Posted February 23, 200817 yr This is my setup. My flight aviary is approx 9f l x 6f h x 4f w My small aviary was my first - i got it when i was about 10 - I was so stoked at the time, but it looks soooo small now hehehe. It is approx 3 f l x 3 f h x 2.6f w What I currenly have is: in the flight is 3 budgie nest boxes 3 cockatiels 3 budgie breeding pairs babies budgies and adults budgies. In the small one has, 3 cockatiels - in there becausae they plucked their own baby who is in the flight. - they can go back in the flight now becase the baby is grown :bluebudgie: 2 female budgies - they kept mating and they are too young to breed. Whitie and her Toy Boy are also in there beacuse she cant fly very well and I dont want her to fall from the high perches in the flight avairy. What i want to change: I want to have cockatiles, adult budgies and breeding pairs in the flight. I want to put babies in the small one. I want to build another for old budgies to grow old gracefully in. The new cage i want to build on the roof of the small one, so it fills in the space up to the top of the flight... (if that makes sense hehe) because it's for my old birds, i was thinking about putting tin on all sides except the bottom and the front. I would also put a tray (blue board) underneth that i can slide out and clean the mess. What do other breeders do with their old birds??? I have a hen who is on her last clutch, she is 5 years old and i think its time she retired and enjoyed the quiet life I'd love any advice... I haven't drawn up a plan yet.... it's all thought processes for now. What do you think? Edited August 15, 200816 yr by **Liv**
February 23, 200817 yr Author I have just put my cockatiels back into the flight they are as pleased as punch to be back with their friends. Edited August 15, 200816 yr by **Liv**
February 23, 200817 yr You go girl... (Phoebe). Your set up look great. Your first avairy is quite small (compared to the big one). I bet when you got it it looked massive . I like your plans for the new cage (for the aged ones). I think just having wire on the front and bottom is a good idea as well. I only have one avairy. Budgies in one side of it and two tiels in the other side. I am yet to have to deal with aged/past breeding etc ones... I'd love to see your plans when you've drawn them up.
February 23, 200817 yr I let my old ones grow old and die gracefully in my aviary I Love having older cute birds and disabled birds... Just to give them a chance to relax is nice everyone needs some care Your plans sounds good! and your aviary set up is nice! Do you only colony breed? or cabinets also? Plenty of room for lots more required nestboxes in there
February 23, 200817 yr Author You go girl... (Phoebe). Your set up look great. Your first avairy is quite small (compared to the big one). I bet when you got it it looked massive . I like your plans for the new cage (for the aged ones). I think just having wire on the front and bottom is a good idea as well. I only have one avairy. Budgies in one side of it and two tiels in the other side. I am yet to have to deal with aged/past breeding etc ones... I'd love to see your plans when you've drawn them up. Thanks Maesie, I am looking forward to creating some plans. I want to reduce the drafts with the tin as its quite windy here (on the side of a hill). I will post them when i have them made... hopfully very soon I let my old ones grow old and die gracefully in my aviary I Love having older cute birds and disabled birds... Just to give them a chance to relax is nice everyone needs some care Your plans sounds good! and your aviary set up is nice! Do you only colony breed? or cabinets also? Plenty of room for lots more required nestboxes in there I like to keep my elderly birds seperate as I worry about spread of illness etc. I only colony breed at the moment, and so far all the pairs i have wanted together have worked I'd like to try cabinet breeding, but i dont know where to put it...??? I have 3 nest boxes at the moment and i am not planning on putting any more in. I will get too many babies and wont know what to do with them hehehe.I cant have The small aviary fill up too fast with baby birds. I had cockatiel boxes in the other end before, but I only got 2 babies out of them and both got badly pecked, (they are fine now), but i am not going to breed them again.
February 23, 200817 yr Your current set-up looks fantatic and all your residents look very happy munching on their gum leaves. I think your ideas for the 'oldies aviary' sound great .
