Aussie Finch Forum

electric fence

I too recommend an electric fence....a little zap and they should be deterred....whatever it is!

hi every year i have butcher birds panic and kill birds, mainly young ones that freakout and hang onto the wire. Or fly into the wire and break their necks. It appears to be young butcher birds, the older ones must have figured out they cant get them. I made a possum cage and place it on top of the aviary baited with meat it usually catches them within a couple of days. I then release them about 10-20km away . The cage I have built was intended for butcher birds but has caught cats too, which I also just let go . I agree with the quail, they can be responsible for night frights I no longer keep them.

shnapper20 wrote:hi every year i have butcher birds panic and kill birds, mainly young ones that freakout and hang onto the wire. Or fly into the wire and break their necks. It appears to be young butcher birds, the older ones must have figured out they cant get them. I made a possum cage and place it on top of the aviary baited with meat it usually catches them within a couple of days. I then release them about 10-20km away . The cage I have built was intended for butcher birds but has caught cats too, which I also just let go . I agree with the quail, they can be responsible for night frights I no longer keep them.

In the couple of days it takes to catch the butchers do you lose any birds?

I haven't lost a single bird thanks to the high pressure hose

I lost seven birds 2 weeks ago all broken necks I caught 2 butcher birds the same week. I havent lost any since.

shnapper20 wrote:I lost seven birds 2 weeks ago all broken necks I caught 2 butcher birds the same week. I havent lost any since.

7 birds..bloody hell

Poor next door neighbour lost the lot (39) last night they heard banging but couldnt pick where noise came from...woke up in morning and 8 were in a nest box (dead) and the rest were against the walls where they assume that was the banging they heard....only the quails survived... (I didnt want to tell them I thought it might of been the quails that set them off)....

Cats???

vettepilot_6 wrote:Poor next door neighbour lost the lot (39) last night they heard banging but couldnt pick where noise came from...woke up in morning and 8 were in a nest box (dead) and the rest were against the walls where they assume that was the banging they heard....only the quails survived... (I didnt want to tell them I thought it might of been the quails that set them off)....

Could be the quails

I had quails in with budgies years ago and they would cause heaps of problems during the night

Got rid of the quail and night frights stopped

That is the sad problem with quail,i have said time and time again that quail and finches don't mix when it comes to night frights.Quail actually call at night which attracts cats and then the thrashing around the aviary begins.
Also red strawberry finches call at night as well that also attracts cats but we can't do without them so just hope for the best. Craig