They have included Fife Canaries, Zebra, Bengalese and Java Finches
Following the removal of the outside flight, I have more recently created an indoor flight for my diminishing stock. The
crazy thing is, that it was built out of the two halves of the base of a double divan bed!!!!. How I ever thought of it, is
beyond belief.
First obtain your base, I believe the older bed bases are made of better quality softwood
. All upholstery and staples have to be removed, this takes a lot of time, but the effort is worth it. Make sure the two
halves are held together securely. The resulting frame is approximately 3 foot high, 3 foot 2 inches wide, and about 2 foot
deep front to back. Add two breeding cage fronts, extra cross bracing and a gap at the bottom on the front of the frame.
The cage fronts will allow the use of water bottles, cuttlefish clips and allow access to change food and bathing water bowls
. The gap will allow you to use sliding trays at the bottom to help keep it clean. Place a layer of thin aliminium sheet at
the base of the frame, to allow smooth action of the trays and make it easy to clean. Take care trimming the sheet metal,
I slipped and cut open my wrist. Thankfully no serious damage was done, but I will have a scar to remind me.
I added extra bracing on the front to allow a drop down hatch (basic wooden frame covered with the usual
wire netting) to allow access higher up. Add perches at appropriate heights, to encourage multi-level flying and exercise
of breast / flight muscles. Cover the whole frame in the usual netting using staples. Painting the frame is optional, but
will allow it to be placed outside. Also thinking ahead, you could add legs with cross supports, to increase the height from
the ground. But make sure they are strong, the frame is surprisingly heavy. Hanging perches, able to swing in any
direction, add extra fun for the birds. Adding lighting used in wall units (not flourescent tubes) can help with the
photosensitivity of canaries and the heat from the bulbs, will help keep the birds warm if the room is unheated. There maybe
empty spaces at the bottom of the sides, fill these with a suitable material (I am using dense furniture foam). This will
prevent the smaller finches getting trapped (I found out this the hard way!). Place a long piece of wood across the bottom
part of the back of the flight to stop seed falling out the back. This piece of wood can be short in height and thin (3 ply
should be enough. Currently the finished version is kept inside a 1930's style car garage, on a raised bench.
Check out the vector pictures of the new aviary below.
New Aviary Front
New Aviary Back
New Aviary Side
UPDATE 30/01/05
I have not been able to obtain any new birds. My stock has now diminished to 4 birds. Two canaries, one bengalese finch and a zebra
finch. Due to this, I have further reduced the size of the aviary described above. The whole of the back half was removed and the top
front half also removed - resulting in a flight approx. quarter the size it was. This has allowed me to create the equivalent of a double
breeder cage - two canary fronts in length. The finches now sleep in a woven suspended basket seperately from the canaries. Plastic trays
used for frozen meat in supermarkets, once cleaned have allowed me to create a water bath for them to use (just small enough to fit through
the gate on the cage front and not deep enough to cause problems for the finches). They still have a swinging perch, seperate water bottles
and seed / grit holders made from coffee lids (easy to keep clean). They now longer need the light units as they are now kept inside my house.
I have also updated my email link - it should work.
Joey the Budgie (Mixed page) passed away over Xmas 2004 aged approx. 14 years old due to a weakness in his immune system which brought on a
scaley face mite infestation (never had these before and was always kept seperate from our other birds). The medicine from the vet (Ivermectin)
did help to ease his passing but he was too weak to recover. We have no plans to replace him. The gooey substance produced by the mites which
sealed up his eyes can be moved (not removed) with extreme care. Warm water will slowly release the contact with the skin and feathers.
I was able to use this long slow process to reopen his sealed eyelids so he could see to eat and drink. Please note if you intend doing this,
you do it at your own peril, as there is the obvious danger of hurting the bird or worse making it permanently blind. This process is also worrying
for the bird especially if it cannot see what you are doing. I do not recommend doing this, you must make the choice.
