Avery sad and expensive day

[vettepilot_6]

I'm not having a go at anyone but on the minesite it has been over the last 4 days anywhere between 42c and hottest was 52.8c alas you cant see what birds die but there was still a huge amount of finches parrots etc sitting in shaded trees or sitting on the waste water edges in the shade, so maybe we need to duplicate this into our aviaries? I know it is hard to know what mother nature will give us, but we can learn from her....hope everyone gets over their losses and not take it as their fault, we all learn something each and every day..

[Trilobite]

I have to agree with Vettepilot, we need to look at what the wild animals do in these conditions, ususally they sit quiet, in the shade or under shrubs close to the ground. They bath in water dishes or under sprinklers. You also have to look at the positives in what is happening, if your birds are surviving heat waves without too much intervention then you have emulated natural conditions in your avairy and through your management if your birds do the same - if they survive then they will be hardened and in theory better for the survival of the species - "natural selcetion". If they dont then we need to look at how we build our avairies and what conditions we have them in. What is worrying is what Eorix is saying - "we used to" - we used to have defined seasons!!! however weather patterns are cyclical but the peridoicity is not measured in years it is measured in decades and centuries. anyway it wont be long and we will see a retrun to the forum on ways to insulate and heat aviares in winter to assit with the prevention of egg binding.

Hope all are well.

[elferoz777]

So sad to hear of everyones losses....but hopefully we all will learn something and change the way we build a our aviaries for our little inmates...good luck for 2013

My thoughts exactly...lessons have been learnt


good news is my singer hen is ok bad news is my canary hen is now half even by ants...............she was all good when I posted this initially......oh well misting system will be going in this weekend

[elferoz777]

I have to agree with Vettepilot, we need to look at what the wild animals do in these conditions, ususally they sit quiet, in the shade or under shrubs close to the ground. They bath in water dishes or under sprinklers. You also have to look at the positives in what is happening, if your birds are surviving heat waves without too much intervention then you have emulated natural conditions in your avairy and through your management if your birds do the same - if they survive then they will be hardened and in theory better for the survival of the species - "natural selcetion". If they dont then we need to look at how we build our avairies and what conditions we have them in. What is worrying is what Eorix is saying - "we used to" - we used to have defined seasons!!! however weather patterns are cyclical but the peridoicity is not measured in years it is measured in decades and centuries. anyway it wont be long and we will see a retrun to the forum on ways to insulate and heat aviares in winter to assit with the prevention of egg binding.

Hope all are well.

On the topic of natural selection I would like to note I only lost foreign finches.......the aussie finches were struggling but did not seem to be on the verge of death..........

[Canary]

Sorry to hear of your losses.

I just posted some photos under topic "Heat changing things" of the temperature at 2.23pm in Western Sydney showing 48C, and the thermometer in my birdroom showing maximum 43C.

I had the fan on in my birdroom and was spraying the birds with water between 1.40pm and 2.20pm. I am very lucky not to have lost any birds today.

Although they are saying this is the hottest day in Sydney, it was 43C in my birdroom today. It has reached 45C twice previously in approx. 1997 and 2001.

[timh]

It's interesting to think about natural selection... Lutino lovebirds are traditionally weak. The cock bird that survived is one of the best Nyasa's I have seen, even out of all the normals.

The fact I lost so many birds is hard to fathom but I guess it means my surviving birds will make a better basis for future bloodlines. Natures way of culling the weak maybe?? All the birds lost were related...

[TomDeGraaff]

These temperatures are amazing! How has the Hunter Valley gone re heat, I wonder.

I can't help but note what Eorix wrote. Our really hot stuff happens traditionally in February and maybe into March down here. Is the worst still ahead?
I reckon it's time to batten down the hatches and get those insulating, misting, watering, shading jobs done asap.

I make sure each aviary and flight cage has at least 2 sources of drinking water and one bath. Maybe I should add this tothat hints thread. Maybe that hints thread could be glued to the top of the General Items section for quick reference. I dunno.

[vettepilot_6]

Maybe like us we need to give birds an energy fix in their water? I know I drink heaps of hydrolytes when in the heat at mines...don't know any birds out there drinking it though

[timh]

Spark and the like us hydrating right, but is it recommended as a main source of fluids on extremely hot days such as these, and does the evaporation of the diluting medium water, cause the remaining "stuff" - sorry, can't think of the correct term... But anyway, wouldn't the concentration exceed the recommended dose???

P.S... Just spoke the the resident vet, my wife, and she doesn't think so... "Once it is diluted, it is diluted" are her words...

[vettepilot_6]

Spark and the like us hydrating right, but is it recommended as a main source of fluids on extremely hot days such as these, and does the evaporation of the diluting medium water, cause the remaining "stuff" - sorry, can't think of the correct term... But anyway, wouldn't the concentration exceed the recommended dose???

P.S... Just spoke the the resident vet, my wife, and she doesn't think so... "Once it is diluted, it is diluted" are her words...

Maybe a sugar water to get them to drink more? and give them more energy, to help them through the heat?