Bird Aviaries, Outdoor and Indoor

I promised a regular reader that I'd include photos of aviaries by this weekend, so I'd better get to it.

 

Many cages and flights are housed in this building.
It may appear open, but the "window" area has a clear cover.
This yard building has heat for sheltering and/or wintering birds.

This is a side view of the same building.
Entrance at left. It's winter, so leaves on the ground and
trees are bare. Spring will make everything pretty.

Our trip to Eugene and Salem gave us a chance to visit Jeannie Anderson's fascinating place. She raises many varieties of small exotic birds. Many of her birds have been allowed to acclimatize and slowly adapt to cooler weather. They are in outdoor aviaries year round. Others are housed in indoor facilities that are heated in the winter. Many go into outdoor aviaries in the spring and summer, but return to their heated homes when it turns cold. 

Inside the same building. Left side of one of several areas.
There is a large flight at the end of the hallway. Half doors allow safe entry.
Birds generally stay up high, so by bending over to enter, birds remain safe.

Right side of the same hallway. Flight at the end.

A close up of the aviary at the end of the hallway.
There is an even larger one at the other end.

Another section of the same building. Notice the variation of small flights.
This one houses diamond doves and now a pair of Bourkes (formerly mine).

This building is a busy place with many varieties of birds.
A push cart helps distribute seed to each cage or aviary,
and helps deliver fresh water to all the birds daily.

A self-built, functional building that many of us could copy.

Most of the building has cement floors. This addition has a cement block floor.
Skylight above allows light in, yet keeps cold drafts out.
Button quail on aviary floors help control bugs.

Goodbye Clyde. I'm sure you and Bonnie
will enjoy your new, bigger space.

Notice the half door entry into this flight. A variety of nest box choices
for a variety of birds. It's always wise to have more nesting locations
than there are birds in an aviary. You don't want them to squabble.

An outdoor aviary. The bird in upper left is a Rosela parakeet.
As you probably know, they are larger than Bourkes, Budgies, Turks or Splendids.

An outside aviary near the house didn't allow for a view from farther away.

A different outside aviary, less fancy, but functional.
The far right houses white homing pigeons who are currently out flying.
Notice both provide shelter for the birds.
All aviaries have roofs ... Oregon gets a lot of rain.

A final note. You can build aviaries with flights that have wire tops on a portion of them, with enclosed buildings they can fly into. The only problem is that a neighbor's cat may decide to sit on the wire and torment your birds. Or, hawks may fly at them. Although both predators may still be a challenge, a roof is better protection than just wire.

The best protection, of course, is a full indoor enclosure. Then all you'll have to deal with is setting traps for rodents. It's very difficult to build something so tight as to keep them out, but not impossible.

Hope this was helpful, or at least interesting.

If you are in the Eugene, Oregon area and interested in acquiring almost any variety of small exotic bird, Anderson's Aviaries is fun to visit. You can contact them by phone at: 541-729-2740.

Peace & Blessings.

AVIARIES AND CAGES OUTDOORS



Rosebud, a Rosy Bourke, with Ricky, a Normal male Bourke, in their outdoor flight near Portland, Oregon.

Rosebud and Ricky indoors.

Earlier I posted about letting handfed, tame Rosebud go. Never thought I'd sell her, but without a mate and being chased by her sister who has a mate ... well, it seemed she could be happier, and now I'm sure she is.  Located near Portland, Oregon she even has an outdoor flight, and her new owners were kind enough to send these pictures of her in new home. This outside flight inspired the post on housing birds outdoors.

***

Sizes and designs for outdoor cages or aviaries can vary widely. From small cages attached to a window from the outside, allowing birds to travel indoors and out, to enormous structures that house many, many birds.

The photo below was taken of me in 1962 at the San Diego Zoo in California. It’s a huge, heavily planted aviary. Walkways wind their way downward and are defined by round wooden handrails, fenced below to keep visitors on the the paths. It housed many large exotic birds, and still does.

As a child, my parents built my first aviary for Budgerigar Parakeets inside a very large garden lathe house. The aviary filled one corner and was 12 feet by 12 feet and seven feet high. It had a sloping tin roof to shed rain and the enclosure on three sides was of chicken wire. One wall was the side of a garden shed and solid.

In Southern California the weather was warm enough year around that no heat source was necessary. Birds could avoid drafts and did very well in that sheltered environment. Although young budgies did slip through the chicken wire occasionally, but they always returned.

Later, when we added Australian and African finches, my father built a long narrow aviary 18 feet long and six feet high, using smaller gauge wire. One half of the aviary had a fully arched, shingled roof and was enclosed with solid walls on three sides. The other half was all wire, including the top. Birds flew freely between the two spaces. In the enclosed half he added an electric light bulb near the ceiling with plenty of perches near it. As these were expensive birds vs. budgies, he wanted to be sure they had a heat source in the winter. They could crowd near the light bulb for warmth.



Low "half" doors on aviaries.