February 23, 200817 yr Author Do you have double doors in the entry of your flight? It looks nice. No, no double doors. I had the option but had it removed becuase it took up nearly 1/5 of the space - I am very quick and so far have not had any escapes **touches wood**
February 24, 200817 yr I have a suggestion....move your smaller aviary to the right. Create a structure that frames the lot and goes across to your large aviary, making the whole are as far out forwards as the large aviary. Between the two aviaries, create a section that is for breeder cages ( maybe 2-3 breeder cages wide and two or 3 deep ...stacked ) and storage underneath. In this section you will then have your safety door area and can move the door on the large aviary into the right hand side so access becomes.......You go into the middle are where your breeding cages and food storage area is. To the left is safer entry to your main aviary. To the right would be access to the small aviary. I would raise your smaller aviary on legs so the birds would like the feeling of height better than the almost ground level it is now. With a bit of a shuffle and some restructure you will end up with a safe area and a breeding area. Then all birds in flights will be there only for fun and flying. Any that breed are in the middle section. Does this make sense ? Not too hard to do.
February 24, 200817 yr Author Wow Kaz, thats a really great plan!!!! Having the breeders seperate, rather than the babies is perfect! I did feel bad about sticking the babies in the smaller one. I have created some very detailed drawings. hehehe My original thought AND This is Kaz's cool idea (as i see it using her discription) Questions... - How big are breeding cages? - The door of the small aviary is on the right side and has tin on the left. So I am unsure how to get access though the breeding section? - I can keep the existing door on the large aviary and build a new one on the left side easy - I'm not sure how to go about raising the small aviary and there would be a lot of wasted space underneath....??? What about this.... Build a breeding area onto the side of the main flight and raise the small aviary up on leggs but keep it seperate from the main structure.....??? What are your thoughts???? Edited August 15, 200816 yr by **Liv**
February 24, 200817 yr Wow Kaz, thats a really great plan!!!! Having the breeders seperate, rather than the babies is perfect! I did feel bad about sticking the babies in the smaller one. I have created some very detailed drawings. hehehe My original thought AND This is Kaz's cool idea (as i see it using her discription) Questions... - How big are breeding cages? - The door of the small aviary is on the right side and has tin on the left. So I am unsure how to get access though the breeding section? - I can keep the existing door on the large aviary and build a new one on the left side easy - I'm not sure how to go about raising the small aviary and there would be a lot of wasted space underneath....??? What about this.... Build a breeding area onto the side of the main flight and raise the small aviary up on leggs but keep it seperate from the main structure.....??? What are your thoughts???? I would put either legs on your smaller aviary or find a great cupboard to put underneath for storage of food, toys and equipment. If you raise it up you can either put another cage section underneath for babies...but still with keeping it off floor level. Or the cupboard underneath which is storage sorted out. Changing the door on your larger aviary to be accessible from inside the new area only ...one outside door only to go into the middle section, and then one into the main aviary too....same for your smaller aviary...acessible from the middle breeding section only. Any escapes then are into the middle section where it is all safe. Breeder cages are approximately 2 foot wide by 1 and a half feet deep and hgh, so depending on how many birds and how much breeding you are going to do....maybe two high by two wide ? . Again an area underneath for either sorage or another wider flight area for fledglings. Your babies once they are doing well in a fledgling section can go into your main aviary if it has no nestboxes in it. You pull out pairs into your middle section for breeding...easier to access the breeders and babies...easier to feed and deal with them...easier to check nestboxes. Just some thoughts to maximise the area you have and make some improvements which you may have already thought of Edited August 15, 200816 yr by **Liv**
