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    Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills
    Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills
    Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills
    Ebook134 pages1 hour

    Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills

    By H. Norman

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    This antiquarian book contains a complete guide to the housing, feeding, sexing, and general management of British birds in aviaries and cages. It comprises a wealth of useful information on keeping a large number of different birds ranging from goldfinches to starlings, and it is highly recommended for those with a practical interest in the subject. Although old, the information contained within the pages of this book is timeless, and will be of considerable utility to the modern enthusiast. The chapters of this book include: “Housing and Feeding”, “The Goldfinch”, “The Bullfinch”, “The Linnet”, “The Greenfinch”, “The Chaffinch”, “The Bramblefinch”, “The Siskin”, “The Redpoll”, “The Twite”, “The Hawfinch”, “What They Feed On”, “The Corn Bunting”, etcetera. This vintage book is being republished in an affordable, modern, high quality edition - complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on aviculture.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateMar 5, 2013
    ISBN9781447488101
    Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills

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      Book preview

      Breeding British Birds in Aviaries and Cages - Housing, Feeding, Sexing and General Management of British Hardbills and Softbills - H. Norman

      dissection.

      BREEDING BRITISH BIRDS

      CHAPTER I

      HOUSING AND FEEDING

      EVER since the days of the ancient Chinese, Mexican and Egyptian civilisations wild birds have been caught and kept in cages and other enclosures as pets for their song as well as for their beauty of plumage, and this pleasure-giving practice has continued, with variations as regards housing and treatment, until the present time with very little restriction.

      Now, however, seeing that it is illegal for professional catchers to trap birds for sale to dealers and individual fanciers we must build aviaries or provide ourselves with special cages with a view to inducing pairs of Finches and Softbills to nest and rear young under controlled conditions if we are to keep good numbers of our cheerful native songsters to enliven us and help us to forget for a while our everyday cares and worries.

      And let this fact be borne carefully in mind: It is quite permissible as the law stands at present for a fancier to take, during the open season, a few wild birds for the pleasure of having them or breeding from them, provided they are not of a species protected throughout the year in every county in Great Britain, and provided also that no birdlime or live decoy birds are employed. But on no account must they be offered for sale. Progeny from them, if fitted at an early age with closed rings which cannot be removed as the birds develop can, of course, be offered for sale as genuine cage- or aviary-bred specimens.

      Although the existing restrictions upon purchasing British birds tend to be irksome, the Wild Birds’ Protection Act, 1933, will probably have the beneficial effect of bringing additional pleasure and interest to the activities of British bird fanciers, who from now onwards will do more than just feed and attend to the everyday wants of their stock of native birds.

      Joy of Breeding Winners

      There will certainly be an added joy in watching the pairing, nesting and rearing of young, and after a time the fancier’s spirit of emulation to breed and exhibit something better than his fellows—a specimen more choice in shape or colouring—is bound to show itself. In the breeding of winners there should be much more cause for pride than in the mere buying of the best examples from among a batch of wildlings.

      I feel sure that in a few years we shall see a great improvement in the British bird sections of our shows. The present-day varieties of Canaries are all descendants of the dowdy little green wild bird, and we have in Budgerigars a more recent example of what can be done by domestification and controlled breeding.

      Already aviary-bred Budgerigars are much larger and finer birds than their wild Australian ancestors, to say nothing of the wonderful range of colours and perfection of markings that have been achieved. And all this has been accomplished in a few short years.

      What has been done with Canaries and Budgerigars can be repeated with our lovely British birds. At first they may not nest so freely, but each season will be one step onward, and the further we get away from the wild-caught bird the easier the task will become, until eventually they will breed as freely as Canaries.

      Suggestion for a lean-to aviary with covered flight

      The breeding of our native species in aviaries and cages is no new idea. It has been carried on in a quiet manner for many years. I have myself at times had an odd pair or two of Finches nesting more or less successfully, and, of course, hybrid breeders have used Finch hens for the production of the beautiful crosses we see on the show bench. Thus there is no question about fanciers’ ability to breed them, given suitable conditions.

      Every Encouragement Needed

      The desire to reproduce their kind at certain seasons is present in all wild birds, and our job is to give them suitable housing and to encourage and assist them in every way possible to nest and rear young.

      Various methods of providing suitable accommodation will come readily to mind. We can build outdoor or indoor aviaries, construct large, planted flights with a certain amount of shelter, or employ roomy breeding cages. Aviaries, which may be of all sizes and shapes, can be placed in almost any situation, though naturally, with wild specimens, a certain amount of seclusion is an advantage.

      Many bird-keepers will, no doubt, favour a lean-to building because of its simplicity of design and erection. Most people have in their garden a boundary wall or fence, and even if one cannot utilise this as it stands for one side of, or as the back of the building, it offers something substantial to build against and thus means good, solid protection.

      Now although an aviary can be of any size, it is desirable that it should be not less than eight or ten feet in length, since ample wing-exercise is most essential for breeding pairs. To prove how the birds enjoy a long enclosure, fix up two perches, one at either end and as far apart as possible. You will notice that all the birds use these perches in preference to any others. This is especially true at certain times of the day, such as the late afternoon; they will dart from one to the other as fast as they can fly.

      Such exercise is, as already stated, good for them. It keeps them strong and healthy, and, therefore, fit to perform the duties you require of them.

      Outdoor flight cage for use in a sheltered position

      The height of the aviary should be five or six feet at the front with an extra foot added at the back to allow a good fall of rain water from the roof. And in order that the interior shall not get wet there thould be several inches of roof overlapping the walls of the building.

      It is desirable that a certain portion of an aviary be boarded all round to serve as a shelter for the birds in bad weather, and as a hiding place when suddenly frightened. The inside can be left open or boarded up about half way. Some shelters are constructed with just a small door giving access to the flight, in which case a window should be fitted to light up the interior otherwise the birds will be reluctant to enter.

      Protection Against Cats

      Boarding up about eighteen inches of the wired front and sides will prevent trouble from cats, which have an unpleasant habit of sitting on the ground close against the wires, watching and alarming the birds. The woodwork will put a stop to this sort of thing.

      When fitting the perches in a span-roof aviary, the highest one, if fixed up near the apex, should be as long as possible. Birds roosting for the night always

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