Well, one of our Gouldians died today. Its was a very sad thing. Phoenix saw that the bird seemed a little puffed up yesterday, and today we found him dead where he perched for the night on one of the feeders. It greaves our hearts on losing even a little life from our aviary, and we are both saddened. What perplexes us is that we do not know why this happened. The bird seemed in fine health before yesterday, and there was no clear signs of any sort of illness. Just in case we have put some antibiotics in the water, hoping that nothing more will happen.
In other aviary news, a cat tried to get in to the aviary, opening up a three inch gap in the mosquito netting. This would not have been an issue, for the cat would not have been able to get through the plastic netting. Well, later that day, a snake tried to get in though the gap in the mosquito netting, but could not get though the plastic netting. Phoenix then pulled a croc hunter move, grabbed the dangerous reptile (ok, it was a ribbon snake, maybe not so dangerous) and took it to the local state park and released him.
Anyway, in response we are putting up some chicken wire to keep out the riff raff. Hopefully will be done by this weekend.
Got a table saw to make Gouldian breeding boxes... made a couple with a jigsaw, but due to my unsteady hand, could only make 2 boxes out of material enough for 4. Table saw has been very helpfull thus far, and hoping to make more gouldian boxes to sell on ebay and such.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
More Aviary Pics
One of our white Canaries:
One of our yellows:
Bunch of the canaries eating eggfood on the Waterschlager cage:
Cheking out the nestbox:
More house inspection:
The Avairy from the house door:
One of the chicks picking at millet:
One of our yellows:
Bunch of the canaries eating eggfood on the Waterschlager cage:
Cheking out the nestbox:
More house inspection:
The Avairy from the house door:
One of the chicks picking at millet:
Monday, July 18, 2005
THE AVIARY IS DONE!
The aviary is DONE!
Well, done enough for us to let the birds out, and overall it was a success!
Phoenix and I had thought that we could release the birds Saturday, but there was far too much work to do. First we had to get our new population of gouldians from Anne (we sold the old ones, as being far to screwed up to raise their own children. Never again are we going to buy any bird at a bird show), then we went on the quest to find foliage. We ended up buying about 10 pots of small grasses (at $2) 6 pots of large ornamental grasses ($6) and two palm trees ($12 and $20) and soil and pots… Repotted the plants, hung up some perches, and then got all the cages from the canary room and brought them to the aviary. We banded all of our non banded breeders, trimmed their nails and gave them all a dose of SCAT. After the trauma of all that, we set them free. The gouldians were fine, but the poor canaries had quite a time of it. They freaked out. Most of them adjusted to their freedom very quickly, and in fact the one pair that was feeding babies went back to feeding them within an hour or two. Some of the others did not fare so well. One of the white canaries that has been kind of sickly to begin with is now a ground bird. It tries to fly up a bit, but seems to prefer the floor. We put some food down there just in case. One of the yellows broke its brain. Poor thing started having conniptions and started jerking its head over and over again. We put it back in a small cage and covered him with blankets, and this morning, he seemed ok. Tomorrow we will open his cage to see if he will go out on his own.
The rest of the day, we spent watching the birds on and off. Great entertainment! Who needs the SCA when you can watch the politics of canaries and gouldians, not only trying to establish dominance over the other species for territory, but also with each other, while trying to court for a mate. Singing, hopping, posturing, showing off, chasing each other, bonded pairs flying together. All I would have to do is make some of them feel more important then the others and I would be set. *grin*
But seriously, it is a wonder to see….
Well, done enough for us to let the birds out, and overall it was a success!
Phoenix and I had thought that we could release the birds Saturday, but there was far too much work to do. First we had to get our new population of gouldians from Anne (we sold the old ones, as being far to screwed up to raise their own children. Never again are we going to buy any bird at a bird show), then we went on the quest to find foliage. We ended up buying about 10 pots of small grasses (at $2) 6 pots of large ornamental grasses ($6) and two palm trees ($12 and $20) and soil and pots… Repotted the plants, hung up some perches, and then got all the cages from the canary room and brought them to the aviary. We banded all of our non banded breeders, trimmed their nails and gave them all a dose of SCAT. After the trauma of all that, we set them free. The gouldians were fine, but the poor canaries had quite a time of it. They freaked out. Most of them adjusted to their freedom very quickly, and in fact the one pair that was feeding babies went back to feeding them within an hour or two. Some of the others did not fare so well. One of the white canaries that has been kind of sickly to begin with is now a ground bird. It tries to fly up a bit, but seems to prefer the floor. We put some food down there just in case. One of the yellows broke its brain. Poor thing started having conniptions and started jerking its head over and over again. We put it back in a small cage and covered him with blankets, and this morning, he seemed ok. Tomorrow we will open his cage to see if he will go out on his own.
The rest of the day, we spent watching the birds on and off. Great entertainment! Who needs the SCA when you can watch the politics of canaries and gouldians, not only trying to establish dominance over the other species for territory, but also with each other, while trying to court for a mate. Singing, hopping, posturing, showing off, chasing each other, bonded pairs flying together. All I would have to do is make some of them feel more important then the others and I would be set. *grin*
But seriously, it is a wonder to see….
