Lady Gouldian Finches | Tips | Setting Up a Bird Room

Meadowlark Farms

Lady Gouldian Finches - Setting Up a Bird Room

Here I've given you an idea of how I house my birds, and maintain their surroundings. Again, this
is merely how I manage my flock! If something works better for you, do not change it...send me a
note and tell me how you keep YOUR birds! I'll post it in the "tips" section of this website!

Washer for extra support on larger cages

DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR BIRDS

Your first decision should be whether to give your birds an entire room, or a portion of a room in your house. Or, if you want to build
an outdoor enclosure, you need to find a location that offers partial shelter from the sun and weather and keeps other critters such
as mice, rats, possums and raccoons out of their enclosure.

A ROOM OF THEIR OWN

So you've decided on a room for your birds. You'll now need to decide if you'll cage your birds or allow them to fly free - or a
combination of both (preferable).

Keeping birds in a room of their own helps to contain the mess and allows you to monitor or spend time with your birds in one easy
location. You'll want to make sure you've given them enough room, so if they are caged, the minimum cage sizes still apply.

If you'll be allowing them to fly free, you'll want to make sure you cover windows with something that will stop the birds from flying into
them. Simply placing blinds on the windows can reduce this hazard tremendously, but blinds - like any window covering - can block
natural light and become a tangle hazard. The idea is to break up the solid window glass with something so that the birds don't think
it is open air. I have used wooden frames and stapled chicken wire and/or hardware cloth to them. I have also used blinds. Even a
few pieces of colored masking tape across the window will help. Whatever you choose, be sure it is "bird safe", meaning it is nothing
they can get tangled in yet still breaks up the pane of glass so they don't think they can fly through.

You'll want to make sure any doors are closed (closets, entry doors, cupboards, etc.) and if you are allowing your birds to fly free,
you won't accidentally step on one or pinch it in the door when you enter or exit the room. A roll-up screen over the entry door can
be attached with velcro and allow you to leave the door open, yet contain your birds.

OUTFITTING A ROOM

As with any other room of your home, your bird room should have the same items you would need for an average cage. You might also like to keep full
spectrum lighting if there is not enough natural light coming in from windows. You may want a humidifier or air cleaner to keep down dust and dander and
keep the humidity levels slightly higher to help keep skin and feathers in peak health. See the Accessories and Optional Equipment links for more
information!

MY SET UP

After years of trying to come up with the perfect solution for housing my birds, and a few failed
attempts at creating a walk-in aviary, I've finally found a simple solution to MY housing problems.

Because I am owned by a cat and dog (as well as my many birds), I wanted to have my cages up off
the floor at about eye level. This would allow me to easily sweep seed hulls and other debris from
under the cages, and protect my birds from my larger animals. Eye level is also grand when it
comes to cleaning cages unless you have a cage with small upper main doors.

After much trial and error trying to build shelves to put the cages on, I stumbled across some
hanging shelf brackets and the gears started grinding in my wee brain. At first I tried to put shelves
on the brackets...that didn't work, I couldn't find deep enough shelves. Then I tried to put the cages
on the brackets themselves without a shelf beneath them.

That worked out okay, but I had removed the grates from most of my wire cages and they had little support once I removed the trays for cleaning. I liked
the idea of the brackets. No mess, no fuss. So I went about trying different configurations and came to the best solution for me - literally HANG the cage
from the shelf brackets! It works like a charm and allows me to clean and sweep with ease!

I can get two - and in some cases three - cages on a 60" wall unit with room for light fixtures in between, and I use 12" brackets to hang the cage. I'd really
prefer longer brackets, but was unable to find anything longer at the time I purchased these. The above photos show how I hung the cage and secured it.
Photo #1 shows the wall bracket and the hanging bracket. I literally slipped the brackets through the cage wires and allowed it to hang from the roof of the
cage. NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR CAGES ARE ASSEMBLED CORRECTLY BEFORE TRYING THIS! MANY WIRE CAGES FALL APART IF NOT
PROPERLY ASSEMBLED! I realized that it was also helpful after centering the cage and hanging it, to mark the cage bars so when I took them down for
cleaning, I'd know which bars to slip the brackets through! Photo #2 shows the bracket under the cage tray opening. I have since decided this bracket is
not necessary for my set up. You'll have to experiment with yours! Photo #3 shows how I attached washers with a screw into the wall bracket. This gives
extra large flight cages more support. Again, I've decided these were not necessary once I spaced the larger cages on additional hanging brackets.
However, if you feel the cage is not secure and may tip forward, use washers to keep them against the wall!

The photo at the left illustrates how I hang my full spectrum lighting. Each cage has it's own fixture and I like to
move things around a lot, so I've decided not to permanently attach the lighting to walls or ceiling. Using the
shelf brackets allows me to adjust the height of the lights when necessary. I push them all the way to the back of
the bracket, directly over the inside back of the cage, to allow the birds to get out of the minimal heat the lights
put out if they need to.

Large flight cages have the lights setting directly on the top of the cage over the shelf brackets on which the
cages are hanging.

THE END RESULT

Below are some photos of my current setup as well as a short video clip of the bird room. I still have some organization issues to resolve, but this setup
works fairly well for me! After breeding season, the entire room will be dismantled, walls and ceiling repaired and painted, everything reorganized, and
cages replaced with better spacing for access in between cages. Once this is complete, I will post a list of room dimensions and measurements so folks
can get an idea of the amount of space I am working with!

In the video clip, you'll notice a work bench and large book case. The bench is where I prepare seed, band chicks, and study, while the case stores my
dishes, non-perishable meds, and a few miscellaneous items I deem necessary for proper maintenance. The low table is perfect for separating
newspaper (my current choice for cage trays) and keeping them flat and debris free until used.

These photos make my room look very dark, but it is actually quite bright!

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