Bird Care
Birds have become very popular pets in Australia; whether it is a canary or a chicken, they certainly have grown in popularity over the years. There are many different types of birds available as pets and they all have something different to offer.
Some birds are known for their stunning looks and beautiful song, while others have the amazing ability to learn how to talk and play games. Then of course there are chickens that add charm and life to any backyard.
Birds are very intelligent and can be taught many different commands. They learn surprisingly quickly and when allowed to be a part of your life will bond with you strongly. They each have unique personalities that make them fun to be around.
They are sensitive little creatures so it’s important to learn as much as you can about what they require to live a happy and healthy life, each different species has its own special requirements such as specific diets, housing, floor substrate and level of exercise.
By reading and researching as much as possible and along with the support of our avian vet team here at Mt Helena, you will be well equipped to care for your pet to the highest of standards and the result will be maximum enjoyment of your feathered little friends.
Buying a bird is a serious commitment for at least five years but some can even live as long as you! Keep in mind the following helpful considerations when making your decision:
There Are So Many Choices! Which Best Suits You?
A canary, budgerigar, cockatiel or even a pretty little finch are particularly good pets for a family with very limited space or modest means. They are suitable for people living alone and the care of these birds is not complicated, but the individuality they show depends on the degree of freedom they are allowed and on the stimulation provided by their surroundings and their companions.
Only the male canary sings and whistles, and the male budgerigar is usually easier to teach to talk. There are important differences to be aware of between the genders of each species.
Chickens are very popular pets with many people now choosing to share their backyards with these lovely birds. Hens are family favourites as they are gentle and robust enough to withstand the attention from young children without harm to either party, while grown-ups get enjoyment out of watching the flock interact and the relationships formed with individual birds. Then there’s the added bonus of being able to collect and eat fresh eggs. It’s relaxing to be able to take life at chicken pace!
Some of the larger parrots are particularly intelligent and thrive on human contact, they love to learn and love to be out and about in your home with you.
The other important aspect to consider when buying a bird is how long they live… different species vary dramatically in regards to life expectancy, a canary lives around 5 years whilst cockatoos with the right care can live upwards of 70 years!
Aviary Birds topics below:
– Diet for Cockatoos and Galahs
Chicken topics below:
Top 10 Health Problems in Pet Chickens seen at Mt Helena Vet
Housing for aviary birds
A well-designed and built aviary is the most satisfactory housing, enabling them to live with freedom of movement and adequate opportunity for flight. Keep in mind that they fly horizontally rather than vertically so providing a cage that gives them this space rather than hopping up and down from perch to perch is very important. Circumstances often dictate that birds are kept in cages, usually manufactured of metal with wire mesh screening. The biggest thing to take into consideration is the size of the enclosure, birds by nature are active and inquisitive and… no surprises… love to fly, so the bigger the better!
Their home should be positioned in a well-lit, sunny area where they will have frequent human contact, and in which it will be safe to be released for exercise if possible. A portable cage permits the birds to be repositioned for their comfort. Appropriate perches of varying size (natural branches are best) must be provided, as well as secured food and water troughs. The food and water receptacles should not be positioned beneath perches and any accidental contamination of the food and water by bird droppings must be removed immediately.
Activities
Ladders, bells, ropes, swings, mirrors, and suitable toys provide stimulation for a caged bird, however avoid over-furnishing as this will crowd the cage and may result in injury. It is very important that we encourage many forms of mental stimulus and that our little friends are allowed time to be… well… birds. To fly and bathe and scratch and sing, these beautiful creatures are at their happiest when given the freedom to exhibit their normal behaviours.
Protection
At night the cage should be covered over to permit the bird to rest and to protect it from draughts. Should the cage be placed outside the house at any time, it must be in a position that is safe from predators – cats and wild birds – that could scare or directly injure them. Birds should not be left in the sun without shade and should be protected from overheating on hot days.
Handling
It is important to train your bird to be handled, especially to permit examination for signs of ill health. Begin by letting them become accustomed to being handled in the cage. Soon they will become finger-tame, and then they may be able to be handled outside the cage. It will require a good deal of patience and gentleness when handling birds, especially canaries.
Talking and Training
Some parrots (budgies, cockatiel, galahs etc) that have constant close contact with their owner will learn to talk. These can start to talk at about six weeks of age, and if they have not succeeded by six months, they probably never will. Teaching a bird to talk starts by repeating the same word over and over. Once they’ve learnt one word, new words or complete phrases may be achieved. Birds can be taught to come when they are called, dance, pick up items, free fly and can even be toilet trained!
YouTube is an excellent source of inspiration; you can see just what they are capable of and also receive step-by-step training!
Training your bird not only enhances the bond you share but it also encourages mental stimulation, which means you will have a happy and healthy little companion.
Nutrition
Each and every species has very different dietary needs some birds are predominately seedeaters whilst others have a diet based on fruit and nectar. Knowledge has changed a lot over the years and we now know that it’s important to feed a broad and varied diet. Gone are the days of just a bowl of seed and water. Birds are now encouraged to enjoy a diet with fruit and veggies, with less high fat foods such as sunflower seeds etc which can cause obesity and related health issues.
