New England hazards?

[HaydenThePirate]

Hello everyone, new member and fairly new bird owner here. My first bird, Chicken, a sulfur crested cockatoo, is my best friend and she has strongly bonded to me. I'm building an outside aviary in my back yard for her. I need to know what kinds of things I need to be cautious of in Massachusetts. Bugs? Certain plants? Right now I plan to build it around a living tree so that she has some natural perches and foliage to play with. All advice welcome.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Chicken! Wish I had expert advice, but I haven't tackled an outdoor aviary! Hopefully members with knowledge will share!

A few items of potential concern: Is the outside aviary Chicken's permanent residence, or just during temperate times of the year? Ensure you use a quality mesh to keep her safe. Cockatoos are voracious chewers, so the gage must be sufficient and not galvanized, ie coated with toxic metals.

If the aviary is built around a tree, can you prevent her from chewing wood strategically to make an escape exit? They are also extreme escape artists, you'll need to make the exits foolproof and well guarded.

 

[HaydenThePirate]

Thanks!

So ive known chicken for close to 5 years, but have only taken her on as my own at home almost 2 months ago. I'm making the aviary out of an old car port tent frame. I'm bolting steel dog gates together as walls (something I aquired from a friend). The tree was topped at the aviary height so it fits inside, and it sprouted new branches with leaves, not really sure what kind of tree it is yet. I'm also going to build a deck platform using 2×4 so she can chew a bit, I can walk in and sweep it, and I can easily replace boards as it gets chewed. Of course there will be a metal barrier below that as well. I don't yet plan to make it anything but a day space right now. That could come later, but the facilities will include food, water, shade/rain shelter, toys, perches, fountain pool, and digging box. I want to leave her safely outside when I go to work during the day. Oh and the exits will be landlocked to keep all entities in and out.

 

[ChristaNL]

first and foremost: find out what species the tree is
(it might still be a killer)


second: Not sure what you have in your neighbourhood but stoats etc. are small, agile and ferocious killers, so if she is going to be out there - make sure no mice can get in - for size- because the ermines etc. can follow.
I would suggest a second outside layer to keep small creeps out.

 

[Kiwibird]

I second the concept of a fine outer mesh too. Not just for rodents but also to help keep bugs out too. I recall summers visiting family in upstate New York. I also recall giant biting flies, chiggers, ticks, bees, a gazillion mosquitos etc... Birds don't like these pests either and we need to do our best to protect them from things that bite and sting while they are enjoying the outdoors. And just a note, if you cover yourself in 'Off' or something similar like everyone else in that part of the country does come summer, DO NOT handle your parrot with that stuff on your hands or spray it on yourself near the bird.

I also wanted to mention that while an outdoor aviary is a fun summer hangout, in your climate there is no way it could ever be a year-round thing. You'll have to make sure that the temperature is warm enough on any given day. Parrots shouldn't be outside (save a quick trip to a warm car) in temps under 65 degrees and also should be brought in if there is some kind of in climate weather. Some people seem to have acclimated their birds to colder temps, but they aren't cold weather animals by nature and IMO, best to just keep them inside where it's warm when it's a little chilly outside. Also please don't ever leave her outside when you aren't around to check in every 10/15 minutes or there to hear her distress calls if something happens. Pet parrots are inside animals, outdoor activities need to be closely monitored even if they are in a safe enclosure like an aviary. Never leave her in there when you go to work for the day or go out to run errands etc...

 

[GaleriaGila]

Great advice above.
What a fun inspirstion!
I myself wouldn't leave her alone for one moment outside. Stoats ARE bad news, as are rats, rat snakes, mites and lice carried and spread by wild birds, by various methods...
I am the (a?) Queen of Paranoia, but I always choose safety, even over my bird's fun!
Good for you, for researching!

 

[HaydenThePirate]

So the tree is an ash tree. And I'll definitely put up a mosquito net because the mosquitoes come out in swarms.

 

[HaydenThePirate]

Chicken is definitely well adapted to colder weather. The people I got her from often had her in 50 degree conditions or less even. Not that I would want to put her through that on purpose, she has proven time after time to do okay in the cold.

 

[bill_e]

Up here the obvious pests are black flies, mosquitoes and tics. Most ground predator's aren't going to be around your back yard during the day but at night, everything from fox and coyote, fisher cats, racoons and various rodents.

Personally I would be most concerned about the insects even if you leave Chicken out only for a few hours. I got eaten alive this weekend by mosquitoes and plucked a few tics off as well.

 

[EllenD]

Chicken is definitely well adapted to colder weather. The people I got her from often had her in 50 degree conditions or less even. Not that I would want to put her through that on purpose, she has proven time after time to do okay in the cold.

Um, you're in Massachusetts, correct? I live in central PA, and there is absolutely no way that I could ever leave one of my parrots outside at all between the months of November-March, just not possible. And that's me being conservative and using the average temperatures for those months...And MA isn't much different climate-wise than PA is, I'd think MA is actually a bit colder, especially since I'm in central PA and completely land-locked with no ocean wind/breeze...I just don't know how you could keep a parrot of any kind outside in weather like the Northeast US gets during the late fall through early spring, we're talking single-digit weather, often below-freezing weather. I don't know what the temperature cutoff is for a tropical bird (as Too's are from Australia) to be honest with you, as I've never thought about bringing mine outside when the ambient temperature is even below 50-60 degrees, unless they are in a covered travel carrier, and that's just for quick vet trips and such. But considering the average temperature here from late November through late mid-March is between 20 degrees F to 45 degrees F, I don't understand how this is going to work...

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what your plan is, if so I'm sorry. If you're only planning on having your 'Too outside in the aviary during the late spring through the late fall, or only when the temperature doesn't fall below a certain temp, then that makes sense...

