Abstract
The controversy on show cages is not a new subject. It has been going on as long as fanciers have been showing birds. It is not my intention to suggest this is the only or best type cage for showing a cockatiel, but it is the type used by many fanciers.
A survey was conducted by the American Cockatiel Society as to the general type of cage needed for a cockatiel. Many judges and fanciers were questioned and it was the general opinion that to properly judge a cockatiel two perches were needed. The cage must also be large enough for the judge to move a 15 to 16 inch cockatiel around to see the complete bird.
Color has also been discussed, some want blue, some yellow, some white, etc. It is my feeling that any color bird can be judged on a white background, A.B.S. has been doing it for 30 odd years. With a standard cage of black exterior and white interior, for all colors of the cockatiel, only one cage is needed.
I would like to submit the following cage and instructions on how you can build this cockatie! shov, cage.
These instructions produce a seventeeninch high. eighteen-inch wide. nine-inch deep show cage for cockatiels and similar birds. A set of three line drawings are ta be used in conjunction with the instructions.
Fit of all the sections together to the drawings. Nail and glue all joints. The front rail on which the cage front fits may be secured by as few as four nails. The rail seems to be the first part to wear and can easily be replaced if it is not glued.
The five-inch access hole is closed by a six-inch square piece of metal on thirteeninch long metal slides. When fitting the door. be sure to ensure free movement and free access to the total area of the hole.
Perches should be cut down from a Y-iinch diameter dowel to a -%-inch diameter. extending this cut up only ~'K·inch to accommodate the 11'2-inch diameter. J/H-inch thick button. The button reinforces the perch and tends to move the bird away from the back wall. A lead hole should be drilled in the perch to prevent the screw from cracking the perch.
The front rail and the top front require four holes into which the chrome wire cage front will fit. Do not pre-drill these holes. A wire front should be used as a pattern to ensure proper placement of the holes for an exact fit. To fit the front onto the cage, slide the four rods up through the front top and then into the holes in the rail. Cut off all extra rods flush with the outside top and file smooth.
In addition. a kidney-shaped hole may be cut into the top which serves as a handle. This should be completed before the top is secured to the show cage.
The following is a list of the sizes of pieces for building the cockatiel show cage:
Top 9"xl8"X14"
Bottom 9" x 18" x 14"
Back 14" x 18" x 1.4"
Baffle 81'8" x I 7V2" x 1/.i"
Side 9" x I 61/2" x 1.4"
Front Rail 3" x 171/2" x V2"
Door 6" x 6" x 24 gauge
Slides 133/8 x 3/8 ·' x 18 gauge
Perches 714'' x ·% · • dowel
Button 11/2 •• diameterx 3/8'' thick, 3/8 • • center hole •