Enjoy.Just bought an aviary
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Pete Sara
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- Location: eastern suburbs of perth w.a
looking good. I would keep the spare either empty or spare birds. gives you somewhere to keep the extras or future youngsters till you move them on. well done ...pete
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mackstaa
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Hey Bruce nice sized aviary, finished off nicely too.
You can keep different parroties together as long as they both have mates of their own kind. I think Tanimbars take a liking to Bluefaced moreso..
Ive seen a doublebar cross Pictorella before so what can you do?
You can keep different parroties together as long as they both have mates of their own kind. I think Tanimbars take a liking to Bluefaced moreso..
Ive seen a doublebar cross Pictorella before so what can you do?
Mackstaa
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finchbreeder
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- Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast
Keep the small avairy. As Pete said you will need it for the young you are going to breed. And it will save you having to build another one in the next 6 months, as the addiction grows. 
LML
LML
LML
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BJohn
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- Location: Greenbushes Western Australia
Eh guys,
a big thank you to my west aussie AFF colleagues for your support and kind comments. I think Mackstaa has issued the challenge though. I like your thinking Mackstaa, I have quite a bit of research to do then....cheers
a big thank you to my west aussie AFF colleagues for your support and kind comments. I think Mackstaa has issued the challenge though. I like your thinking Mackstaa, I have quite a bit of research to do then....cheers
Bruce
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BJohn
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- Location: Greenbushes Western Australia
Can anyone guess /suggest what it is (hawk?). Note the total absence of movement in the aviary, wher normally the perches are full! Took the photo through a back bedroom window.
Breeding within a mixed vaiary has been ok, with one brood of painteds out, stars nesting, plumheads nesting, gouldians nesting in boxes (other smaller aviary) and BFPF feeding a noisy brood. And quails (heaps of little ones, 2 boods hatching 16 chicks). Need some advice on african fires though, they appear to love to huddle together, take over the odd roosting nest, but I have never seen them actually build a nest? Nesting sites is a grey area for me, what do I put where, etc? No one seems interested in the boxes? I am starting to think towards just concentrating on one species, ie. crimsons or diamond firetails and extending the aviary 2 metres towards the west with one long flight. The heat at this time of year has been troublesome, however, plenty of drinking water changes and occasionally run garden sprinklers has helped. Suggestions and advice very welcomed.
Breeding within a mixed vaiary has been ok, with one brood of painteds out, stars nesting, plumheads nesting, gouldians nesting in boxes (other smaller aviary) and BFPF feeding a noisy brood. And quails (heaps of little ones, 2 boods hatching 16 chicks). Need some advice on african fires though, they appear to love to huddle together, take over the odd roosting nest, but I have never seen them actually build a nest? Nesting sites is a grey area for me, what do I put where, etc? No one seems interested in the boxes? I am starting to think towards just concentrating on one species, ie. crimsons or diamond firetails and extending the aviary 2 metres towards the west with one long flight. The heat at this time of year has been troublesome, however, plenty of drinking water changes and occasionally run garden sprinklers has helped. Suggestions and advice very welcomed.
Bruce
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spanna
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Extending is always a good idea!! 
Looking good. The african fires may build their own nest in dried brush, using softer grasses and lots of feathers, or use a can basket, I have found they like the tunnel/funnel shaped ones. They do like a little bit of live food too.
RE concentrating on a single species; it certainly can be a good idea, but from experience, Diamonds do MUCH better as a single pair to an aviary, rather than in a colony. In a colony situation, 7 birds (3 known pairs and a spare cockbird) produced very few young, with only one pair producing any consistently, and another pair having very few young, leaving 3 birds doing nothing at all. I removed the pair that had done nothing, and the spare cockbird, put them in the aviary next door, and 4 big healthy young ones joined the ranks a little over a month later.
From what I gather (never kept them, but have done a lot of research, as I really want to!!) Crimsons are more or less a one pair per aviary bird as well, otherwise there are mighty fine power struggles, often resulting in death. Mike Fidler has colony bred them, BUT the aviaries were especially designed, and about 3 times higher than a normal aviary. If you want more info I can provide what little I know of the set up he used, but again, the only info I have on crimsons is second hand info!
Sounds like all your birds are doing very well though, minus the hawk. Agree on the likely suspect though, hard to tell the difference without a long lens!
Looking good. The african fires may build their own nest in dried brush, using softer grasses and lots of feathers, or use a can basket, I have found they like the tunnel/funnel shaped ones. They do like a little bit of live food too.
RE concentrating on a single species; it certainly can be a good idea, but from experience, Diamonds do MUCH better as a single pair to an aviary, rather than in a colony. In a colony situation, 7 birds (3 known pairs and a spare cockbird) produced very few young, with only one pair producing any consistently, and another pair having very few young, leaving 3 birds doing nothing at all. I removed the pair that had done nothing, and the spare cockbird, put them in the aviary next door, and 4 big healthy young ones joined the ranks a little over a month later.
From what I gather (never kept them, but have done a lot of research, as I really want to!!) Crimsons are more or less a one pair per aviary bird as well, otherwise there are mighty fine power struggles, often resulting in death. Mike Fidler has colony bred them, BUT the aviaries were especially designed, and about 3 times higher than a normal aviary. If you want more info I can provide what little I know of the set up he used, but again, the only info I have on crimsons is second hand info!
Sounds like all your birds are doing very well though, minus the hawk. Agree on the likely suspect though, hard to tell the difference without a long lens!
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BJohn
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- Joined: 13 May 2011, 23:39
- Location: Greenbushes Western Australia
thanks spanna,
certainly appreciate your knowledge and experience in these matters.
Re: african fires - I'll try the combination of a low (0.5m off ground) and tunnel type cane basket. Just need to source a supplier of the baskets. I purposely planted tomato plants right next to the open part of the aviary and leave quite a few tomatoes to over ripen on the bushes to encourage insects. It seems to work occasionally. Also been researching about ways to breed meal worms. We have been out and about looking at a few properties lately, at the moment checking out small holdings around Barragup, 5 - 7 acres, bore and dam a must. Recognise we need some real room to do anything of substance. Point taken about the crimsons, do need a lot of background to understand their unique needs.
I have cropped one photo I took of the hawk. Very difficult to identify without a proper taxonomy key and experience. I was wondering why he showed up at all, me thinks he won't forget and will return at some point.
Cheers for now
certainly appreciate your knowledge and experience in these matters.
Re: african fires - I'll try the combination of a low (0.5m off ground) and tunnel type cane basket. Just need to source a supplier of the baskets. I purposely planted tomato plants right next to the open part of the aviary and leave quite a few tomatoes to over ripen on the bushes to encourage insects. It seems to work occasionally. Also been researching about ways to breed meal worms. We have been out and about looking at a few properties lately, at the moment checking out small holdings around Barragup, 5 - 7 acres, bore and dam a must. Recognise we need some real room to do anything of substance. Point taken about the crimsons, do need a lot of background to understand their unique needs.
I have cropped one photo I took of the hawk. Very difficult to identify without a proper taxonomy key and experience. I was wondering why he showed up at all, me thinks he won't forget and will return at some point.
Cheers for now
Bruce