 Doors on all our aviaries were “half” doors. Meaning that they required an adult to bend over to enter. Rather than providing a double door as protection from birds flying out, the half door was all that was required. Birds tend to fly high and the door was low. They also flew away from us when we entered. Double doors, where you enter an area and close the door behind you before opening the actual door into the aviary, are common in zoo’s and offer more protection from avian escapes.

Java Rice Sparrows

However our half doors always provided enough protection. Our only “escapee” was a Java Rice Sparrow that my five-year-old sister was allowed to take to school for show and tell. A classmate opened the carrying cage door and the bird flew out. We lived several blocks from the elementary school, but that afternoon the bird was back inside our aviary. He found his way home and squeezed into the aviary through the chicken wire, which could have allowed his escape at any time. But, like most captive birds, his aviary was his sanctuary and he had no reason to leave it.

Even my indoor birds remain caged when I clean their cages. I leave the large front doors open and go in and out, turn away to retrieve things, and they never leave their home. It’s their security. Birds raised in captivity, which have always been in a cage, are afraid to leave it. Tame birds, on the hand, can’t wait to get out! Ours are used to a daily free flight in the kitchen and living room and take advantage of any other opportunity.

Below are a few aviary examples. May you be blessed with happy, healthy birds.

REPLACING NEST BOXES FOR BREEDING SEASON

Hello All,

Eight home made parakeet nest boxes after a good cleaning.

Dry and ready to bring inside. Installation was the next day.

I retrieved all our nest boxes from the basement where they’d been stored since last year, shook out a few mouse turds (frown) then brought them up to the laundry room and thoroughly cleaned them with warm sudsy liquid dish detergent. 

After a good rinse, they spent the afternoon on the deck drying in the sun, as the photo illustrates. The sun is beginning to drop on the horizon and the nest boxes, now dry, are about to come indoors. The next day we installed them on cages. An inch or two of pine shavings covers the bottom of our boxes. Bourkes and Splendids like pine shavings (don't use cedar).

Budgies need an indented circle in the bottom of an empty box for their eggs. We're not currently raising Budgies, so all these nest boxes are for Bourkes or Scarlet-chested parakeets.

It’s important to keep an eye on your hens when they’re laying. We’d planned a trip to Chicago during the month of May and I didn’t want our hens laying eggs when I wasn’t at home. This resulted in putting the nest boxes up late this year.



Jewel's new box. It sometimes takes a few days
for birds to investigate a recently installed nest box.
Usually the male checks it out first to be sure it's safe.

 Even though I had someone who would come in each day to provide them with fresh water and food, I wanted to be present during breeding season. If anything unusual were to happen, such as egg-binding, I could recognize and respond to the problem and, hopefully, save a hen’s life. It’s also a good idea to check your nestlings daily. If for some reason a chick isn’t being fed, you can pull the chick and save it with hand feeding.

As you know, having a nest box stimulates the bird’s desire to breed and rear young. Without a nest box, they usually won’t attempt to reproduce. However, like every rule, there are exceptions. One year, I had one female lay her eggs in a food cup in early February.  She has since learned to wait for me to put up a box. I think she realizes that if she waits, one will eventually materialize.

This box slides open on the side, rather than from the top.

Last year Cherry, an older Rosy hen who didn’t lay eggs in 2009, surprised us by raising a total of six youngsters in 2010.  And here I thought she was finished. Apparently not. There was no change of cage or mate  … everything was the same as always. I’m curious to see what she does this year.

Another of my older hens — a Normal named Willow — also appeared to have gone into retirement. Although she raised numerous clutches over the years, in 2009 and 2010 she never glanced at the nest box and turned away her younger mate when he tried to feed her. My husband asked why it was necessary to put a box on their cage.

“You never know,” I said. “Look at Cherry who raised young last year after skipping a year. We’ve nothing to lose. We have the box and it only takes minutes to install it.” Of course, those “lost” minutes were his sacrifice, not mine … Smile.

Clyde outside Bonnie's nest box. 

Peeking inside a newly installed box.

This morning, I looked up from my desk, and Willow was in her nest box!  Will she lay eggs? That is yet to be seen. She was an adult bird when I purchased her a number of years ago, and she isn’t banded. So her age is unknown. If hens live a healthy long life, they eventually quit laying.

Some breeders sell off their older, non-productive birds. I don’t do that. If they’ve done well for me, they deserve a pleasant retirement in the home where they’ve become familiar and comfortable.

Peace & Blessings.
May your birds bring you joy. 

Recognize Dangers to Birds

If you allow your tame birds to fly free, be aware of potential hazards. Here are photographs of the hazards in our home that we try to stay aware of.

When we built our home, and chose the lighting fixtures, we didn’t keep birds. Now we do. To keep our birds safe, overhead lights with exposed bulbs like these are turned off and allowed to cool before we release any birds to fly. This includes when I’m handfeeding youngsters outside their cage. Some have been known to fly off even before all their feathers are in! All they need is the will, a few wing feathers, and a loose hold by me.

You should already know that hot stoves are a high risk. As a child, I remember my grandfather’s yellow budgie, Goldie, who had crippled feet from landing on his hot frying pan. She recovered, but her feet were never the same. Make sure all burners are off and cooled before you release your birds. Even though you might be in another room, if doors are open, they could fly anywhere!

