this pretty boy is Razzle. He is a blue-backed Lady Gouldian finch.





And last but not least, we have Pierre, my red-cheeked cordon bleu finch.







The new finches went through quarantine and integrated into the main aviary without issues.

The parakeets are cool with them.







I am very happy with the new additions. The finches look very happy too. I think they enjoy having a larger flock. They hang out together, eat together, and groom each other.

 

[AussieBird]

Wow! Like all my favourite finches!
Owl finch, Blue Gouldian, And Cordon Bleu!

 

[BirdG1rl]

I think your little owl finch has to be my favourite. Those adorable eye markings just melt my heart!

 

[Destiny]

I know, right? I have wanted a blue gouldian since I first saw one. And owl finches are just so adorable.

I only wish the finches were easier to photograph. They are small, fast, and quick to fly off right as I line up a good shot. Getting non-blurry close up pictures is almost impossible.

The parakeets are so much easier!

 

[AussieBird]

Whenever I look at an owl finch face on I see a penguin
I really want Cordon Bleu finches (blue caps in particular) but they are so hard to find near me.

 

[clarousel]

Omg they're all so gorgeous!!!

 

[Kassiani]

They are all so pretty!! But I must admit...Pierre!!!! He's just spectacular!!!

 

[MR. Mango]

Aww I love all the finches!! so you have 9 finches now right?

 

[Destiny]

Aww I love all the finches!! so you have 9 finches now right?

Ten finches, twelve parakeets, and two button quail (plus six babies). Much birds!



Three Lady Gouldian finches (Jasper, Uso, and Razzle), three society finches (Sebastián, Mallow, and Toffee), one spice finch (Nutmeg), one zebra waxbill (Pip), one cordon bleu finch (Pierre), and one owl finch (Winston).



Two green budgies (Kiwi and cucumber), two sky blue budgies (Skye and June), two lutino budgies (Sparkle and Goldie), two yellow-faced blue budgies (Dip and Dot), one dark blue budgie (Big Bertha), one pied blue budgie (Snowball), one dilute blue budgie (Misty), one dilute yellow faced blue budgie (Opal).



Now that the parakeet and finch populations are closer in number the aviary feels more balanced. The birds are able to form two equal groups, instead of the finches looking kind of left out and marginalized by the larger group of budgies.

I watch my birds closely, especially after making introductions. The parakeets don't fight with the finches or try to attack them. And they will peacefully hang out together or land on adjacent branches or ledges. But the finches usually leave if the parakeets get too close, so the parakeets definitely get first pick of the feeders. I offer food and water in multiple dishes to reduce resource competition with pellets always available and other items, like seeds, soft food, sprouts, and chop offered in a various parts of the aviary at the same time so nobody goes hungry and everyone can eat at the same time. Now that there are more finches, they have strength of numbers to "claim" a feeding station and the parakeets won't drive them off, which I like to see.



The finches will also hang out together in a big group and all take off and fly together if one of them gets startled. The parakeets tend to hang out on the door-side of the aviary while the finch flock spends more time on the other side, but individual birds will venture to the other side, if they desire. It is interesting to observe the flock dynamics and see which birds stick together and which birds are more bold or solitary.




I call this high shelf my "couples corner" because the finches like chill on it together in cute little pairs, cuddled up together. So cute!

 

[Destiny]

Can you find the four finches in this picture?



It pays to be tiny. So many places to perch!



Is it just me or are finch butts the cutest thing? I love these little guys.



Of course, finches are experts at being adorable, so I shouldn't be surprised to find them cute. Just look at these little guys.

Mallow exploring the apple tree.



Sebastián just chilling with his best bros, Pip and Nutmeg.




And here's two finches grooming Winston at the same time. Everybody loves owl finches.

 

[zoo mom]

Beautiful. Of course everyone loves Winston. He is just sooooooooo cute.

 

[Pepebirdie]

How are your birds doing? I love seeing pictures from this thread your aviary is great inspirationany updates?

 

[jeansie1988]

That's is spectacular!!!
I totally wish I could do something like this in my backyard.

 

[MR. Mango]

Same,I love to see @Destiny 's aviary and read all the updates about the birds

 

[Destiny]

How are your birds doing? I love seeing pictures from this thread your aviary is great inspirationany updates?

Sorry about the lack of updates. I've been extra busy lately with work and life, so I haven't managed to take as many aviary pictures as I like.

The birds are doing good. Everybody is healthy and active. We just weathered a winter storm. Lots of snow on the ground, but fortunately it is melting now.



The worst part was that we lost power for over a day because of fallen trees. I heat the aviary in winter to keep the birds from getting too cold overnight. They are acclimated to winter weather, but the heater keeps the aviary a little warmer and prevents freezing or sudden temperature changes, especially during the night. No power means no heater and very limited alternative heating options. Thankfully, the birds made it through the blackout unharmed.






