Time Flies!!

Wow! I can't believe it's been two and half weeks since my last post! Well we have been really busy around here. The mourning doves I mentioned in my last two posts are doing wonderful. They are flying now and are just beautiful! They are out for about four hours a day now. They fly around the yard and barn area and have started to interact with the wild dove flock. Around 3:00, they come to the back door for their afternoon hand feeding and then it's back in the cage so they can practice eating "regular" food and be safely caged for the night. I will be posting an article about the doves on my site very shortly, complete with pictures. I will let you know when it is up.

Babies!! Like I said, we have been busy. Here is what we have now: three normal green cheek conures (two are reserved, one still available). Turquoise green cheek conures on eggs, three blue quaker babies in the box which I will pull in a few more days, three lineolated parakeets (one cobalt male, two green females) and last but not least, two parrotlet babies in the nestbox!! I am keeping my fingers crossed as this is the first time this pair has actually hatched and fed babies. So far so good! Check my website for more information on the birds above at http://www.almostangelsaviary.com/ or you can email me at parrots4us@sbcglobal.net

Care Tip: I use wicker baskets for portable playstands! The birds love them! I buy them on sale at Michael's at 40-50% off. I wrap the handle in sissel rope hang a toy and it is ready to go! Babies love to hide down in them, older birds love to climb all over them and chew them up. When the basket gets worn out, just throw it away and make a new one! Only purchase natural wicker baskets (no paint, varnish, etc.). Put two or three baskets of various sizes together for a great play area! Having a portable perch enables you to bring your bird to spend time with you while you are doing other things such as working on the computer, getting ready for work, etc. My pet quaker, Baby Blue has graciously volunteered to model for this picture!

Recipe: I got a great idea from a canary/finch breeder for an egg food type recipe that will keep in the cage! Take some very small pellets (I used roudybush breeder nibbles size), and add very finely chopped raw carrots and any other veggie you would like. (I used carrots and broccoli slaw, the kind you buy in a package). Mix thoroughly, put in a tupperware container and stick in the fridge overnight. The next morning, you will have a crumbly mixture that is soft but not mushy. My birds went crazy for this, especially my quakers who are feeding babies right now. This recipe works best with RAW veggies. Always put some carrots in there as they are very nutritious. Some other veggies which would be good are yellow squash, broccoli, zuccini, chopped greens, etc. Remember, all the veggies need to be chopped VERY fine. I used a mini chopper food processor. After several hours on the counter top, I noticed the mix got dry, but did not smell rancid. However, when I put in cooked foods such as hard boiled egg, rice & bean mixes, etc. the mix went rancid fairly quickly. So stay away from adding cooked foods and just use the raw veggies unless you will be taking the food out of the cage within 2 hours.