Windows are the most likely risk to birds. We’ve tried to cover our windows with curtains or blinds so that birds won’t fly into them. However, the laundry room has a large window that isn’t covered. The master bath also has windows that are open, as shown. The frosted pictures help prevent wild birds from flying into them, but small parakeets like ours might decide to fly through the areas that aren’t frosted. I close all doors with access to either of these rooms before allowing any of our birds to fly free.

The biggest hazard in our home is two small windows in the peak of the living room. Covering them would be a problem. Fortunately, our tame birds seldom go up that high, but I’ve had youngsters head for them. We have a disabled male Splendid whose wing never healed correctly after flying at full speed into a window. We call him “Flip” because whenever he attempts to fly, he flips. He has lots of toys and sticks to climb, but it would be so much better if he’d never injured his wing. It happened on his first solo flight when he escaped while being transferred from his parents’ cage to another cage with his siblings. Now, he lives in a large cage with “retired” Bourkes and one other bachelor Splendid (who I’d like to find a hen for, by the way).

We have three cats and a big dog … any of whom could dispatch a bird in quick order. However, we’ve spent time training the cats and dog to leave the birds alone, and they do. Yet, we’re careful to never leave the birds alone with them over night.

Admittedly, we do run outside for a few minutes without any concern for the birds’ safety while cats sleep on a nearby couch or chair. We even forgot and left one of the cats asleep in a window seat once, and were gone from home for 8 hours with no harm done.

I honestly don’t think the birds would be at risk, but why take chances? Our cats and dog sleep elsewhere at night…away from any access to the birds.

It is important to train your pets to accept one another though. We’ve had three instances where a baby bird escaped from me and flew over a cat (or all three), even landing in front of one of them. When that has happened, our cats freeze. They know they’d be in trouble if they hurt the bird. Even the old stray cat we adopted leaves the birds alone. She appreciates being taken in. My kitties amaze me, but if animals love their owners (or fear reprisals?), they can be trained to behave as you want them to.

If you haven’t already, go through your home and identify potential risks to your birds. Better to be prepared. Luck and Love …

Bourke & Splendid Relationships

The following question came from a gentleman in Delaware:

"I was wondering if you could post some thoughts on your BLOG about Bourkes and Splendids getting along together. One friend of mine warned me that Bourkes could be mean to Splendids ... but other people have told me they get along fine, even caged together. I have no problem keeping mine is separate cages but I was hoping they would be friends when out of their cages. I also heard that, though related, Bourkes and Splendids will not try to interbreed – hopefully that’s true because I wouldn’t want to cross them."

Male parakeets of any variety can be aggressive with one another if confined together. They may want to chase competitors away from their breeding area, even if there's no hen present, and certainly if there is. Housing hens together, however, shouldn't be a problem, nor should housing a male with a hen or hens. Bourkes and Splendids are very compatible and I often keep them together. During breeding season, however, my birds are separated as pairs in a cage of their own.

The only drawback for housing Splendids and Bourkes together is that Splendids love to destroy their drinking water. Bourkes are a lot less likely to do this, but if they share a cage with Splendids, they may be forced to drink yucky water. All my Bourkes get fresh water every morning. However, cages with Splendids in them get their water changed even more often. As a Splendid owner, you'll see why.

Years ago I had a budgerigar hen destroy the nest of another hen, killing her babies. They were in an outside aviary with extra nest boxes, but she wanted that specific one. That budgie hen didn't remain with the flock once I discovered who'd done the dastardly deed. I can't imagine a Bourke doing anything like that. I've even had normal Bourke hens share a box together with no problem. In that instance their eggs weren't fertile, so there weren't babies to share. Don't know how that might have turned out, but I suspect the two would both have fed them.  

Bourkes are very gentle birds and easy keepers. At times I’ve had more hens than males and could house hens together without a problem. The same thing when I’ve had extra males and not enough hens for them. As long as a hen wasn’t present to argue over, the males got along fine in the same cage.

Splendids have interbred with other neophema grass parakeets. Everything I’ve read about Bourkes says that they won’t interbreed with any other species. Yet, at one time I had a widowed Splendid male that I put in a cage of extra Bourke hens so that he wouldn’t be alone. One normal Bourke hen, Willow, was very eager to breed and invited him to mount her.

Now, this particular male Splendid, Merlin, had been an abusive husband to his sweet little mate. He had a habit of pulling out her feathers when breeding, leaving her back bare. (No others have done this to their mates, not his sons or his grandsons).

Merlin decided to accommodate Willow, put a foot up on her back, and plucked out a feather. She screeched and moved away, turning back to look at him. An accident? She decided it must be, and invited him back. He moved to her, put one foot on her back, leaned forward and yanked out a feather. She screeched again, turned and leaped at him, chasing him all over the cage as he cried in fear. (Bourkes are slightly larger than Splendids). Willow went into a nest box and laid infertile eggs, but every time she came out to eat, Merlin dashed into a corner and cried. She ignored him ever after.