 

[bill_e]

EllenD, living in New England I assumed he wanted a outside aviary for the warm/hot months as anything else would be crazy.

I live in southwest New Hampshire right on the Mass border and I can tell you that the only months where you don't have to worry much about the temps dipping below 50° are late June through 3rd week of August. Anything other than that is a crapshoot.
Below freezing can happen through the first week of June or so and right after labor day.

 

[ChristaNL]

Birds are crazy adaptable when it comes to temperatures -- there was one guy here who was slightly alarmed his macaws were nesting on the ground at minus two degrees (your 28.4 Fahrenheit) in the snow. He had removed the nestbox earlier because well ...winter and they had the choice of going inside, warm sleeping quarters etc.! Apperantly it is something they do sometimes...

As always: let them choose, do not force.

But I would not leave any bird outside for very long unsupervised.
Accidents can happen if you are away 2 minutes just as likely as if you are away 2 hours, but damagecontroll is possible faster in the former scenario.

 

[EllenD]

EllenD, living in New England I assumed he wanted a outside aviary for the warm/hot months as anything else would be crazy.

I live in southwest New Hampshire right on the Mass border and I can tell you that the only months where you don't have to worry much about the temps dipping below 50° are late June through 3rd week of August. Anything other than that is a crapshoot.
Below freezing can happen through the first week of June or so and right after labor day.

I'm thinking this too, I think I took what he said about the bird "proving he was fine out in cold temperatures" the wrong way, and that the bird will only be outside when the temperature is appropriate....Just because a parrot could possibly survive in below-freezing temperatures does not at all mean that they should, especially when the species of parrot comes naturally from Australia. That's what you have to look at, what is the normal temperature range in the environment where they originate from and live normally in the wild.

 

[HaydenThePirate]

I'm thinking this too, I think I took what he said about the bird "proving he was fine out in cold temperatures" the wrong way, and that the bird will only be outside when the temperature is appropriate....Just because a parrot could possibly survive in below-freezing temperatures does not at all mean that they should, especially when the species of parrot comes naturally from Australia. That's what you have to look at, what is the normal temperature range in the environment where they originate from and live normally in the wild.

okay, let me clear everything up so we can move on. I live in the Northeast of Massachusetts near Nashua New Hampshire, of course I wouldn't have my birds outside in the winter or any day that seemed questionable. I know she tolerates low temperatures because her past owners would often run out of heating oil. Last winter, I was living with them, and they heated the house with the fireplace until the middle of December. Chicken lived in a 3 season porch with plastic over the single pane windows. I think it was December before I found out that there was a 12 inch square glass piece missing from the exterior door allowing a draft behind the blinds. That room was definitely in the low forties overnight, Plus the draft, and they never showed signs of being cold at all, and by they I mean chicken the sulphur-crested and blueberry her friend parakeet.
So anyways, chicken spends the day on the outside of her cage as it is, she just hangs out and talks to birds out the window or whatever it is birds do when I'm at work. She could easily destroy all the things I have in storage in the room she's in, but believe it or not I trust her not to as long as it's Out Of Reach of her cage.

**FYI she will absolutely climb and walk around the house to get to me when I'm home if I leave the door open, but she won't walk or fly to destroy something in the room. **
**And Fun fact, blueberry lives in chicken's cage and fits Between the Bars. He stays in and on top of the cage for the most part as well, sometimes he likes to fly laps around the room, and on occasion he'll explore the whole house. It was only when I took him home that I gave him his own perch near the top of the cage that he only goes to sleep on.**

I figured if I made a big outdoor enclosure that was safe enough, I could bring chicken out there instead of cooping her up in her cage which she's not used to, or keep risking her being free on a daily basis . I just want to give her more space and air because she's a bird and she deserves it.


Like I said though, if it's not possible to make it that safe, I'm building an adjacent Greenhouse so that we can hang out together anyways, going to plant some flowers and stuff and put a bench in there, and a small door so she can come over and chill.

 

[HaydenThePirate]

One more thing I forgot to respond to, yes and no to looking at their natural habitat, because I doubt any of chicken's recent ancestors lived in Australia, which means she and her relatives are better adapted to New England weather then the same species living in Australia. the more Generations in a climate the better it's going to be

 

[jm0]

Do you plan to let her be out in the aviary all year, and how many hours a day are you planning let her play in there?

 

[lplummer52]

I have a screened porch that is 12’ x 36’. I live in Florida, so can leave Birdie out there if we have to leave the house. She is only in her cage at night, so this is a perfect situation. We have about 5 days throughout the year when it gets below 65degrees. But if we lived in MA, the porch would only be good for less than half a year. I’m sure you know this and are just sharing your aviary plans which I think are wonderful. I love Sulfer Crested Cockatoos, especially the Lesser.

 

[bill_e]

Hayden, like I said in my post above, if you make the aviary secure from animal critters my main concern would be the ticks and mosquitoes.

 

[bill_e]

And just my 2 cents on cages, my Nike is out from after her morning poop until she goes to bed but some days I purposely give her more cage time, sometimes all day, so she is accustomed to entertaining herself in a cage.

Nike is no more vocal in her cage than she is out. When she want's one of us, she lets us know and usually when she's caged just walking by and saying hello is enough to satisfy her.

There are undoubtedly going to be times when Chicken will need to be caged, be it for 4 hours or a weekend vacation so it's best to get him used to the cage, both when you're around and not so that he doesn't stress when he has to be locked up.

 

[HaydenThePirate]

She actually is fine in the cage, she has been in there for days at a time before, but I wouldn't want that to be routine. I'm talking about a situation where I can leave at 8 or 9 in the morning and come back from work and take her in before dinner. And for everyone asking this is for days that are warm enough only. I grew up in New England I understand we have seasons here.