Friday, July 08, 2005
Updates
Well, lets see, what's been going on with my life...
The bird thing is still going ok. Am currently converting out screened in porch into an aviary for the Gouldians and the Canaries. Have it structurally finished, but need to get all the accoutrements (like feeders, trees, etc.). Phoenix is feeding the last survivor of our latest gouldian eggs, all the rest the parents either tore apart or ignored. The good news is that the chick has made it 19 days and is doing very well. Also, one of the gouldian males bit off the toe of the female in the same cage. All our friends who breed them have suggested we get rid of that lot and get more from Anne (who is the uber-gouldian breeder). Is what we are going to do... On the other front, the Canaries are doing great! We have 2 ready to sell, 3 weaning and 2 more still in the nest.
On the bigger bird front, we just got another Black Headed Caique, a female, which makes our first breeding pair (hopefully) in the big birds. I think the plan is right now is to take the canaries and the gouldians and put them in the aviary, and convert the love shack to be a birdie paradise for the caiques. I hope this works.
In other news, talked to Dad yesterday, which was wonderful. Talked to Robin too, which was very nice. Hurricane Dennis seems to be on its way to the panhandle... WE will get some rain from the rainbands, just enough to screw up weekend plans.
Work still sucks, but may be getting better with the possibility that I may become a blackboard admin part time. Less time on the phones! Whoo hoo! That is if its not just another line they are feeding me.
Went and saw Dave and Michelle and kids when they came up for Vacation, what a blast :) I hope they visit again soon... I hope Dean and Jack come down and visit sometime too... And Robin and Danielle, and Dad... Need to get that bed for the guestroom.. and a new dining table...
Well, that's about it. I am hoping to get some pics of the new aviary up, and some pictures of the canary chicks.
The bird thing is still going ok. Am currently converting out screened in porch into an aviary for the Gouldians and the Canaries. Have it structurally finished, but need to get all the accoutrements (like feeders, trees, etc.). Phoenix is feeding the last survivor of our latest gouldian eggs, all the rest the parents either tore apart or ignored. The good news is that the chick has made it 19 days and is doing very well. Also, one of the gouldian males bit off the toe of the female in the same cage. All our friends who breed them have suggested we get rid of that lot and get more from Anne (who is the uber-gouldian breeder). Is what we are going to do... On the other front, the Canaries are doing great! We have 2 ready to sell, 3 weaning and 2 more still in the nest.
On the bigger bird front, we just got another Black Headed Caique, a female, which makes our first breeding pair (hopefully) in the big birds. I think the plan is right now is to take the canaries and the gouldians and put them in the aviary, and convert the love shack to be a birdie paradise for the caiques. I hope this works.
In other news, talked to Dad yesterday, which was wonderful. Talked to Robin too, which was very nice. Hurricane Dennis seems to be on its way to the panhandle... WE will get some rain from the rainbands, just enough to screw up weekend plans.
Work still sucks, but may be getting better with the possibility that I may become a blackboard admin part time. Less time on the phones! Whoo hoo! That is if its not just another line they are feeding me.
Went and saw Dave and Michelle and kids when they came up for Vacation, what a blast :) I hope they visit again soon... I hope Dean and Jack come down and visit sometime too... And Robin and Danielle, and Dad... Need to get that bed for the guestroom.. and a new dining table...
Well, that's about it. I am hoping to get some pics of the new aviary up, and some pictures of the canary chicks.
Friday, May 20, 2005
I am da slacker!
Boy! Havnt looked at this journal thing in a while. Just havnt felt like posting I guess.
Life updates:
Moved to Orange City... Nice place, quiet, in the sticks, has a huge garage and a seperate building for the bird breeding business. Shopping is also not that far away, blue springs state park is within short biking distance and the beach is just a small jaunt away. Move sucked (well not really, any more then moving generally sucks). I think I drove the biggest truck I have ever driven (the uhaul 26 footer), unless the camper on the great California adventure was bigger (that may have been 28 foot). Have a nice big yard, and a lot of fire ants... well... a lot less now then a week ago since we put down some ant killer. I like the place... Much better then the one on the edge of ghettoville.
Otherwise, not much happening... finally breeding birds right, have some canaries that are growing up nicely, still working on the gouldians.
Seeing Starwars this weekend, free tickets... cant wait...
Life updates:
Moved to Orange City... Nice place, quiet, in the sticks, has a huge garage and a seperate building for the bird breeding business. Shopping is also not that far away, blue springs state park is within short biking distance and the beach is just a small jaunt away. Move sucked (well not really, any more then moving generally sucks). I think I drove the biggest truck I have ever driven (the uhaul 26 footer), unless the camper on the great California adventure was bigger (that may have been 28 foot). Have a nice big yard, and a lot of fire ants... well... a lot less now then a week ago since we put down some ant killer. I like the place... Much better then the one on the edge of ghettoville.