Eventually Willow got a young male Bourke as a mate and has raised countless, healthy baby Bourkes. This last summer she decided to “retire” and isn’t laying any longer, although she still enjoys allowing her mate to feed her.

This is a very young pair of Bourkes ... a rosy and a pink Bourke. They are from the same clutch.

There's more on breeding Bourkes in my Blog from October, 2009.

Hand Feeding Answers…

I’ve been asked if I have a way of knowing the appropriate weight of baby parakeets as they grow (specifically Splendids). Honestly, I’ve never weighed my babies. We could, and have a postal scale to use for items sold on eBay. (We’re 45egl, but nothing’s offered at present).

Food and warmth are what baby birds need. A soft voice is helpful too. While small, I feed ours every 3 hours and let them eat as much as they can. Parents stuff the babies so full that they look like they'll pop, so I don't think we can over feed them. After leaving their parents, the first 2-3 feedings should be very thin to encourage things to move through. The material I've read says to let their crops empty before filling to avoid sour crop. However, I've never had a problem feeding them when they still have some food left in their crops. As long as it's soft, they're fine. You don't want them to weaken from not eating enough. If the crop feels hard, massage it gently to see if you can get the food to move around and eventually on through … always be careful and gentle. No pushing!

After the first week of age, I try to feed our babies at least four times a day, or 5 times in 24 hours ... more often when newly hatched…maybe at 2-3 hr intervals. By about 3 weeks, they can wait to be fed every 4-6 hrs between feedings. I've been getting up at 2am to feed my current two ... I think they could go all night now, but they're still small and I want them to do well. When they finish feeding, their crops are wider than they are and look like little balloons.

I use Exact hand feeding formula. It gets hard when it dries, so I try to dab as much of it off the birds as possible after each feeding. I use a warm damp tissue. It's easier to remove it while it’s wet than after it has dried. I most recently purchased Exact at Petsolutions.com.

I always boil the water before mixing it with the Exact. The package gives recommendations for the amount of powder & water based on the bird's age. As the mixture cools I keep checking it against my wrist. The Exact package gives preferred temperatures, but a drop on the wrist works fine...just like with a baby's bottle. When the small dish I've mixed it in begins to cool down, I place it into a larger dish of the previously boiled water to warm it back up. Works fine.

Our hand fed babies are kept in a small cardboard box. It’s secured to the tabletop with duct tape with a small space heater on the floor below. There's a thermometer nearby, and the temp in their part of the room is usually around 78 degrees. One side of the box extends over the edge of the table allowing the heater to warm the bottom. I spread a layer of pine shavings inside the box and cover it with a clean paper towel. I replace the towel each time I feed them. After feeding, I always return the babies to the warm corner. Later I sometimes find them elsewhere in the box. They’re old enough to move about now and this is how they regulate the temperature to stay within their comfort zone.

We had a 4-hour power outage due to a windstorm last Sunday, so I put a wool sock over the babies to help keep them warm. Luckily, the house never got very cold.

Other people keep baby birds in glass aquariums with a heating pad over it and draped down one side of the outside of the aquarium. A thermometer is kept inside to monitor the temp. Pine shavings or newspaper in the bottom helps keep it clean and dry.

If you keep baby birds warm (ideally in a box where one corner is warmer so they can move to, or away from, the heat), and make sure they are well fed, they should do fine.

Once the babies feather, they still need to be fed. Typically, parents feed them for two weeks or more after they leave the nest. When they are fully feathered, I fear they may fly into a window or something, so I move them to a cage, but continue to feed them every 4-6 hours until I’m sure they’re eating on their own.

Several food sources are introduced at this time: nesting food, if you have it, assorted parakeet seed and especially spray millet – the easiest thing for a baby to learn to eat. My fully-feathered babies also sample whatever I have available that’s safe for them: bread, peas, corn, spinach, celery tops, carrots, fresh fruit (NEVER AVOCADO!). However, seed is always present. So is fresh water, replaced daily, if not more often.

Even when they begin to scratch around and appear to eat, I offer them Exact formula. Most eventually refuse soft food in preference for seed. Occasionally, you’ll get one who likes to be babied and wants to continue to be fed. Then you’ll have to decide when enough is enough… smile.

Hand Fed Baby Bourke Parakeets

The tiny Bourke in the photo with two eggs hatched the day the photo was taken, Jan. 18, 2010.  His head is facing downward so that only his neck and back show.

The two larger babies are about two weeks old. They grow fast! Their sister from an earlier clutch is very interested.  She likes to share their food, although she's been able to eat on her own for weeks.

The egg photos below show the potential for differing sizes of parakeet eggs. They are round or oval with no problem. However, I've never seen a very small egg hatch. The eggs in these photos are left from clutches that didn't hatch. Most often simply infertile.

I recently opened a dead egg to see why it didn't hatch. In the past the hen has produced three healthy clutches with 8 healthy youngsters. This egg was in a clutch of three eggs, two hatched healthy babies. This egg had actually been piping, but had quit and several days later I opened it to investigate.

