Newbie Fanciers for Wet Weather

[vettepilot_6]

Thought we ought to start a thread for the newbies that have started and if or when they have long periods of wet weather what to do for their birds.....first off look to see if any are fluffed up....wings dropped? if this is the case and only 1 or 2 I put them in a hospital cage supply heat fresh water and seeds...I usually treat all my birds with baycox at recomended dosage, followed up by spark..especially those finches not used to weeks of wet weather, such as Painteds...lets see what others do

[finchbreeder]

Ample perching in the warmest part of the avairy. e.g. up under the roof. Nest boxes for those that use roosting nests. Increase in carbs/oil seeds.
LML

[BBB]

This thread is just what I am after as I am new and we get over 1300 mm each year from about 100 rainy days.
Keep up the good work, I am learning more everyday.

B.

[vettepilot_6]

Thanks BBB...I would have thought more would have chimed in to help the newbies in finch keeping...I think prevention is easier then the cure, an if you can spot an ill bird it is best to get it diagnosed asap, and heat is a good start....so I think the first thing in any collection needed is a hospital cage..

[Diane]

I have blinds over at least a portion of the aviary wire. This gives the birds somewhere to retreat to during the worst of the weather. It also helps to keep the floor dry. I keep the seed in this covered area so that birds foraging on split seed on the floor are using a dry floor.

[COUNTRY CAPITAL]

my best advice....prevention rather than cure.
a hospital cage is great....if you catch sick finches early.in my planted aviaries this is not easy, especially in winter when days are short and observation time limited.
in high rainfall areas fully roofed or close to it would be my choice of aviary, so drainage would not be an issue, laserlite roofing to allow light in.also some form of insulation for the shelter.
you can still have planted aviaries fully roofed, check out how they do it in tasmania and other cold, wet climates.
a balanced diet including greens and seeding grasses daily is my priority.sprouted seed also very good, particularly if you cannot find any grasses around.
have a regular worming regime. i flock treat via the water at the start of each season....spring, summer, autumn and winter.... then you dont forget or suddenly find its been six months since you wormed and losses occur.spark, baycox and moxidectin/cydectin are all treatments that should be part of all breeders inventory.
understock rather than overstock.... its tempting to have a pair of "everything" in an aviary, but you are courting trouble and wet weather will only make this worse.

despite your best efforts, you must steel yourself to accept losses.
try to learn from mistakes and hopefully you will produce many more than you lose.

[ColouredFeathers]

Good advice country capital