Cages and Birdroom
Housing
My first bird-room measured just 7ft by 5ft (and was built between my kitchen and back wall - in a previous life an outside toilet occupied the space!) and contained a total of 36 cages, my second set up measure 16ft by 8ft (and used to be a garage!), my third set-up was contained within a single story extension to the side of the house and my current set-up is a converted brick built outbuilding, this goes to prove that with a bit of imagination most things can be turned into a bird-room.
The size of the bird-room is unimportant however there are a number of essential elements that make a good bird-room work these are positioning, natural light, good ventilation, electricity and of course the cages (a water supply is nice to have but not an essential).
Positioning
Think carefully when siting your bird-room, you'll need daily access, I'd avoid South facing positions - being in direct sun all day will not benefit the health of your birds. Similarly I wouldn't site a bird-room in the constant shade, ideally a bird-room should get the early morning sun.
Natural Light
Light plays a key part in the management of your stud - the onset of longer days brings birds into breeding condition, conversely a reduction in light will bring on the moult. Natural daylight can be supplemented with full spectrum and day light bulbs.
Good Ventilation
The bird-room should have a constant flow of fresh air, this can be achieved by extractor fans or an open window. You should always aim to avoid draughts and ensure opening windows are covered with wire mesh (to avoid escapees as well as unwanted visitors).
Electricity
An electrical supply, once considered a luxury in the bird-room, is now, in my view an essential. There are a number of electrical devices available to the modern bird keeper, including air purifiers and extractor fans - and of course no bird-room is complete without a radio!
Finally the cages
Outside of the birds, the most important element to the bird-room is the cage set up, poor planning can lead to countless frustrations so take care to plan properly and ensure you maximise your available space.
I have a range of cages in my current bird-room (pictured above), the main cage block consists of 5 cages high and 4 cages wide (with 18" cage fronts) made from 10mm marine ply. These are due to be replaced by 2 blocks of 3 cages high 5 cages wide with 16" fronts.
The advantage of a block of cages is the flexibility it brings, removable wooden dividers separate each cage - so in the breeding season I can have 30 individual cage units - when I'm running pairs together the divider can be removed and I have 6 doubles and 6 treble breeders. Outside of the breeding and show season all of the dividers can be removed creating six 8 foot flight cages. Each cage has a wooden drawer at the base - this is easily removed for cleaning (in the past I've had to remove the cage front to clean the cages properly).
Avoid filling all of your cages with breeding birds - depending on how many pairs you're running with you should always ensure you have sufficient space to house youngsters bred in the season and adults comfortably.
In addition (pictured below) I have two 4ft flight cages, these are ideal outside of the breeding season for housing the birds that will be retained for breeding the following year., they are great at bringing the birds into breeding condition as the extra space and height provides plenty of room for them to exercise.
Still got a question? then email me at: matteld72@googlemail.com