Finches outside?
Jack and Lisa Akers
>
> Newbie question:
>
> I've read that finches do well in outdoor avaries. Can they brave cold
> Canadian winters? Do some types fair the cold better than others? Any
> advice from people who keep their finches outside?
>
> thanks
>
> rb
> Millbrook, Ontario, Canada
Would you like to live outside during the winter??!! If it is too cold
for you then it is too cold for the birds.
Lisa
Hughes-Banderob
Ron Harney
>Hughes-Banderob wrote:
(snip)
>Would you like to live outside during the winter??!! If it is too cold
>for you then it is too cold for the birds.
Not true. Birds do quite well in outdoor aviaries once they get
acclimated to the weather, however I do think that Canadian winters are a
bit of a stretch for finches. We have a cockatoo breeder in the area that
has her birds set up in a building with outdoor play areas, and only heats
the building itself to about 40 deg F. (IIRC). She spoke at one of our bird
club meetings not too long ago, and brought pictures. 'Toos playing in the
snow have a certain beauty :>
Ron
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Tim & Denise Antler
Ron Harney wrote:
I agree about the acclimation. Peter Mostert from Southwest Ontario (can't
remember where exactly) has birds that have an outdoor flight but also an indoor
aviary with an easy access between both. However, he's got bigger birds so the
climate may be too harsh on smaller birds like finches.
--Denise
BFBS Webmaster
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/5470/
Jack and Lisa Akers
>
> Jack and Lisa Akers wrote in message <36E5E8...@ipa.net>...
> >Hughes-Banderob wrote:
>
> (snip)
>
> >Would you like to live outside during the winter??!! If it is too cold
> >for you then it is too cold for the birds.
>
> Not true. Birds do quite well in outdoor aviaries once they get
> acclimated to the weather, however I do think that Canadian winters are a
> bit of a stretch for finches. We have a cockatoo breeder in the area that
> has her birds set up in a building with outdoor play areas, and only heats
> the building itself to about 40 deg F. (IIRC). She spoke at one of our bird
> club meetings not too long ago, and brought pictures. 'Toos playing in the
> snow have a certain beauty :>
>
> Ron
> Address is SPAMblocked. Please remove .your.clothes. to respond.
> Member ALBS, NW Ohio Bird Club
> AOL Instant Messager: Fragnold
> ICQ# 24450966
climate!
Lisa
Monte
Hughes-Banderob <hughes....@sympatico.ca> wrote
.....Do some types fair the cold better than others?.....
I think Canadian winters might be too harsh for Australian finch
species - but some species do handle cold better than others. Gouldian
finches for instance dont like cold at all.
A book that I have on *Zebra Finches* says that they can winter over in
temps as low as 6C (43F) and will breed at 12C (54F). Even so I dont
think theyd be too happy at 6C for months on end.
Monte.
Lara
> A book that I have on *Zebra Finches* says that they can winter over in
> temps as low as 6C (43F) and will breed at 12C (54F). Even so I dont
> think theyd be too happy at 6C for months on end.
I think that Canadian winters get WAAAY below 43 F, too! Heck, it got up
to 40 F the other day here in MI, and we thought that was WARM!
My suggestion... outdoor flights are possible during the *summer*, but the
birds will have to be taken indoors when it starts to get cold. This is
basically feasible and the birds will benefit from the extra exercise
outdoor flights provide. Admittedly, in Canada, they're probably going to
spend more time indoors than out - but the benefits are still there, if
you want to go to the trouble of setting up outdoor flights for just a few
months' use, and the trouble of catching and then re-releasing the birds
each year.
Exactly how cold-hardy you can expect a bird to be depends on species;
Gouldians are known as being particularly sensitive to low temperatures.
On the other hand, certain European species would probably do much better,
even in relatively cold temperatures.
Lara