AFA Visits . .. Jeri Wright

Abstract

Breeding exotic birds in the Northwest can be done in outside flights or inside buildings. Jeri Wright and her husband, Jim, have chosen to set up their mixed collection of breeding pairs in a large building, separate from the house and the nursery building. Jeri has been working with exotic birds for fifteen years, and raises a variety of psittacines from Yellowcollared macaws to Rose-breasted cockatoos.

Since the flights are located inside a building, if an occasional bird escapes from the flight, it will not be lost. Her breeding pairs are set up in suspended flights of 1 x 1 inch 12 gauge wire, except for the larger macaws which are housed in 1 x 3 inch B gauge wire. The flights are hung by chain from beams suspended from the ceiling. Each flight has a privacy panel so that pairs in the next flight cannot observe and annoy the adjacent breeding pair. Perches are 2 x 4 pine which are slipped into metal slots attached to the side of the cage. One perch provides access to the nestbox hole, located at the back of the cage. The front perch allows the pair easy access to the stainless steel bowls containing food and water, hung on the inner front of the cage.

Nest boxes for smaller psittacines or birds that are not heavy chewers are of pine, made in the boot configuration. These boxes are hung inside the flight, with a wire door next to the access door, so that the birds will not escape if they chew out of the box. For the larger macaws and cockatoos, Jeri uses new metal barrels of appropriate size for the species. The barrels are remodeled for birds, with a rounded entry hole and a metal platform outside the hole. On the opposite end of the barrel is a door with an opening large enough to allow one to reach in and remove eggs or young as needed. This end of the barrel is open to the aisle for ease of inspection. Barrels are packed with pine shavings and pieces of 2 x 4 for birds to chew.

Jeri provides a daily diet of Roudybush pellets. She also provides a soft diet consisting of a cooked mixture of a variety of soaked beans and rice, with chopped fresh vegetables such as carrots, squash, and corn on the cob; and fruits such as chopped green apples and grapes. This mixture is prepared in her utility area adjacent to the large room with the breeding flights. The utility area has sinks, counters, refrigerator, chopping table, push carts to service the cages, and dry foods storage containers. Soft foods are prepared and mixed into a large bowl and then apportioned into clean bowls on the service cart. As she services the cages with the soft food mixture, she replaces water and pellets. For 45 cages, this takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours daily.

 

 

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