Instead of a normal chick, this one had a normal-sized head and body, but no limbs. The body had no wings or legs. Although it developed for the normal length of time, it couldn't open the shell. Nature prevented this deformed baby from exiting its shell.  Fortunately, it's the only one I've ever seen like this. I don't open every unhatched egg, but was curious about this one.

Bourke & Splendid eggs can vary in size. Some are round, others oval. Although white, slight color variations may also exist. For countless reasons, more eggs don't hatch than actually do.  The two tiny ones on the right in this photo weren't likely to hatch under any circumstances.

More on Incubation – What We Did Wrong

I researched incubation of eggs and decided that, although the maintenance temperature for our Bourke parakeet eggs was okay, when they started piping they required more humidity than what was provided. This is likely why they were unable to hatch. I wish I’d acquired this information sooner. However, in the future if fertile eggs are laid on the bottom of a cage, or abandoned, this knowledge will be put to good use!

The average incubation period for parakeet eggs is 19 days from the day the egg is laid. However, 18-21 days is also common. Temperature is very important during incubation. Temperature can vary between the top and bottom of an egg, so turning them about five times every 24 hours is necessary. Overnight can be eliminated, but be sure to turn them late and early again the next morning. Never leave them with the small end up. Eggs should either be placed large end up or on their side. Turn eggs on a 90-degree plane as gently as possible. If they are not turned regularly, chicks may stick to the inside of their shells. Turning should continue until one or two days prior to hatching or until the eggs are piping.

For the eggs’ first week, the temperature should be 101 Degrees Fahrenheit, then 102 Degrees F for the second week, and 103 Degrees F until hatching. If you’re fortunate enough to have a large commercial forced-air incubator where turning is not required, the temperature can be kept at 99-100o F. However, most of us do not have access to that state-of-the-art equipment.

Eggs lose water while being incubated, so humidity is key. For optimum growth, a relative humidity of 60 percent should be maintained until eggs begin to pip. Then relative humidity should be raised to 70 percent. A pan of water is imperative; however, it may not be enough. In such instances, suspending a piece of cloth from the water will provide wick action.

To gauge relative humidity, wrap a wet cotton cloth around the bulb of a thermometer and suspend it in the hatching chamber. With evaporation, the “wet” bulb thermometer will have a temperature lower than that of a dry bulb thermometer in the same chamber.

Ventilation is important too. The older the egg, or the larger number of eggs present, the more oxygen will be used by the developing embryos. Also, more carbon dioxide is released. Ventilation capability must be incorporated in the incubator area.

Testing for fertile, viable eggs: When a hen suddenly died, I removed the eggs from her nest box, expecting the embryos to be dead too. However, I gently put them in a bowl of warm water. One sank and the others floated. I assumed the floaters were no good and discarded them. The one that sank went under another hen and ultimately hatched.

Newly laid eggs will display red veins if they’re fertile. These should appear very soon, but I’d give the eggs a few days before discarding any. If, after a few days, you shine a flashlight through the shell and all you see is clear liquid and a yellow yolk, the eggs weren’t fertilized. I tend to let my hens sit on them anyway, until the hen decides to abandon them, but that’s a personal choice. Maybe they’d go back and lay good eggs sooner if the infertile eggs were removed.

Incubating eggs may seem complicated, but consider the fact that the Chinese developed artificial incubation as early as 246 B.C. And, in the year 400 B.C. Aristotle wrote about Egyptians placing eggs in dung heaps and successfully incubating them. Personally, I’d rather use a light bulb and thermometers.

Happy incubating and good luck!

Temporary Housing for Babies

If you're hand feeding babies, you need to keep them warm. Fuchsia is in a small cardboard box, shown here. The top folds down to keep her safely inside. the bottom of the box has pine shavings, and I put a folded paper towel, napkin and/or tissue over the shavings. when I take her out to feed her, I can throw the "diaper" away and replace it with a fresh, clean one.

Baby droppings are very wet, so something absorbent helps. If moisture still soaks into the pine shavings, they can be "stirred" to help them dry while you're feeding babies. You can change shavings too anytime you want to. That's most likely necessary with multiple babies than with one.

Notice in the photo that there is an oil heater off to the side. In order to keep Fuchsia warm, we put the oil heater near her box. The rest of the house may be only 68 to 70 degrees, but her area stays much warmer. I taped her box to the table with duct tape so that it couldn't accidentally be knocked onto the floor since it sits near the edge where it's close to the heater. I often check the corner of the box nearest the heater to make sure it isn't getting too hot. As the day warms up, I turn the heater off, but turn it back on at dusk when the house starts to cool.

You don't want to "cook" or dehydrate your babies, but you do want them to stay nice and warm ... just as they would be if their mother was next to them. Once they feather, they are able to stay warm on their own, but before that they need extra warmth. I've found a portable oil heater nearby works perfectly.

Fuchsia will go into a cage as soon as she shows that she's able to fly. She will continue to be handfed after that, perhaps for another week, or even two.

Hand Feeding Baby Birds of the Smaller Kind…

These photos are of Fuchsia, the Rosy Bourke baby I previously wrote about. In these photos she/he is 18 days old. How do you sex a Bourke? It’s difficult in a baby bird, but adults are easier. I’ll cover that in a future post since this is about hand feeding.