Otherwise, not much happening... finally breeding birds right, have some canaries that are growing up nicely, still working on the gouldians.
Seeing Starwars this weekend, free tickets... cant wait...
Friday, April 15, 2005
Friday!
Hooray for Friday!
Busy busy couple of weeks...
The story so far...
Well on the bird side, we lost several canary chicks because the parents wouldnt feed them and the foster parents wouldnt feed them... However, one of the gouldian chicks hatched in the society nests, and we pulled him becuase they werent feeding him either... bastards... se we are hand feeding him... he is quite cute...
Looking for a place to move to... been going out in the evenings looking for places.
I have somthing in my left eye that is a bit strange... doctor is not sure what it is. Says it looks like someone has laid 6 little eggs in my eye... Thinks its either a begnign tumor or its a fatal disease only infants get. More details later...
More later!
Busy busy couple of weeks...
The story so far...
Well on the bird side, we lost several canary chicks because the parents wouldnt feed them and the foster parents wouldnt feed them... However, one of the gouldian chicks hatched in the society nests, and we pulled him becuase they werent feeding him either... bastards... se we are hand feeding him... he is quite cute...
Looking for a place to move to... been going out in the evenings looking for places.
I have somthing in my left eye that is a bit strange... doctor is not sure what it is. Says it looks like someone has laid 6 little eggs in my eye... Thinks its either a begnign tumor or its a fatal disease only infants get. More details later...
More later!
Monday, April 04, 2005
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Stuff
You Are A Rowan Tree |
 You are full of charm and cheer. You light up a room. And while you crave attention, you do it without ego. You are an interesting mix of contradictions - and very unpredictable. You are both dependent and independent, calm and restless. You are passionate, emotional, gregarious, and (at times) unforgiving. |
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Hoooray!
Hoorray! My blog is back up... Seems that the site was having some problems...
Well we had our first finch baby... One of the Society babies hatched, which is great! The bad news is that the first clutch of Goudians was infertile and we went ahead and disposed of them. Also after deliberation, we got a three tier cage system and put the gouldian pairs each in their own cage. There were aggression issues with one of the birds, so I figure this will help with the egg laying.
Otherwise, this Sat. I am going to the eyedoc to get checked out.... Been getting eye strain headaches and my vision is getting a little blurry...
Well we had our first finch baby... One of the Society babies hatched, which is great! The bad news is that the first clutch of Goudians was infertile and we went ahead and disposed of them. Also after deliberation, we got a three tier cage system and put the gouldian pairs each in their own cage. There were aggression issues with one of the birds, so I figure this will help with the egg laying.
Otherwise, this Sat. I am going to the eyedoc to get checked out.... Been getting eye strain headaches and my vision is getting a little blurry...
Friday, March 25, 2005
Eggs for easter
Well well well well....
Another Friday, and waiting to go home.
I have got to get some more pictures of the birds up, at least to keep a record...
One of the Canary pairs has air sack mites, so yesterday we caught all the canaries we have and between Phoenix and I, we pinned them down and stuffed a drop of medication down their gullet. So now we wait for them to cough them little buggers out. The good news is that we think that the Gouldian eggs have hatched and both the other canaries and other finches have laid eggs.... Gonna be all sorts of babies soon!
Another Friday, and waiting to go home.
I have got to get some more pictures of the birds up, at least to keep a record...
One of the Canary pairs has air sack mites, so yesterday we caught all the canaries we have and between Phoenix and I, we pinned them down and stuffed a drop of medication down their gullet. So now we wait for them to cough them little buggers out. The good news is that we think that the Gouldian eggs have hatched and both the other canaries and other finches have laid eggs.... Gonna be all sorts of babies soon!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Frustration
Well, one of the people who will be giving us some cages came by work and told one of Phoenix's co-workers that she is running a rescue and he (the co-worker) got somewhat upset at that. That what we are doing is not rescue work....
Well.... he can jump in a frigging lake and come take care of our birds.... Or donate some money to help out with the food bill...
Yes, we breed some birds too... but for crying out loud, we rescue the others, and all the birds, breeders and non breeders are living a hell of a better life then they were.
All the breeders we have bought come to think of it.
I think I will have a card printed. "Phoenix's bird sanctuary"
Once we get a house, we will make it official.
Otherwise, the weekend went well, birds are fine, and the canaries are laying eggs... Did I mention we got canaries to breed... six of em. The finches eggs are due soon.. maybe this week. We are both excited.
Well.... he can jump in a frigging lake and come take care of our birds.... Or donate some money to help out with the food bill...
Yes, we breed some birds too... but for crying out loud, we rescue the others, and all the birds, breeders and non breeders are living a hell of a better life then they were.
All the breeders we have bought come to think of it.
I think I will have a card printed. "Phoenix's bird sanctuary"
Once we get a house, we will make it official.
Otherwise, the weekend went well, birds are fine, and the canaries are laying eggs... Did I mention we got canaries to breed... six of em. The finches eggs are due soon.. maybe this week. We are both excited.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)