aviculture

Chook, chicken, peafowl, hen? What is the deal with birds? 

The Feather Club’s Association of Queensland Inc’s Bird (Aviculture) and Poultry Museum is a treasure trove of information about anything to do with birds. 

We talk to the manager, David Simons, about all things feathered - from laying hens to messenger pigeons and show birds. 

Whether you’re a seasoned poultry fancier or a curious bird-novice, you’re sure to learn something new (although we can’t promise it’ll be useful) or at the very least be entertained in this episode. 

Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/roadshow-and-tell/id1666756225

Follow us on Instagram to see photos of stuff mentioned in this episode: @roadshowandtellpodcast

Birdman Dad is back this week - talking about what he is up to with his pet birds but also the little gems of wild bird life he gets to glimpse and be part of because he keeps pet birds.
And he is learning all the time!
As well as chatting about some recent aviary bird experiences concerning his finches and scarlet chested parrots.

Apart from the usual, obvious bird accessories and utensils - like bowls, water dishes etc - Birdman Dad chats about the "other" helpful tools that, through his experience, he believes are "must haves" for any bird keeper/owner/guardian.

Hope you find something useful for your own birds in this list!

If you have any other suggestions to add onto the list please let BirdCast know!

insta:  birdman_dad

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892441777643619/

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Reddit: u/birdmandad

You tube:  https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPY7Oh4zOdznC2SRV4esVWw

Let Birdman Dad know what things/items/gadgets you use in your aviaries or with your pet birds that make everyone lives happier and healthier!

Domesticated birds, like all pets humans share their homes and lives with, have a financial cost attached to them which has to be met by their human owner.  Just like the average dog, cat or horse, pet birds need to be fed, housed, watered and given veterinarian attention as required.  All these essential care items cost money and it is the bird/s owner/s who have to provide the required funds. All this is a given and is a point that should be carefully considered when first deciding if you want to keep a bird, in fact any pet.

Through the amazing insights social media has provided us all access to;  today we  can see photographs and videos of the most amazing and extensive bird aviaries and companion bird jungle gym rooms. And these owners deserve the accolades and praise they receive for treating their feathered friends to the very best of everything that their owners can supply them  with; 
but what if you don’t have a lot of money, and can’t purchase your bird the very latest cuddle barn? 
 Can you even keep a bird or birds on a limited income?

Today’s guest, Tom, speaks to us candidly about his bird keeping journey over many years, and many budget types – from the days where funds allocated to his much loved feathered friends was not any real hardship to finding himself, through injury and disease, having to part with his much loved cockatoos.  
Tom shares with us all some hints on how to keep birds when you are on a limited income and we hope these suggestions are useful.

Above the content we hope that you can all hear the love and gratitude Tom expresses for having his feathered family members in his life.

The clubs mentioned in Tom’s talk:

The Avicultural Society of Australia

https://asaust.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1786916591615820

 Geelong Branch

P.O.Box 865 Geelong. 3220
 Mob: 0411036664 Krystal
 email : geelong.asa@gmail.com

Venue – Belmont Park Pavilion. Barrabool Rd, Belmont. Meeting commences at 7.30pm on the 3rd Monday of the month

How does a nature loving, non-birdkeeping young Aussie guy with no background in aviculture become a leading authority on the captive breeding of one of Australia's most endangered large birds?
Today's episode is truly an amazing story!
A "by chance" encounter with a pair of painted black cockatoos (South Eastern red tailed black cockatoo aka Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne) in a bird store back in the 1990's, set in motion a lifetime of learning and dedicated caring of this stunning red tailed black cockatoo.
Our guest today is William (Bill) Palmer - a Graptogyne custodian.
Bill's knowledge of this bird species is extensive. The Graptogyne is endangered in their homelands and their ultimate survival in the wild is precarious.  Bill has made it his life's work to raise the Graptogyne successfully in captivity so as to preserve this species DNA, allowing it to act as an insurance population, should something happen to the wild population.
Bill is one of a handful of people able to raise this peculiar species in captivity, and he is willing, in fact wanting, to share his knowledge so that it is not hidden from other people wanting to preserve this bird for future generations.  Bill has a Facebook page where he posts photos of his birds, the captive bred young and his information concerning this bird - if you are keen on seeing this very special species it is one of the few places you can see "chick" Graptogyne photos:

https://www.facebook.com/Goliath-Parrots-327128311468907

Bill's ultimate life plan is to create a sanctuary dedicated to the Graptogyne - not only providing a suitable habitat for these birds but a place of learning where interested people can learn how to care for this bird species and fortify their survival into the future.  Understandably this project requires funds so Bill has created a "Go Fund Me" project to raise some much needed funds to kick off his sanctuary plans - as the Graptogyne is a very long lived bird (but no one actually knows how long they survive in a captive setting) the birds in Bill's care currently are sure to outlive him - so he needs to future proof the Graptogyne's futures.  If you feel inclined, no matter how small the amount, please feel free to go over to this link and donate what you want.

