aviary extension

[chris]

hi,

the extension i've been building for the aviary is past the halfway stage now, last week we got the foundations all done on the weekend, and this sunday we've got all of the framework done! all i need to do now is paint, pin on the mesh, add plants n then let the birds in.

the original plan was a 12' x 6' x 6' extension, coming off the exiting aviary in an L shape. so there's a little 6' long chunk, then turn 90 degrees and add the other 12' and you get the idea:lol:. however, we didn't get the correct length wood when it was delivered. we'd ordered 3.6 metre 2 x 4 timber, but the suppliers only had 4.8m and didn't caharge any extra so i ain't complaining. this extra wood has meant that the original plan was modified to say the least, and is now standing a whoping 8' tall at the front sloping down to 7 1/2' at the back, i reckon i can get a few trees in there now!

this does mean where it was a weird shape to start with, it is now even more unusual but we've used all space available and so the birds have more flying room.

i can't wait to get the plants in as i reckon that will be the next thing after painting it, after that the weather doesn't matter as i'll do the mesh in the pouring rain if it comes to it, then again we had 3 thunder storms over here yesterday and that didn't stop us (bar 5 minute stategically placed tea break as it started to rain:lol: )

i'll try n get some pictures up, i could swear i'd started a topic on this somewhere already but can't seem to find it........

Chris;)

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

thats greats news about the huge extension, i look forward to seeing this strange shaped aviary, what so you plan to put in there then?

matthew

[laurab]

Hi Chris, Matthew beat me to it, I was going to ask the same :razz:

[chris]

mostly the same birds, another pair of greensingers, a pair or two of yellow crowned bishops as i have a sneaky suspicion that my hen bishops are this species and not golden bishops. i'm going to be looking for hens of the other 3 weaver species, and hope to get a few pekin robins:grin:

also the possibility of waxbills, but i need to know of a larger species that won't get through 1 x1/2 " mesh and is peacefull with the other birds. the black capped waxbills look interesting and i know i can get them through jim at MFB:grin:

Chris

[Waxbillman]

hello chris

yep definatly black-crowns chris, cordon's are good, providing they have enough livefood.

matthew

[chris]

hi matthew,

would black cheeked waxbills be suitable also do you think? the 2 i've got my eyes on are black cheeked waxbills, and black capped waxbills.

also if anyone has any suggestions as to a good species for a possible breeding program i'm open to suggestions. so far i have the weavers, and parent rearing CPQ, but anything else you think would mix with my current birds, and is in decline in aviculture wil be considered:grin:

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello chris

black-cheeked waxbills are more delicate birds, certainly need to be inside for the winter with good heat. they certainly wouldn't be bullies, more the other way round, and may feel too intimidated, you could give a try i spose, but like i say they need more shelter.

matthew

[chris]

i can wait till next year then, i want to see exactly how cold it gets in the shed before i try any of the more delicate species. black capped it is then:wink:


thanks,:wink: Chris

[chris]

hi again,


today i and my girlfriend painted all of the frame work, now all that needs doing is for a godfather post or two to be placed in to fix the aviary to the ground, 2 small deliberate holes to be patched with cement, planting which will be done by tommorrow, and aviary mesh which should be done sometime next week.

the plants that are gong in the extension are bamboo, grasses, maidenhair fern (if that's what it's called?), russain vine, clematis, ornamental millet, zebra grass, a coconut palm, a bannana palm, several areca palms and thats about it i think unless i add a few more grasses and possibly a hardy fan palm. i know one thing about the aviary and that is that it's going to be very densly planted, so hopeflly plenty of natural birds nests going on:grin:

i'l try and get a few photos up when i have finished the planting tommorrow hopefully

Chris

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

thats a good mix of plants you've got there, as for the maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) they are a nice deciduous fern, with very attractive leaves, i hope the birds don't shred it too much. zebra grass (miscanthus sinensis zebrinus) will look great in their, it reaches a good size, it will providing plenty of hiding/nesting sites.


matthew

[chris]

here's a picture(s) of the aviary extension so far, with the plant's i've mentioned so far. now i've got em in the ground i think i need a few more:grin:

[Waxbillman]

hello chris


great pictures m8, those plants give a real tropical feel don't they.

matthew

[laurab]

Hi Chris

it's looking really good, can't wait to see it completed.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Looking good mate considering you have only just planted then all, as with all Plants time will only improve them, what looks to be too small this year may become a main feature next year.:-)
But if you are like me you will want all of the Plants to be perfect nesting areas as soon as they are added to your aviary.:grin:

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

yep that's the idea. i need to find something that spreads quickley for ground cover and is non toxic, for the CPQ to nest in. i reckon i'll get a fan palm and another bannana palm yet, and if tree ferns are non toxic......:grin:


Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Ground cover for Chinese Painted Quail, there is this green stuff that starts with G...........................thats I've cracked it Grass:grin:
Tree Fern £75, your gonna break the bank mate, thats half of a pair of Pekin Robins.:grin:

Good luck Chris the extention is looking great!

