Bird Cage - Make your own

There are many available bird cages in your local pet shop and even on-line. But making cage for your own specifications or size will give you satisfaction for your beloved birds.
Here's my simple instruction to make your own cage in case you don't have enough budget for the commercially available cages. This design is suitable for a breeding pair or a flight cage for 4-6 birds.

Materials/Tools needed:
1-meter Galvanized Welded wires # 16 (4 ft x 1" x 1 ")
Cable wire tie, the bigger the better
Galvanized wire # 18
Steel Cutter
Long Nose pliers
Measuring tape
1 piece of straight wood as a guide
Rubber mallet or any wood that is handy

With 4 ft galvanized welded wire cut 16" lengthwise, make two 4ft x 16".

Then divide it to 3 crosswise with 16" measurement (48 inches / 3 equals 16").

Fold it using straight wood and a mallet. Repeat folding with the same measurement to other half of galvanized welded wire.

Then attach the two folded galvanized wire to form a cube.

Attach each side by folding the excess wire.

 As much as possible fold like this in order to have a strong hold and to prevent breaking of wire during folding.

Output after folding or attaching all sides.

Then after all side has been folded and secured, choose a location where you can make a door. 4"x5" will be enough for you to replenish food and water and to prevent them from escaping during feeding. Cut the desired area and fold excess wire. Since you have excess wire from 4ft x 1 meter galvanized welded wire, it's enough to make a door. just cut 6 inches and attached or combine it to form a 6"x6" door. It's better that your door is bigger in dimension compared to door you've cut from the cage.


Then make a door lock, in this case you can choose or make your creative imagination to make a door lock. There are many available lock in the hard ware, but here's a improvised lock made of wire.

Cut at least 6" of wire.

 You can use a thicker wire if you like.

Place it in the lower portion of the cage door.

Put the door of 6"x6" dimension. Use a bigger cable wire tire if possible.

Put perches for your birds, make sure that the diameter is not too big and not too small. See to it that your bird can grip or hold the perch 1/3 of the diameter for them to have a strong hold during mating. You can use Guava branch, Sampalok or Tamarind Branch, Narra Branch, or any branch of trees that is hard enough or will last long enough.

You can or may put 2 perches with one swing perch for your bird to play with.

Here's the finished product, you may hang it or nail it to the wall.

You can make also 3 division cages for breeding.

My Gouldian Finches

I bought this breeding pair last May 2010 from a friend here in Cebu.
This pair cost me 4,500 pesos. They've their first clutch last September 2010, but they failed to incubate it so I fostered it to my zebra breeding pair. Lately I've known that Zebra Finch is not that good in fostering Gouldian Finch (well not all). So after the chicks hatched they didn't continue feeding it so it dies and Ants attacked their nest. This January 2011, I've asked Sir Mattysixtyfour (member of istorya.net) give me actual tips on how to produce Gouldian Finch Successfully and also I made a swapping of birds with him to acquire 2 society breeding pair. After Fostering their second clutch to society finch I let them incubate their own eggs of their third clutch, so far it hatched to 2 healthy chicks last March 5, 2011.

So here's my Gouldian finch pair with their second clutch fostered to a society finch.

Yellow back and Green Back Gouldian Finch

YBWBYH cock  x  GBPBRH hen

Here's the picture of their 4 chicks being fostered to Society Finch.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (1 day old)

Gouldian finch Chicks ( 3 yellow back - 5 days old)
At this age their eyes begins to open a bit.

Gouldian Finch Chicks with Society Finch Foster parent ( 11 days old)
Feathers begins to show.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (20 days old)
3 Yellow back and possible blue back or split to blue back

Here's their video @ 20 days.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (22 days old)
3 Yellow back and possible blue back or split to blue back

                                                             Here's their video @ 22 days.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (23 days old)
3 Yellow back and possible blue back or split to blue back

Gouldian Finch Chicks (24 days old). 1 greenback and 1 yellowback knows how to get out from the nest.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (27 days old)

Gouldian Finch Chicks (27 days old) Yellow back

Gouldian Finch Chicks (27 days old) Green back.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (29 days old) 1 Green back and 3 Yellow back.

Gouldian Finch Chicks (29 days old) 1 Green back and 3 Yellow back.