www.gofundme.com/f/q85uk6?pc=fb_co_emailupdate24&rcid=r01-161355366193-a1e3724cd60646b3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=p_email%2B3201-24hr-reminder-v5&fbclid=IwAR3Elsu4l1ckq3WoICH_PIkgd8lBJhwY-5N-DUsAeCEE8BjhiqnpDrVf4rQ

We are certainly looking forward to the next chapter in this bird story!

Once again - we love to hear your feedback! You can contact via the following methods:
Instagram: Birdman_dad
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPY7Oh4zOdznC2SRV4esVWw
Reddit: r/birdmandad
email: goosemanki8@gmail.com

Sure we expect the weather to be warm in summertime in Australia - but this has been a HOT start to summer and just reminded us perhaps there are other bird keepers and lovers out there who are looking for ideas and tips on  how to keep their birds cool!
So even though we were not planning another podcast until after New Years..here's a special episode and we HOPE that you find some hints or tips in this episode that you hadn't thought of before that may help your birds keep a little bit cooler this summer.
If you are planning the design of a new aviary there is some tips in this episode about aviary design and useful materials; if you have companion birds that can come into the house we have a tip for you and if you have birds in outdoor aviaries that have to stay outside we share our methods on keeping our birds cool - so we hope there is some hint or tip in this episode that will help you!
Again we are keen to know how you went and how you keep your birds cool over the summer.
Feel free to share your information with us - trying to give you loads of choice here for contact!

instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/birdman_dad/?show_story_unavailable=1

You Tube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPY7Oh4zOdznC2SRV4esVWw

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892441777643619

https://www.facebook.com/Birdman-Dad-1678314232464220

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email: goosemanki8@gmail.com

As the end of 2020 approaches, human social lives ramp up, as people make preparations for celebrating Christmas and the New Year.  In Birdman Dad's neck of the woods this time of the year is summer, and many Australians have extended holidays over the summer break.  Life can be very busy this time of year, and for those who keep birds in their backyards, you may be finding it challenging to care for your birds whilst trying to fit in all your social and holiday plans.
As well as the social demands on your time, as a birdkeeper you  may want to provide your birds with something special within the celebrations.  A great little book the BirdCast team have found is "The Finch Keeper's Recipe Book" by Peter Roy James.  Mr James managed to prise these recipes from a variety of finch breeders at a finch convention in Brisbane back in 2008. The book provides 52 recipes that you can cook/create for your finches (and we also feed to our parrots).  The book also contains some tips and hints on getting your finches to eat what you have cooked for them as their "Christmas treat".
If you Google the title a number of places that sell this book will pop up.  The BirdCast team purchased their copy at their local bird store, but there are several online stores that advertise they have this book in store.  Two places in Australia is here: https://www.tassiebirdandpoultrysupplies.com/products/the-finch-keepers-recipe-book
https://www.petandgarden.com.au/bird-books-dvds-magazines/1037-the-finch-keepers-recipe-book.html
and it is also being advertised on Amazon.
Birdman Dad and the BirdCast team would sincerely like to Thank our listeners! 
Thankyou for the regular downloads of our podcast and for the comments we have received to date offering words of support, encouragement and listener suggestions to future podcast topics.
The team wishes everyone a safe and merry festive season.
Over the summer the team will be busy compiling a few You Tube videos (as requested) and these will be placed on the Birdman Dad channel.
The team will be taking a few weeks break from Birdcast but keep a watch out in the New Year for our next podcast!
Any questions please email: goosemanki8@gmail.com
instagram: Birdman_Dad

Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) are a quirky and one of a kind bird. Not suited to every home - mostly on account of their noise and their roaming habits - if you are lucky enough to have a flock of guinea fowl in your life - you will be much richer for their most amusing habits.
The order of birds known as Galliformes is one of the oldest on our planet and they have a rich history interwoven with our own human one.  Within the Galliforme family are chickens, pheasants and turkeys and nearly every continent on our planet have a native Galliforme member - one exception being Australia. The Australian continent has no indigenous species of these birds and as such the common African guinea fowl became a popular food source in early human settlement.
Birdman Dad keeps a flock of guinea fowl to assist in the management of insects.  In years past there has been large numbers of locusts that required some re-balancing and more recently ticks have been the target insect.  Admittedly the mornings start early when you have guinea fowl as they come up on the grass to nibble their early morning greens.  If you can tolerate the guinea fowl commotion and want to keep some keen insect micro-managers, the guinea fowl may be the bird for you!

