The setup for my red heads is fairly simple. They are housed in an
indoor aviary (you can see it in the photo further down this page)
that measures 6'w x 6'h x 2'd.
It has double florescent vitalite bulbs. Timers control the light, which
goes on at 8:00 am and off at 10:30 pm. The room is fairly bright, so sunrise will
allow the birds to see before the lights go on. I have 2 externally
mounted 6x6 nestboxes. the opening is made in the wire, and the boxes are
about 5' off the floor. They seem to prefer this type of nest over the typical wicker nest. I am not sure of the age of the birds, the male is
not banded, the hen's band I haven't seen. I released them into the flight when
I brought them home and didn't remember to mark the hen's band number/year.
The pair also have to contend with a trio of societies and their young. The societies are going to be removed to another cage, and it surprised me that the red heads didn't mind them. I
hate to go into the flight (I basically have to climb in and its real hard
to catch birds with all the branches etc.). The last time I went in to
retrieve the first clutch of young it was terrible. Half the birds escaped
into my living room, which ended up being easier to catch them up from.
I feed sprouted seed a few times a day, along with egg food as long as their are babies. I offer egg food sparingly to help induce the birds to come into breeding condition, but don't overuse it. (in hot, humid weather, care must be taken with egg food, so that it doesn't spoil, so remove uneaten portion as soon as they've finished, usually less than an hour) The pair also receive mealworms, up to 20 or more per day when the babies are being fed. I sometimes don't offer mealworms every day. I know they really don't need them, it's just a treat for the breeders, and a good source of replaceable protein. Daily the birds get sprigs of dandelion leaves. Its abundant, and green, and one of the most nutritious greens they'll eat. Canary breeders highly recommend it. I avoid lettuce, and other fleshy greens. I also give a half ear of corn around once a week.