                                                    Here's their video @ 30 days, fledging stage.

Gouldian Finch 35 days old, 2 yellowback.

Gouldian Finch 35 days old, 1 yellowback and 1 greenback.

Gouldian Finch, 35 days old. 3 yellowback.

First Molt, 78 days old

93 days old, gouldian finches

    
I can't wait to see their colors after they molt.

I will continue updating this page.

my pet with feathers

Last January 2010 together with my wife, we've got our feathered pet from a friend for only 300 pesos per pair.
It's a budgie or parakeet, then I acquired a pair of semi-wild type personata (ALBS2). Then by May 2010 I've acquired another ALBS2, it's a cobalt blue and pastel green. As time past by I want to add more birds in my keep, so I bought a pair of zebra finch (NG cock and CFW hen). Since it's getting more addicting to these feathered pets I try an expensive one, it's a GOULDIAN finch (yellowback cock and greenback hen). And thinking that it would end I acquired some breeding pair of Orange Breast Finch, Black Cheek Finch, Phaeo Finch and Black Breasted Finch.

Finches captures my attention well, they produce a good sound specially Gouldian finch.
As of now I'm focusing on my Gouldian finch on how to produce more gouldian from my pair.

Here are my Finches feathered friends.

Normal Gray Male dark back

Normal Gray Male light back

Normal Gray Pied Male light back

Crested Isabel Male

Black Cheek Male

Orange Breast Male

Phaeo Male

Black Breasted Male

OBBB Hen

Isabel Hen

Society Finch

Society Finch

Society Finch

Society Finch helps a lot when you breed Gouldian Finch. Society Finch serves as foster parents during first to third clutch of your Gouldian Finch. Some Gouldian will abandon during this stage and Society will be the best option in order to save Gouldian Finch eggs.

Gouldian Finch Yellowback male and Greenback female

For my finches I gave them Millet (dawa in philippines) mixed with Canary Seeds. Its 1:4 ratio.
1 kilogram of Canary Seeds mixed with 4 kilograms of Millet. Then I gave them Cuttle bone for calcium supply. Then for breeding pair and with chicks I gave them with EGGFOOD (Orlux brand). Then I mix their water with supplements (Electrogen D+) which I used right now. There's so many alternatives for water supplements as long it has contents of Dextrose, Multivitamins, and Electrolytes. Some big breeders gave their  birds with FERTI-VIT. Some will give water supplements for 3-4 days a week or some everyday. Then I gave them Egg shell.

Millet (Dawa) mixed with Canary seeds

Cuttle Bone

Eggfood (Orlux)

Water supplements (thunderbird brand) soluble powder.

For breeding, I use Nestbasket instead of Nestbox, but it depends on your selection.

As nesting materials I gave them bermuda grass or any grass.

I gave them egg shell also, some crushed it but I prefer to give them directly after cooking.

For their cages, the bigger breeding cage the better, but less than 16" dimension is too small for them.
Bigger cage will gave them longer life span.

Here are my African Love Birds (ALBS2) ring eyed.

Breeding Pair (as of now successfully produced13 chicks - March 2011).
Semi-Wild type Cock X Cobalt Blue Personata Hen.

My other breeding pair.
Pastel Pied Green Cock X Cobalt Blue Personata Hen.

African Love Birds offspring.

Cobalt Blue

Cobalt Blue and Pastel Green

5 chicks in a clutch.

For my African Love Birds I gave them Millet (dawa in philippines) mixed with Sunflower Seeds. Its 1:1 ratio.

1 kilogram of Sunflower Seeds mixed with 1 kilogram of Millet. Then I gave them Cuttle bone for calcium supply. Then for breeding pair and with chicks I gave them separate dish with Groat Oats. Then I mix their water with supplements (Electrogen D+) which I used right now. There's so many alternatives for water supplements as long it has contents of Dextrose, Multivitamins, and Electrolytes. Some big breeders gave their  birds with FERTI-VIT.

African Love Birds feeds.

I use Nestbox instead of Nestbasket with 6" X 6" X 12" dimensions.

I use coconut tree leaves as nesting materials. I will cut in into 4-6 inches then remove the hard part or outer part then give it to African Love Birds for them make their own nest.

More to come.