Having live animals in your care means you have an obligation to provide them with the very best care you can; the animals in your care are dependent on you so there is no days off as such when you don't need to be looking after them.
In this new segment "Birdman Dad Talks" - Birdman Dad wanted to talk to you about the routine of his bird care. Birdman Dad is not a professional birdkeeper - he does not make his living out of birds as such - he has a regular job and has to fit in his paying work around his love of birds and caring for those birds in his care.  So Birdman Dad wanted to share with the BirdCast listeners what his after and before work routine is like with his birds; what he does in an afternoon when he comes home from work and list what his typical "bird care" day sounds like - hoping that this may give someone some ideas on how they can add care to their birds.
The Birdman Dad team hope you enjoy this episode and find something useful in what Birdman Dad describes.  It is only what Birdman Dad does and is by no way prescriptive - many people no doubt will do things very differently.  If you are willing to share your "avairy routine" please contact us by email; insta or You Tube - goosemanki8@gmail.com; Birdman_dad  or Birdman Dad channel.

Keeping track of your birds is so important - especially when you have birds that can breed all year round like some finches. You need to know who are the parents and who are the young - because some birds look exactly the same once they have matured - you also need to know which young belongs to which parents, so that if you are breeding with the young you don't have directly related bloodlines - this is always something you avoid if you can so that you don't end up with genetic problems.  So, you need to develop a way to be able to easily see which birds are which, and who is related to whom.
Birdman Dad uses leg rings for his finches and he speaks about why he uses them in today's podcast.
Once you decide how you are going to know which bird is which you really need to develop some method to keep a record of your system. Some bird clubs suggest certain computer programs, where the user buys a software, loads it onto a computer and enters the required data about the birds, keeping track by adding young bird data as the birds breed; other people prefer to use their smart phone, using bird breeding apps - like birdBreeder  - this is currently an iphone/ipad app; you pay a set price and then download the software onto your device; this app allows you to enter data about your birds and stores it onto your iphone/ipad. As with the computer software, you need to enter the data specific about your birds and their young - ring numbers/colours/species.  There are also many bird breeding journals available - booklets that you write into and keep track of bird species/rings/colours etc.
Birdman Dad prefers the "old fashioned" write it down in a book/diary method. He has used the journal/booklets in the past but now days uses a hard cover ruled journal to write his bird's details into - partly because he is not a big fan of computers and secondly because our internet is very hit and miss and you can't always access your bird data, let alone downloading a program onto a device!  That may change in the future but for now he is sticking with good old pen and paper!
Birdman Dad would love to hear how other bird keepers are keeping track of their birds and which software or apps (if you are using those) are most effective and good return on your money.  If you have a comment on this topic please contact Birdman Dad - email:goosemanki8@gmail.com; instagram: birdman_dad or You Tube: BIrdmanDad. Looking forward to your suggestions and comments!

The Lesser red-browed finch ( Neochmia temporalis minor) is an Australian finch that lives in the northern parts of Queensland.  Many people are more familiar with the nominate species - the red-browed, often called the Sydney waxbill - is Neochima temporalis.  This finch is seen up and down the east coast of Australia, often in groups and with other birds in a wide range of habitats from downtown in Sydney parks to the grasslands of south-west Queensland.
But it is the lesser red-browed finch that took Birdman Dad's eye.  This charming finch with it's brilliant colours and affable personality makes them a delight to keep in your aviary.  Once common in Australian finch aviaries this bird has become a little tougher to find in recent years. But hopefully as people rediscover this charming finch this is soon to change! 

There is such a buzz in the aviaries as breeding season comes closer. The warmer weather has a lot to do with the increase in the birds' energy levels and it sure is lovely to see your beautiful finches sitting in the warm sunshine.
To get to spring of course we all go through the winter months and during winter there is some important things all birdkeepers/aviculturists should be doing in their aviaries to ensure their birds survive the colder months.
Listen in to Birdman Dad's thoughts about how to prepare your birds, particularly finches, for the coming breeding season.  What does he think is important to make note of and what he changes in his aviary management.  Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to manage your flock!
If you,as a listener, have any particular bird related topics you would like to discuss please get in touch with Birdman Dad through instagram (birdman_dad), email (goosemanki8@gmail.com) or You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4DOhjHDimc) with your suggestions.  Look forward from hearing from you.