A newly hatched chick should be fed a watery mixture of food almost every 2 hours. For best results, get up in the middle of the night and feed them. After a week, you can cut back to 3-4 hours. Fuchsia is being fed about every 4 hours, 5 times a day. However, I’m not getting up in the middle of the night. She waits from 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., 9 hours without food. She’d probably like to be fed in the middle of the night, but I’m lazy and she’s doing fine without it.

I use Exact Hand Feeding Formula. The proper mixing amounts are included with the package. It’s available at numerous sites on the internet, in larger pet shops and usually at the Grange. With a glass measuring cup, I boil a cup of water in the microwave. I put 1 ½ teaspoons of powdered Exact in a tiny bowl and mix in 3 teaspoons of boiling water, stirring until well dissolved. Newly hatched chicks to 2 days old get 1 part Exact to 6 parts water. Two to 5 days get 1 part Exact to 2-3 parts water. Five days until weaned, they get 1 part Exact to 2 parts water.

Formula should be stirred until all lumps are out of it. This also helps it to cool. I keep the Exact in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and the cold powder helps cool the mixture. It should be warm, but not hot when fed. They don’t like it cold, however. I test it on my wrist just like with any other baby formula. When very warm, but NOT HOT, I pull it up into a glass eye dropper (usually found in pairs at pharmacies). When it starts to get too cool, I set my smaller dish into a larger dish of the extra boiled water and that re-warms it. Always checking, however, to be sure it’s not too hot or too cold.

Some books on birds recommend using a thermometer to be sure the temperature stays at the optimum degree (they’ll tell you what that is). I trust my wrist. Or, as you can see from the photo, a dab on my fingers tells me if it’s cooled too much.

Fuchsia learned very quickly to know where the food comes from. I slowly squeeze the formula into her mouth until she turns her head away. She puts the tip right into her beak and turns her head away when she’s ready for a short break. When she’s ready, we go at it again. She usually eats very quickly and I fill the dropper only a few times. There’s always food left over, but it’s easier to retrieve it from the bowl and into the eye dropper if there’s enough in the bowl. By putting my fingers around her head, it helps steady it. She tends to “bob” back and forth. I don’t hold her still, just create a barrier that restricts how far she wobbles from side to side.

I’ve read that you don’t want to inject any air into a baby bird’s crop. So, I make sure the dropper is full of only formula with no air in between. I even eject a small amount before putting it to her beak to be sure any air in the tip is exhausted before she’s fed. That’s another reason to have enough food in the bowl so the eye dropper can submerge far enough to avoid sucking air with the food. (However, I’ve noted what looks like a “bubble” inside their crops and it never seemed to harm them. Don’t panic if you see this too.)

Parent birds stuff their youngsters so full that they look like they could burst. I don’t worry about overfeeding hand fed babies. Their little crops do bulge. However, never force feed them. Let them decide if they want more or not. Check their crop and you’ll get used to seeing it at the size they are comfortable with.

Apparently some breeders put a tube down larger birds’ throats and feed all the formula at once. That is fast and efficient, but I can’t imagine doing it to a small bird like a Bourke or Splendid. They eat quickly anyway, and it’s much safer to let them eat from an eye dropper at their own pace. I’m certain they’re happier that way too.

Be sure to inspect glass eye droppers before every feeding. If it becomes chipped at the tip it won’t be noticeable and you don’t want to use it if it’s damaged. Children can become curious and play with droppers when you don’t know about it … so check them. Eye droppers are very fragile; anyone can pick one up to move it and accidently damage it without realizing it.

Be sure to clean all your utensils thoroughly after each feeding. Run hot water through the eye dropper until there’s nothing left in it. Also make sure the rubber bulb on the end is well rinsed. Because food can dry inside, I sometimes leave the dropper in the bowl of boiling water (now very hot, but no longer boiling) while I clean up the baby.

Yes, the baby gets sponged off too. Formula is going to spill out the side of a baby’s beak and probably on its chest. If left there, it will harden and be difficult to remove. It’s much easier to take a damp cloth or tissue and wipe it off after each feeding. Fuchsia appears to enjoy the attention from this procedure.

Do not save left over prepared formula. Mix it fresh each time you feed.

When I began feeding this baby almost a week ago, I was disappointed to need to do it. I knew it would take time and effort to save this baby’s life. However, I find now that I truly enjoy my moments with this baby and have great affection for her. She has a pleasant, peaceful effect on me.

In the future, I expect to walk around the house with Fuchsia on my shoulder and exchange “birdy” kisses with her. Although it’s easy to tame a young Bourke, just like with a young Budgie, when hand fed the birds bond in a unique way.

What about our three cats? Trust me, they leave the birds alone. I expect to introduce this baby to them when it’s outside the cage. More risky, but I’m confident they can learn to accept the new, tame pet that’s occasionally loose in the house. Never unsupervised, of course.

I have lots of cats with bird stories to share. I’ll get to them eventually, I promise. Have a great tomorrow.

Transfer Cage

From time to time, you will need to move your birds. Any cage will do, but I like this one. It’s especially useful in order to thoroughly clean a cage and/or switch pairs between cages.

