lovebird aviary

[markipsha]

I would like to hear from members regarding housing lovebirds together in an indoor aviary, particularly what to do to avoid fighting. I am not interested in breeding lovebirds at this time, but would like to have them live together in a community lovebird aviary. I need some do's and don'ts! Thanks! :)

[personatus]

Sticking to one species is handy for a colony. You will find that alot of the birds will pair up, and there's usually the odd bird here and there, unless you are selective on how you introduce the birds (i.e introduce a bonded pair each time). Sometimes you get a rowdy bird, they are usually single birds, but can be part of a couple - they can be cocks or hens aswell. Trouble makers - best to remove them from the colony.

If you are having a small aviary with a low number of pairs, then head towards an odd number of pairs. For example, 1 pair, 3 pairs or 5 pairs. This helps prevent a weaker couple been dominated. Once your over 5 pairs I dont think it matters much.

Depending on your climate, you may need a sheltered area where the birds can get out the cold. They should never be exposed to frost, they are prone to toes freezing off - well, they canbe exposed to a frost, but they should have somewhere they can go to get away from it. For instance my aviaries have an indoor department with a sluis, they can go in and out as they wish. In the winter I will have to add a small heater in the indoor part. As long as the birds water don't freeze inside, then its ok.

Have multiple feeding, watering and bathing areas, to help prevent any competition over foods. If you do have an enclosed/inside quarters, then it is best to offer ALL foods inside here; this prevents mess and rodent problems outside.

Make sure the birds have part of the aviary they can move to in order to get out of the rain or direct sun light.

I strongly recommend a concrete based for an aviary, again to prevent rodent problems. 6" thick and reinforced is an easy and cost effective way! I also recommend a border around the bottom of the aviary panels, of around 12 inches. These are ideal on aviaries that are from the floor up; Offers 2 things, mess control and rodent prevention!....when the birds are rooting around the floor of the aviary, it prevents them from kicking their mess outside the aviary - keeps all the mess inside.

With a colony you are going to get the odd biten toe/foot or clump of feathers missing. Nothing you can do really to prevent any form of aggro, apart from watch carefully and remove any persistent offenders!

Oh yeah, don't have a single perch/feature etc at the highest point. Birds usually fight it out over who has the highest area, it's a dominant thing again. Make sure the highest perching point is plenty big enough to support all the birds.

If you do decide to breed, always offer twice the number of nestboxes to the number of pairs in the aviary. 5 pairs = 10 nestboxes etc. You often find a pair that likes to take over more than one nest, sometimes they even lay in mutiple nests! It's also crucial to have all the nestboxes at the same horizontal level; once again they will fight over who has the highest box in the aviary.

Then enjoy it! Nothing can beat a colony of lovebirds! A good tip, offer a piece of 1 meter long 50mm wide PVC piping attached to the ground. Then stuff the pipe full of willow branches and watch the birds as they are in heaven destroying it all! (the pipe acts as the 'trunk' of the tree, holding the branches etc)

EDIT: Doh, after all that I thought you said outdoor aviary - nevermind, the principles are the same!