Like the secret herbs and spices of a certain fried chicken brand; the ingredients that go into finch nests can be just as secretive - and varied!
Join Birdman Dad as he explains some of the finch o secrets to having finches make a nest within your aviary.
This podcast information is complementary to Birdman Dad's You Tube video on "How to make a nest box with Birdman Dad" https://youtu.be/YeEluAlUN8A
Hopefully the information in this podcast will help finchkeepers prepare for the upcoming finch breeding season!
If you have any questions or suggestions on topics you would like to hear about please drop us an email - goosemanki8@gmail.com or find us on Instagram birdman_dad https://www.instagram.com/p/CERKT21pfow/?igshid=e43fnmdwve54

The Scarlet chested parrot aka Neophema splendida is an Australian native grass parrot and when Europeans first arrived in Western Australia they were seen all around the Swan River settlement. 
Sadly this is not the case today in the 21st century, where you would would have to travel out to far remote regions to even have the chance of a possible sighting.  What was once a commonly seen bird in the new colony is now more commonly seen in the aviaries of Europe in the most amazing colours.  
To say the Scarlet chested parrot is a popular bird is quite an understatement.  Not only is their beautiful colours an attraction, their ease of keeping makes them a particularly excellent beginning aviary bird.  Their ease of care, providing you stick to a few suggestions provided by Birdman Dad, makes them a very popular choice worldwide.

This weeks episode Birdman Dad talks about the Orange-cheeked finch aka Orange-cheeked waxbill.  The Orange-cheeked finch is a hardy little finch, that does very well in a mixed aviary set up and is re-known for it's tail wag.
For those wanting to keep the Orange-cheeked finch Birdman Dad gives you some great tips to get you started with Orange-cheeks and some hints that he has utilised to keep these finches happy and contented.
If you have any ideas or thoughts about the BirdCast and topics you would like Birdman Dad to speak about please go to Birdman Dad insta page or email on Goosemanki8@gmail.com.

Today we discuss the topic of introducing new birds into your aviaries.  Our discussion includes how to air freight birds to your home - Birdman Dad lives in Western Australia - a very isolated place due to the distances in Australia - and Western Australia has very strict quarantine laws and border inspections to keep our great state free of agricultural pests and diseases - diseases that could cripple our farming and fresh produce.  This complicates matters when it comes to importing birds from the east coast of Australia (eg: Sydney,Melbourne, Brisbane) into Western Australia.  West Aussies that choose to import birds here have to meet the quarantine restrictions - as in you can not  import some bird species at all into WA- and you have to apply to a government department to import the birds and pay certain fees.  Then you also have to book for the Quarantine officers to inspect your birds when they arrive - to make sure what you have applied to import into the state is what you are actually importing...and that is the easy part!  
Then you have the challenge of introducing these new birds safely into your aviaries so that your existing birds are safe from disease/pests introduced by your new birds and that you care for your new birds so that they survive the trip over to their new home.
Birdman Dad tries to answer and explain some common questions about bringing new birds into your aviaries in the hope that this information will help you manage bird jet lag and the somewhat complicated process of travelling birds.

In this episode, we ask Birdman Dad what material types he has used in constructing his aviary and what ideas he uses to encourage his finches in particular to use a nest site.  He also speaks a little about the current finches he keeps currently and hopes to keep in the future. 

In episode 2 we touch base with Birdman Dad again and chat about Success and Failures in birdkeeping from what finches he has bred with great success in mixed aviaries and which ones he found troublesome.  He also suggest some aviary design features that would be on his top 5 tips as well as some he simply can not incorporate into his current set up.  Co-host Kiah delves into the world of "aviary pests" and here we meet old "Rat in the Hat" and they discuss things that need to be kept under control if you are going to be successful in your bird keeping endeavours.

Welcome to the inaugural podcast with Birdman Dad and co-host Kiah! Come along and join in the conversation about all things birds, aviaries and aviculture in the world of Birdman Dad.  Birdman Dad shares all he knows about the birds he keeps, his aviaries, the wild birds that visit his home and the hints and tips he wishes he knew when he was first started keeping birds. By no means an expert in aviculture, BirdMan Dad is a backyard bird keeper since the late 1960's and hopes he has some useful information for any bird keeper that listens in.  He talks about his top tips for those new to the world of bird keeping giving some great tips to get you started!