February 24, 200817 yr What about this?... (I've drawn a sketch below)... Put the oldies cage next to the flight avairy, with the front of the oldies level with the start of the flights side wire. (You may need to move the flight avairy forward a little to allow this) Have the oldies up off the ground (storage underneath). Then have wire running from the front corner of the flight accross to the right as far as you want, then create an end and back out of wood or wire? So you get access in the far right, enter into a section for breeding cages etc... you can get to the oldies cage from here... then walk down the short corridor to the new side door on the flight. This would be more expensive than Kaz's great idea though, as you'd need more wire etc... Edited February 24, 200817 yr by maesie
February 24, 200817 yr Author What excellent ideas!!! Maesie, I like your idea of putting the oldies cage in the middle so then I have access to both in the safe zone!! Kaz, putting the small aviary on a cupboard is a great idea :hap: You guys are full of great ideas :hap: thanks so much I am not planning breeding frenzies or anything crazy, but it will be nice to better choose my pairs - I am really excited I will keep you posted with the progress (I used lots of smiles hehehehe)
February 24, 200817 yr I had planned that you would be accessing your oldies from the safe zone too. I thought I had explained that part :hap:
February 24, 200817 yr Author I had planned that you would be accessing your oldies from the safe zone too. I thought I had explained that part :hap: You did It's the door on the oldies cage that is making this complicated - it's on the right hand side (like in Maesie's picture) If the door was on the left it would be easy to join them all up. I guess i could make another door though the tin.....???? I will have to work out the side door for the main flight because there is a pergola post right where i want to the door :hap: Edited February 24, 200817 yr by **Liv**
February 24, 200817 yr I had planned that you would be accessing your oldies from the safe zone too. I thought I had explained that part :hap: You did It's the door on the oldies cage that is making this complicated - it's on the right hand side (like in Maesie's picture) If the door was on the left it would be easy to join them all up. I guess i could make another door though the tin.....???? I will have to work out the side door for the main flight because there is a pergola post right where i want to the door :hap: (I noticed that too!!! Mayb you'll have to move it all forward a little) Could you pull it apart and swap the two ends around... that way the door would be on the right end!
February 24, 200817 yr I had planned that you would be accessing your oldies from the safe zone too. I thought I had explained that part :hap: You did It's the door on the oldies cage that is making this complicated - it's on the right hand side (like in Maesie's picture) If the door was on the left it would be easy to join them all up. I guess i could make another door though the tin.....???? I will have to work out the side door for the main flight because there is a pergola post right where i want to the door :hap: Should be enough room to just turn the cage around so the door faces into the middle...just try some measurements and see how it all pans out. Its all fun now...I will bet your head is planning all sorts of things. Hope you can sleep tonight Edited February 24, 200817 yr by KAZ
February 24, 200817 yr Author Then the tin is facing forwards and the wire will be facing the wall..... they will have nothing to look at (Laughing out loud) or do budgies not mind if they dont have a view???? Edited February 24, 200817 yr by **Liv**
February 24, 200817 yr Author Oh, yes. Kaz did mean 90 degrees... :budgiedance: I was too tired last night, I went to bed early only to still be awake at midnight tossing and turning (yes, thinking about the extension (Laughing out loud), and worrying about Cocky), then after i finally fell asleep to be woken 4 times: my dog wanted to be let out, then my son had a nightmare, then my daughter was thirsty, then a neighbors cat spooked my birds..... ZZZZzzzzzz still soooo tired. Cocky is fine this morning - no more bleeding Sorry Kaz, you must have thought you were banging your head against a brick wall. Yes, turning the Oldies 90 degrees will work well:D I think i will move the oldies cage over to the position I want it in soon so i can picture the space better . Also, having the Oldies cage away from the flight means the pergola post will not be a problem and I make the door anywhere on the left side of the flight:D Edited February 24, 200817 yr by **Liv**
February 24, 200817 yr sounds like you had a awful night, hope you get a chance today for a rest but i know with little kids that is so hard.glad to hear Cocky is doing better and is sounds like you have some great plans and lots of work to do on your new setup. it is so much fun making extensions.
March 1, 200817 yr Gezzzz you lot can both plan and draw hehehehe ... I am still getting over the fact that we can have budgies and tiels together ..... :budgiedance: *Now has to think about a bigger aviary
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