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

there was a pic in C&A this week of an aviary, n guess what, it had tree ferns:grin: i know what i'll be getting!
i have now started pinning on the mest to the aviary but just used up the last of the roll i used on the last aviary, so i'll have to get another one. looks like the roof will be made of featheredge, no no direct sunlight on some of the back plants. the front should still recieve full sunlight.

also, the russian vine has grown a foot since the last post:o still not quite my idea of a mile a minute. the giant bamboos that grow upto 12inches a day.............. now were talkin lol

Chris

[chris]

Hi again,


yesterday i went to another garden centre and came back with a bird's nest fern, several ornamental grasses, a miscanthus grass (elephant grass family) and a bamboo plant. there were a few 6' bamboo's going for £18, but unfortunately they wouldn't fit in the car!

more updates as they come

Chris

[Waxbillman]

great, by the sound of it your aviary is going to be a jungle!!

matthew

[chris]

:D :D :D

Chris.........

[chris]

Hi,

i've finally got around to doing the bulk of the roof today, well the mesh is pinned on anyway. that just leaves those darn godfather posts, and polythene sheeting for the roof covered by featheregde. also i feel the urge to buy another bannana plant or two or three...........:grin:

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

lol, your a banana plant junky, i hope you've got plenty of room to over winter them!!

sounds like you've been busy then.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi all,

We have our very own Super Hero, it's.............................................. ...............Banana Man!!:grin:

Please Chris humour me mate, is there any chance of a Banana Man Avatar??

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

lol, thats a good idea Paul

matthew

[chris]

This good enough?:lol: :lol: :lol:

[PAUL HEARN]

Man you are a Diamond Geezer!!:grin: :grin:

That has made my day mate, but you have to promise to keep the Avatar for at least for ever.:grin:

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

hmmmmmm forever............. better find out a bananaman suit n make it a good un then:lol:

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi mate,

I just can't believe that not only did you find that pic, but you made it your Avatar so quickly after my request.:lol:

Matthew, back me up mate do you think Banana Man should keep his new identity forever?:wink:

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

shhhhhhhhh,

isn't bananaman's identity supposed to be secret:lol:

bananaman:grin:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi mate,

You are right, but don't worry we will keep this between us, no one will ever know but you, me and Matthew:wink:.

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

hi mate,

thanks for that, but if you 2 "slip up", it wasn't me:grin:

bananaman:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi mate,

Your secret is safe with me BM.:wink:

Now didn't this used to be a Birdkeeping Forum? BM you should be ashamed of yourself disrupting such a reputable place for serious Birdkeepers to hang out and gain serious infomation.:mad:

Paul.:grin:

[laurab]

Bananaman Forever :razz: :razz: :razz:

[PAUL HEARN]

Sssshhh,


It's a secret.:grin:

[Waxbillman]

lol, great thread,

i think Banana man is forever too, do you have an arche enemy yet, how about monkey man :)

matthew

[chris]

Hi matthew,


i've always had the arch enemy, let's just call him GG as the name is blasphemy on a bird forum!

bananaman:grin:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Banana Man,

I know I'm not a Super Hero like yourself:grin:, but if you ever need a Side Kick I would gladly help you eliminate the arch enemy GG:twisted:.

Prune Man.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

who's GG?

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

I will send you a PM to explain.

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

Hi all,

today i've got the polythene sheets pinned on the roof, all of the mesh has also been pinned on the roof. i would have nailed on all of the featheredge to complete the roofing, however my dad has decided a previous idea of mine would be better, that is a very large sheet of plywood, and a roll of felt:grin:

hopefully in the week i'll be getting another bannana plant or two... and some other plants. i still don't reckon it's quite dense enough yet, and i'd rather get a few more grasses in there for the CPQ before i do the finishing touches n let the birdies in

Chris:wink:

[chris]

Hi matthew,

did prune man ever explain who GG is

bananaman:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Waxbillman]

hello bannanaman, yes pruneman did mention his name, and i have certainly read the evil that he writes, many times before. lol

matthew

[chris]

hi all,


I'VE FINISHED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D

just waiting for the camera to charge up and i'll get some pictures up on here. changed our minds on the roof again, now were just using polythene sheets pinned down and held on with 5 wooden beams along the roof. the advantage of this is the stuff is free, and easy to replace.

for the flooring we've used bark chippings from B&Q (5 bags for £20) and now i have difficulty spotting the CPQ as they are the same colour as the stuff!

as predicted the canaries have gone for the banana plant:| but not to worry i still have those cages to put over them should i need to.

should be back on in an hour or so with the photos

bye for now, Chris;)

[chris]

here's the first of the pics:

the one on the right is the chocolately coloured canary i mentioned, although it's fast turning white!