I also have some aviary-related news to share.

Back in September, my button quail hatched a clutch of eggs. I talked about the babies in this thread, if anyone wants to see more baby quail pictures: Button Quail Nest



I was originally going to find new homes for the babies when they finished feathering out. Button quail can be territorial and various sources recommend keeping them in pairs, rather than groups. Even though my aviary is pretty large and has a lot of floor space for the quail, I was worried that they might not get along with each other after the babies grew up. However, I ended up changing my plans and decided to give them a chance in the aviary to see how they would actually manage in my space.



My hope was that the aviary was large enough to safely accommodate more quail, and so far that is holding true. The older and younger quail are living together peacefully. I still might end up re-homing some or all the males, if I notice too much conflict between them, but things are peaceful at the moment.



Despite my initial hesitation, I am really glad that I kept the baby quail. They are so darn cute. And I love watching them interact with each other. I think that Geo and Terra like having other quail around. They seem more relaxed than before when they were the only quail and interact peacefully with them. I have caught them all sleeping together in a pile. So adorable.

There are six babies, three female and three male, as far as I can tell. The boys have reddish brown feathers on their backsides. The females don't have any red tail feathers. Here they are dust bathing together.




Now I just need to figure out what I am going to name all of them!

 

[zoo mom]

Names Quartz, Diamond, Agate, Slate, Marble, Schist.

With parents Geo and Terra rock names just seemed appropriate.

They are all cute.

 

[Destiny]

A few more pictures of the aviary. Here's Kiwi and Skye hanging out. If you look close, you might spot Dot in the background.



Button quail, parakeet and finch hunting for tiny seeds hidden in the grass.



My white finch, Uso, on a snowy day.



A gathering of finches on the finch shelf.



Everyone loves Winston.



Sparkle and Nutmeg. Spicy birds.



Mallo and Toffee, my tan society finches are exploring a foraging tray, along with one of the baby quail and Winston the owl finch nearby.



Two of the baby quail. The male is dark grey and the female is beige and white. Searching for snacks in a fresh tray of seeds, grass, and flower petals.

 

[Kassiani]

I love spice finches, too! Nutmeg is adorable, and that huddle of finches around Winston is so precious!!

 

[MnGuy]

Maybe you've gone through this, but what is your cleaning routine? Asking out of curiosity and not judgement because I would love to do something like this one day and have always wondered about the cleaning issue.

 

[Destiny]

It changes depending on time of year. In the summer, I can use water freely and do more deep cleaning. I have a faucet and drain built inside the aviary for ease of cleaning. In the winter, I lay down paper over the concrete floor and replace it weekly. Some places get soiled more quickly, like under the perches where the birds tend to sleep or hang out a lot, so I will add more paper in those spots, if needed. Or I will only lay paper in the hotspots and sweep/rinse off the exposed floor during cleaning.



I do regular spot cleaning, if I notice that a shelf or perch has become soiled. There is this one shelf that needs daily cleaning because it is directly under a few favorite perches. I haven't found a good solution for that, because I like having perches in that spot. I also check the plants and clean their leaves as needed, since they get dusty and pooped on. Once a month, I will do a bigger clean-up, spraying down all the perches and other surfaces, moving all the potted plants, sweeping up plant debris, refreshing the quail's dustbathes, rinsing off the walls, etc.



Water and food gets checked daily. I keep pellets out at all times in gravity feeders. Due to humidity, they sometimes get clogged and need to be shaken to allow the pellets to move freely. New forage trays are put out weekly after I clean. Through out the week, I will occasionally add more seeds and other treats to these trays to encourage the birds to keep hunting for goodies.



I will put out chop or sprouts in the morning. Or hang wet leafy greens for the birds to eat or bathe on. After I gather up the remains of the perishable foods, I give the birds some seed. I generally offer a cup or two of seed, divided out among a bunch of small dishes or foraging trays to reduce competition and keep them occupied. Other times, I will bring in millet sprays and hanging them up. Or offer them seed in my hand to lure them over for a bit of human interaction.





For cleaning products, I mostly use water and paper to remove waste. For deeper cleaning, I will use bird cage cleaner or chlorohexidine disinfectant for sanitation. I have a small bottle of F10, but it is hard to find in my area.

I strongly recommend a solid non-porous floor, like concrete or vinyl in a large aviary. Dirt or gravel is impossible to disinfect and can't be cleaned completely. My floor is half gravel and half concrete pavers. Poured concrete would have been more even and easier to clean. I avoid offering food or hanging messy toys on the gravel side of the aviary, since it is much harder to clean up. But I do enjoy having so many live plants.

My daily aviary check takes about five to fifteen minutes. The weekly cleaning takes an hour or so. A really deep clean takes several hours, usually about half a day to do everything.



A clean aviary is a happy aviary.