I place one pair in the small transfer cage, then thoroughly clean their cage before moving the other pair into it. Once that pair is settled in, I clean the newly vacated cage before putting the pair from the transfer cage into that one.

This works well and makes this small cage very handy. Another advantage is that it doesn’t take up much room when not being used.

Nest Boxes

Small parakeets like Bourkes and Splendids are resourceful. I had one hen lay an egg in a feedcup for lack of a nest box. If that happens, it's time to give her an appropriate place for her clutch.

Even an oatmeal carton, open at one end, and put on the bottom of a cage, has been used by Bourkes to raise healthy babies. However, there are better options. Thin wood, like plywood, makes a sturdy nest box. You want to hinge the top, or have a sliding door at one end, in order to check on your babies and later to clean out the box for re-use. I like to hang the boxes outside the cage, leaving the birds with as much flying area as possible. That means cutting wire holes in the cages, but they are meant to be breeding cages anyhow.

As an aside, if you are using a cage instead of an aviary for Bourkes, they need flying space. Tall cages are not the right kind. An oblong cage allows them to fly in circles and exercise - something they do quite well.

Normally a hen won't attempt to mate until she has a safe place to lay her eggs. Adding a nest box will encourage her to mate. When she's ready, she raises her tail and cheeps at her mate. He has probably been feeding her for days or weeks before. It's a way to prove he's capable of caring for her and her babies as he will feed her while she's on eggs. Later when the babies hatch, he feeds her and she feeds the young until they leave the nest. That way the "milk" that's regurgitated for the young has been processed twice before they get it.

Males Bourkes show off for hens by standing up straight and slightly puffing out their wings at the shoulder. This shoulder lifting is a way to determine sex in young Bourkes. They'll do it around any nearby hens. Since Rosy's are difficult to sex, I watch for this behavior. Normal Bourke males, when mature, have a tiny line of blue feathers above their nostrils that the hens don't have. Once you get to know your Bourkes, however, you'll recognize the differences in the behaviors of the two sexes.

Budgies only require an indentation in the bottom of their box to allow the eggs to gather together. An indentation for Bourkes and Splendids is a good idea, however, they may not use it. Therefore, I also put pine shavings (commercially called pine bedding for small pets) in my boxes. About one to two inches is adequate. Some of my hens dig down to the bare surface to lay their eggs, others simply press it down until it forms a bowl indentation.

Pine shavings help keep the nest cleaner after the babies hatch. It should be discarded after the young leave the nest. If you leave it there too long, the hen may go back to the nest to lay eggs again, and you don't want to disturb her, but you don't want your next clutch raised in a dirty nest either. I admit, however, that when hens have raised only one baby, I've allowed them to go back and raise two or three more young in rapid succession.

Most hens keep a very clean nest. It's when three or four babies begin to grow that the nest becomes soiled. I've been known to remove babies and replace their pine shavings with clean if it seems to need it. It never bothered them, or their parents, to do this. I wouldn't do it with newly hatched chicks though. I'd wait until they start to show some beginning feathers.

If you know anything about Australian birds, you know that they should be kept out of drafts. Mother birds keep their babies warm, but I still like to keep my bird rooms no cooler than 68 degrees. Usually, around 70-72 degrees Farenheit. They could probably withstand cooler temps., but they fare better if they don't get cold.

Most years I put up boxes in February and have babies by May. I let mated pairs have two clutches (sometimes three depending on how healthy & eager the hen appears) before removing the boxes. That's usually about August or September. More than two or three clutches a year will stress your birds. It's better to keep them healthy and producing year after year.

Next: Banding Babies

All Babies are a Blessing, Human Babies Most of All, and Even Baby Birds!

I confess to being stridently Pro-Life. I ask myself why people can be terribly upset over drowning kittens or puppies, but allow the destruction of tiny humans in the womb?

That said, all babies fascinate me. Each and every life is miraculous and therefore precious, be it human or animal. People first, of course ... always. However, every little creature under the sun is intricate and worth admiring.

I wish for every child the opportunity to witness the cycle of life. If in a small apartment, when money is tight, then just a fish bowl of guppies is worthwhile. A step up from that would be a pair of Betta's (Siamese fighting fish). Their bubble nest, the mating method, and how the male cares for eggs until they hatch, and then his babies ... it's all very interesting and educational.

Birds are also wonderful pets for a small space. Although we had cats and dogs, our son wanted a tame budgie. We gave him the admonition, "Keep your bedroom door closed, so the cats can't get to him." Of course the inevitable happened. I heard a crash one day and ran to his room. The cage was on the floor and the bird was on the curtain rod, unhurt. Searching under the bed, I dragged Panther, our black cat, out from under to scold him. That wasn't necessary, however. On the tip of his nose was a tiny red divot where Skybird (a blue budgie) had bitten him. In jerking back, Panther upset the cage. He never went near Skybird again!

By teaching our children to be responsible for a pet, they learn to become responsible adults and better parents. Seeing a pair of birds (of any variety) care for each other, their eggs and their babies can inspire kids to value life and be kind to all animals. Monitor your children, however. Some can be too rough. A pet is not where they should take out their frustrations, or make mistakes.