Diet for Budgerigar
A common mistake in caring for budgerigar is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A budgerigar kept entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a budgerigar includes pellets, fruit and vegetables and small amounts of seed as a treat.
The diet we recommend be fed:
- High quality budgerigar pellets
- These are low in fat, and high in vitamins and minerals that your bird needs. Pellets should form 50% of the diet.
- A range of fresh fruit and vegetables
- These should always be available for your bird and provided fresh daily.
- Some ideas – peas, corn, broccoli, celery leaves, capsicum, carrot, spinach. Darker coloured veggies are generally more nutritious.
- Any fruit or vegetable that we eat EXCEPT FOR avocado, onion and rhubarb.
- Fresh grass
- Budgerigars usually appreciate fresh grasses and native plants, especially the seed heads. Milk thistle is also good for birds.
- Flowers, branches and leaves from the common natives are safe to give your budgerigar. They provide a good supplementation of food and entertainment for your bird.
- Fresh water always available and changed daily
- Budgerigar seed – 1 teaspoon per day
- Treats – good for training
- These should be provided in small quantities only
- Whole grain plain bread or toast, cockatiel seed mix, nuts, dried fruit, plain whole-grain crackers.
Converting to Pellets – tips and tricks
- Mix 50/50 with seed in the normal food bowl. Only provide enough food for 1 day – 1-1½ teaspoons of each. If seed is provided in excess of daily intake, your bird won’t get hungry enough to try the pellets. Gradually reduce the amount of seed once your bird is eating the pellets.
- Try moistening the pellets and rolling into balls with seed – as your bird picks at his favourite seeds some pellets will be eaten and he will get the taste of them.
- If your bird likes human food, pretend to eat the pellets yourself – it may make them more appealing.
- Patience, patience, patience – it may take several weeks before your budgerigar willingly eats pellets.
Diet for Cockatiels
A common mistake in caring for cockatiels is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A cockatiel kept entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a cockatiel includes pellets, fruit and vegetables and small amounts of seed as a treat.
The diet we recommend be fed:
- High quality cockatiel pellets
- These are low in fat, and high in vitamins and minerals that your bird needs. Pellets should form 50% of the diet.
- A range of fresh fruit and vegetables
- These should always be available for your bird and provided fresh daily.
- Some ideas – peas, corn, broccoli, celery leaves, capsicum, carrot, spinach. Darker coloured veggies are generally more nutritious.
- Any fruit or vegetable that we eat EXCEPT FOR avocado, onion and rhubarb.
- Fresh grass
- Cockatiels usually appreciate fresh grasses and native plants, especially the seed heads. Milk thistle is also good for birds.
- Flowers, branches and leaves from the common natives are safe to give your cockatiel. They provide a good supplementation of food and entertainment for your bird.
- Fresh water always available and changed daily
- Treats – good for training
- These should be provided in small quantities only
- Whole grain plain bread or toast, cockatiel seed mix, millet spray, nuts, dried fruit, plain whole-grain crackers.
Converting to Pellets – tips and tricks
- Mix 50/50 with seed in the normal food bowl. Only provide enough food for 1 day – 1-1½ tablespoons of each. If seed is provided in excess of daily intake, your bird won’t get hungry enough to try the pellets. Gradually reduce the amount of seed once your bird is eating the pellets.
- Try moistening the pellets and rolling into balls with seed – as your bird picks at his favourite seeds some pellets will be eaten and he will get the taste of them.
- If your bird likes human food, pretend to eat the pellets yourself – it may make them more appealing.
- Patience, patience, patience – it may take several weeks before your cockatiel willingly eats pellets.
Diet for Cockatoos and Galahs
A common mistake in caring for cockatoos is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A cockatoo fed entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a cockatoo/galah includes pellets, fruit and vegetables and small amounts of seed as a treat.
The diet we recommend be fed:
- High quality cockatoo pellets
- These are low in fat, and high in vitamins and minerals that your bird needs. Pellets should form 50% of the diet.
- A range of fresh fruit and vegetables
- These should always be available and provided fresh daily.
- Some ideas – peas, corn, broccoli, celery leaves, capsicum, carrot, spinach. Darker coloured veggies are generally more nutritious.
- Sprouted seed is a great source of protein and vitamins for your bird –sprout it yourself (ask us how!) or buy a sprout mix from your green grocer (crunch combo mix is good).
- Any fruit or vegetable that we eat EXCEPT FOR avocado, onion and rhubarb.
- Fresh grass
- Cockatoos and galahs appreciate fresh grasses and native plants, especially the seed heads. Milk thistle is also good for birds.
- Flowers, branches and leaves from the common natives are safe to give your cockatoo. They also provide entertainment for your bird.
- Fresh water always available and changed daily
- Treats – good for training
- These should be provided in small quantities only
- Whole grain plain bread or toast, parrot seed mix, nuts, dried fruit, plain whole-grain crackers.
Converting to Pellets – tips and tricks
- Mix 50/50 with seed in the normal food bowl. Only provide enough food for 1 day – 2-3 tablespoons of each. If seed is provided in excess of daily intake, your bird won’t get hungry enough to try the pellets. Gradually reduce the amount of seed once your bird is eating the pellets.