Chris

[chris]

more of em:

these are the 3 CPQ i have in the aviary at the moment, hopfully they'll breed now i don't have to disturb them every time i enter the aviary

[chris]

more still!

[chris]

and more!!

the greensinger hybrids are together in the far left of the left photo, the greensinger is on the rght and the chocolate canary in the middle.

the middle photo shows the grasses for the CPQ

the right photo shows an inside view of the aviary where the extension meets the existing aviary. this never showed well from the outside on previous photos

[chris]

Ok, these are the last 2 now.

Laura, let me know if i've used up too much space with these photos and i'll remove them as soon as everyone's had the chance to view them

Paul, that tall stuff is the elephant grass that i'll be sending some of your way. it's the larger of the 3 types in there and has nice soft leaves, although they still can give a nasty grass cut!

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Hi Chris

you have done a fantastic job, well done!

I will let you kow if the photo's need to be removed from the site ;-)

[nigel]

Hi Chris
It looks great, like a jungle.

[Waxbillman]

hello chris


great pictures mate, well done with the works,

u've done a grande thing there. those palms will get heavily kacked up, but you can always wash them,

those hybirdsa a lovely little fatties they are :razz:

matthew

[bigal47]

Hi Chris
Nice avairy set up, are your plants growing in pots or the ground. I noticed that the avairy is not doubled wired you don't get any problem with the C... things then. Can't say the word or Kenny will be off on one of his hate the furry thing kicks. Do you have to close the birds in at night ??.
Allan

[chris]

Hi allan,

i generally don't have a problem with cats as my own cat keeps the others out of the garden and doesn't boter the birds now he knows he can't get to them and gets shot up the... with a water pistol if he tries:grin:

in the winter i do shut the birds inside on a night when the weather is very bad, but generally the aviary is covered with polythene during the winter and is like a greenhouse so there's no need.

also the boards arond the bottom of the aviary prevent the cats looking straight in at the quial so there's generally no problems as they walk past anyway

Chris:wink:

[kenny]

hi chris,

have been watching the progress of your aviary in the photos,its like reading a book on how to build an aviary mate.you have done a fantastic job with the plants and the floor i use that twin wall plastic on the top of my aviary have you used the corrogated.i like the log for feeding aswell do you have any kind of seed hopper for feeding them.this is just a thought but i put a gutter on my roof and used a pair of tights at one of the joints of the fall pipe to strain out the crap and i save the rain water for the birds to bath in .it certainly looks like a perfect setup though lets hope you have just as much success with the breeding programme mate.

ken

[chris]

Hi kenny,


thanks for your kind words mate:grin:

i have noticed the weavers are starting to weave in the holly tree branch i've place upright in there. i know the 2 usual culprits are doing it, but maybe the golden bishops will get involved and breed this time? my fingers are crossed anyway:grin:

Chris:wink:

[kenny]

hi chris
it has always amazed me how weavers manage to weave a beak and 2 feet and they make some of the most tightest knots i have seen i hada pair of red bidhops and used to give them horsehair to start them off and they would start to weave on the wire and they just about blotted the light out of the place where they were building and i had to use a stanley knife to remove it they are remarkable birds mate good luck with them .

ken

[Gary]

nice one Chris, got to love a planted aviary, a pr of waxbills would love it in there

[chris]

Hi,

well there's now 1 semi complete weaver's nest in the holly branch, another2/3 under construction in the same branch and one being built off the mesh covering the roof! which should be quite impressive if it ever gets finished. the majority of this is done by the Golden palm weaver as usual so no chance of any eggs:neutral: , but i have caught the golden bishop attempting to weaver so finger's crossed they may yet breed.


Nearly forgot, i've found the CPQ nesting in the large elephant grass (they never use the plants you put in for em:lol: ) fortunately i've already taken a few roots and shoots off this so there's no need to disturb the nest

Chris:wink:

[kenny]

nice one chris good luck with them mate

ken

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

is there no one in the country who has golden palm weaver's? its such a shame that he's showing such interest in breeding

matthew

[chris]

Hi matthew,

there are a handfull of people who keep them, however none of them are near me! i'm hoping i can pick up a few hens at stafford along with the Lesser masked weaver hens. i can't see as i'll find any before then so i'm just hoping someone will be selling some when i go

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello chris

have you tried birdexport.com, as if they have some they can meet on the motarway, though then again, as depressing as it sound stafford is only 2 months away!

matthew

[chris]

i might aswell wait until stafford now, unless by some miracle some pop up at the local:neutral:

Chris