A former neighbor boy of ours was out on his front lawn with guinea pigs one summer day. He chased them around the yard, scaring them like a predator. Then he'd pick them up over his head and shake them slightly. His parents were nowhere around. I couldn't endure it. I went out and talked with him about his guinea pigs, discussing the responsibility he'd taken on. I never criticized him or told him I'd been unhappy watching him. I discussed the importance of being gentle and kind to our pets. Over time his behavior changed and every time I was in the front yard watering or weeding, he'd come over to visit. He needed the interaction with an adult ... he needed to learn. Don't give your children a pet and leave them alone with it until you've spent time training. Get books. Read to them about their pet and its care. That's so very important. It will be valuable to you too, and make you closer to your children.

About cats: We have always had two or three. I used to be afraid of having small birds where cats could get to them. In a way, cats are like children ... they need to be taught too. My first exposure was with Panther; however, later we adopted a beautiful adult (declawed) blue point Birman from an animal shelter. We worried whether he and our other adult male alley-cat would learn to get along ... in two weeks they were pals. Blue Barley the Blue Birman found his way into my bedroom one day and up onto the window sill. Hanging nearby were two cages of white zebra finches. Over the five years we owned and loved Barley, he rested there and watched them for hours, never attempting to leap at them or bother them. It became a past time for him and they never feared him. He watched a lot of baby finches hatch and grow.

Also, in the kitchen we had a tame albino budgie. Originally, I hung her cage very high, away from cats. But, they considered her a piece of furniture and in her 12-year lifespan, no one ever bothered her. We later added a pair of cockatiels and they were also left alone. When I let them out of their cage (they were very tame), I made sure the cats were outside. As always seems to happen, a child allowed one of the cats inside. Our male cockatiel decided to dive bomb the cat - very risky to the bird! I yelled "No Paws!" to the cat. Paws was his name. He hunkered down and watched me instead of the bird. He knew he had to leave that pesky bird alone.

Today, with our Bourkes and Splendids we started out with two elderly cats and one younger one. They'd all been around other birds and ignored them. When the two older cats passed on, I added a kitten. Whenever she even looked at the birds, she was warned in a cross, angry-sounding voice, "NO BIRDS!"

Some cats might need a swat with a newspaper, but she didn't. Wanting to please, after a few weeks, the birds were no longer very interesting and she ignored them. When she was two years old, a sickly, but pretty calico cat arrived in our neighboring woods. Eventually, our Miracle Patches was caught and rescued. Since she immediately made friends with our big malamute/lab mix, we decided to let her stay rather than put her up for adoption like we'd done with so many other rescued cats.

Patches, too, was willing to please. Although the birds seemed interesting at first, a few cross words and she'd skulk away, head down, "I wasn't looking, honest..." She's been with us almost three years and, although elderly (losing teeth), she's healthy, loving and beautiful.

I still don't willingly leave the cats alone in the same room with the birds at night, or if we're going to be gone a while. If it's raining and they want to stay inside and we want to go shopping, the cats go into a bedroom behind a closed door. They are happy with that arrangement and I don't worry about the birds (I wish I had a bird room, but this house doesn't lend itself to that. The birds are in a nook off the kitchen and in the living room. They started in just the nook, but without intending to keep youngsters, our flock keeps growing anyway).

In spite of best intentions, however, we have left cats unattended and near the birds. Not realizing our oldest cat, Me-Too, was asleep in a window seat, we put the other two outside and drove to a big city hours away. We got home 7 hours later and there he was, still snoozing. Another time, we went to bed thinking that Patches was outside, and when we called she wouldn't come inside. About midnight she meowed outside our bedroom door. We'd left her asleep in the living room where the birds are!

The worst thing we've had happen to a bird was when a young baby Splendid, being moved from his parents cage, flew off and into a window, injuring his wing. Since he can't fly, he's now a pet named "Flip," because that's what he does if he tries to fly. Sad, but he seems happy enough. Splendids are mostly climbers and do it well.

Nothing has ever happened to our birds because of a cat. It should be noted that we live in the country, far, far from streets or cars, so going outside isn't dangerous. Our cats (and dog) stay away from the porcupines, possible bears and cougars. We also have foxes, and would you believe I once saw a fox PLAYING with our small, elderly cat, Fancy. (She was also an adoptee from a shelter and declawed before we got her). I thought he was going to pounce on her, but he was playing with her. Honest. She wasn't afraid of him and didn't run away. After ten years of living here, no tragedy has befallen any of our pets, unlike tragedies that did occur in the city. Yet, we've seen bears (they steal my outdoor bird feeders, so I've quit feeding the wild birds ... except for hummingbirds).

I used to keep two Banty chickens ... they make wonderful pets and their eggs are delicious, better than big brown Orpington eggs (we had one hen). However, after a hawk and fox made a meal of my three hens, I've not had any others. We discussed fencing and protection, but chickens can carry diseases that exotic birds can catch. More on that subject another time.

Many blessings.