- Try moistening the pellets and rolling into balls with seed – as your bird picks at his favourite seeds some pellets will be eaten and he will get the taste of them.
- If your bird likes human food, pretend to eat the pellets yourself – it may make them more appealing.
- Patience, patience, patience – it may take several weeks before your cockatoo willingly eats pellets.
Chickens
Housing for chickens
There are many designs for fowl yards that have been used successfully. Ensure there is an open area for the hens to forage and an enclosed, sheltered, hen house for nesting, egg laying and roosting. Ideally, to avoid fighting, there should be more nest sites than chickens and nests should be accessible for egg collection with minimal disturbance to the hens. Roosting perches should be placed so that birds on higher perches are not passing droppings on birds lower down. Especially with heavier breeds, perches should be comfortable and not so high that landing on the floor causes excessive impact on their feet with the risk of foot damage or bumble foot. Feed and water dishes should be placed so that they will not be contaminated with droppings and the area surrounding them should remain dry.
Fox and dog attacks are a common reason that pet chickens are presented to Mt Helena Vet. Chickens need to be locked up at night for protection and, even during the day, they need to be carefully watched or kept in predator proof enclosures.
Rodents can spread disease and are a major challenge in keeping chickens. Care should be taken with storage of grain and rations to minimise food sources that attract rodent. Ongoing rat and mice control programs are generally needed. Live traps are safest. Rodenticides (e.g. warfarin-based Talon) are toxic to poultry so cannot be used where chickens may have access or where rodents may move poisoned grain into enclosures.
Diet for chickens
There are ‘starter’, ‘grower’ and ‘layer’ rations commercially available that have been well researched and suitable for chickens of various ages. These generally form a good basis for feeding and should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations with a few provisos. With pet chickens there is not the need for maximum growth or egg production and commercial rations may be too high in calcium and protein for pet hens that are not laying eggs. Also chickens should have the opportunity for enrichment and foraging. We recommend commercial pellets as the basis for their diet but also encourage the addition of table scraps, grains and free range foraging. Clean fresh water and shell grit should be freely available.
While well intended, feeding chickens grains exclusively (organic or otherwise) is not a good diet as it is too low in calcium and a variety of other nutrients and egg laying problems can result. Crushed egg shells (boiled to prevent bacterial contamination) can be used as a natural source of calcium but we also recommend the inclusion of commercial chicken rations.
Behaviour and Enrichment
Chickens are known for their strong ‘pecking order’ behaviour and it is important to manage them so that the birds lower in the pecking order are able to avoid those higher on the pecking order and still have access to food, water and nesting sites. Once the pecking order has been established outright aggression is less common. Allowing opportunities to free-range and ensuring multiple nests sites, feeding and water stations, depending on the social dynamics of your individual flock, should be considered.
Routine Care
We recommend pet chickens be acquired from a source that vaccinates for Marek’s Disease and that they are brought into the clinic for a ‘Well Bird Check’ as soon as they are acquired and before being introduced to any other birds you may have. Our vets at Mt Helena Vet Clinic will check the birds for any signs of illness, review care and husbandry requirements and likely recommend droppings tests looking for worm parasites or coccidia, which are common health problems in chickens. Preventative care recommendations are based on individual circumstances but would typically include worming and possibly treatment for coccidia.
Top 10 Health Problems in Pet Chickens seen at Mt Helena Vet
- Female Reproductive Related Disease. Because chickens have generally been bred to produce lots of eggs but not necessarily to live a long while we see a lot of female reproductive tract problems, especially in older hens, such as ‘egg yolk related peritonitis’ (where egg yolks end up in the abdomen rather than moving along the oviduct to form eggs as they should); egg binding; infections or cancer of the oviduct and ovarian cancer.
- Respiratory Tract Infections may be caused by germs such as bacteria, mycoplasmas, viruses, fungal or chlamydia. Treatment will depend on the cause.
- Marek’s Disease is caused by a cancer-forming virus that affects the nerves, often resulting in leg paralysis in young birds. There is a vaccine available but it is not always effective in every individual bird.
- Coccidiosis This disease is caused by a type of parasite that invades the intestinal lining and can cause ill health, weight loss and bloody diarrhoea
- Worm parasites, especially Round Worms (Ascarids) and Capillaria, can also cause ill health, weight loss and diarrhoea. They may be transmitted by wild birds.
- Scaly Leg is caused by a mite that burrows under the skin and causes proliferative lumps to form on the legs and other non-feathered areas on the bird.
- Crop impaction can be caused by overeating grit or eating fibrous grasses (e.g. onion grass) or can sometimes be associated with cancers or foreign bodies further along the intestinal tract.
- Wounds from fox, dog or other predators.
- Bumblefoot, also called ‘pododermatitis’, is caused by a combination of factors – e.g. walking on hard substrates, a vitamin A deficient diet, obesity and other foot problems.
- Fowl Pox is caused by a virus that can be transmitted by mosquitoes. It causes ulcerated lumps around the head and legs as well as generalised illness.