Finch Hotel

[Clawd]

In my Precision Aviary post I was asked for a photo of my finch hotel.

The idea came from, ‘So you’re going to breed finches then,’ by Marcus Pollard.

I bought a 1200*1800 panel of 50*50 mesh (the wire is 3.14mm or thereabouts) for $28 from Pet and wire sales at Moorebank in Sydney. Other places quoted about $44.

Hotel.jpg

There was a fair bit of waste as each cut left a spiky end. Each part of the panel then required filing as the cut metal was rather sharp.

Bending was easy and all the joins were secured by one way plastic ties (work like a ratchet).

The sheet does not provide enough dividers so I used the corner cut offs (and accepted that some dividers would not be perfect) plus some spare 25*25 mesh.

DSC_0066.jpg

The hotel has 15 spots that are 150*150* 200 deep (except for the middle column which is 200 wide as I goofed). The top right hand corners were cut out to allow for a 100*100 entry point.

When filed, it was sugar soaped and painted with Rivergum Wattyl Solargard using a small roller and then a brush for the hard to get to places. Given that it was to sit against the colour bond, the back is covered with a 10mm thick closed cell sleeping mattress from Big W to protect a bit from the cold.

DSC_0067.jpg

So far, it has been excellent as a … perch.

Regards

Clawd

[kimberley breeder]

Cool!!! Thanks for posting clawd!! I will definetly be making one Any body here having success with these hotels

[Jayburd]

there have been many, many positive comments on variations of this design for a long while now

[Tiaris]

These are excellent with grass, bracken fern or small branches as substrate. Have used them many years ago with excellent uptake by a wide range of species. One important thing to consider is some internal support along the base of each horizontal layer otherwise inevitably end up with a pile of stuff in the bottom after a while, such is gravity.

[BENSONSAN]

Yep works well i use old large chest freezer baskets stuffed with banksia a tea tree and my birds breed in them all the time. I just get hooks and hang erm up.

[E Orix]

This is the unit MF used to get his W/E Masks to breed.Simply attached it to a wall about 250/300mm off the floor filled with coarse grass.
Its a great idea.
Well done Clawd especially the cut out sequence

[toothlessjaws]

i'm going to build me one of these.

[Jayburd]

I like the tubular ones that hang from a wire... I'm gonna make some of those later in the year...

[Trilobite]

Whatever your system, bird condo or brush tube they will all work remarkably well and I think better then nest boxes in most cases. We use bracken fern and let it dry in place before putting into the avairy. I do this as I have heard birds who were not feed greens were killed by the green braken as they tried it. Although ours get fed better then us I just dont want to risk it. However I see many avairys with fresh green bracken fern used in cylinders. I also put a layer of mesh about every second run (ring lock dog fencing) to stop birds collapsing it and help halt gravity. One you try them you wont go back.

[mickw]

My WE Masks nest in the tubular style one stuffed with Braken fern. Mine is made of chook wire and just sits on the ground standing up. They went twice in the first tube, then I replaced the bracken and put it back in the same spot in the aviary. They have just built a new nest in almost the precise position.....facing out towards the front of the aviary about 450mm off the ground.

The Parsons nest in one hung from the ceiling as well as nest boxes and Prickly Paper Bark brush attached to the walls. New pair of Yellow Rumps are also building in the paper bark

My stars love the prickly paper bark...up high.....and the Blue Face Parroties go for a small wire cylinder (about 6" diam, 12"long) mounted horizontally in the brush and stuffed with grass (lazy buggers )

There are also live grass clumps and shrubs. The shrubs are still young and yet to be used. One Pair of WE MAsks nested in a clump of fine leaved Lomandra grass, practically on the ground, laid, but didnt raise young.

Moral to my post..........I like to provide a variety of nesting apparatus/facilities so they have plenty of opportunities, especially in aviaries with mixed species or colonies.