Wintering with Parrots

[The Outlaw]

Thought I'd open a new thread and discuss some of the common problems with living with birds in the cold, dry winter months.

Old timers around here know that I have 10 birds in my own flock and the occasional visitor. In the summer, I can pretty much take the big birds out to the aviary and let them blow off steam. They come in and have dinner and pretty much go to sleep shortly after the sun sets. However, in the winter months, its a balancing act and a lot more intense.

Keeping the house properly heated and hydrated is a challenge. I try to keep the rooms at 70 degrees. I find that 68 is too hard on my arthritis. I have at least 3 humidifiers going to keep the moisture content up. Ideally, with birds, you should try to hit 45 to 50% humidity to keep them comfortable and in good feather.

Full spectrum lighting is another thing to really consider. New homes (built within the last 30 years) normally have windows that have UV filters inbedded in the glass. Consequently, though your bird may enjoy the view, it really gets no UV benefits from sitting in front of a window. To provide the extra rays, you need to install full spectrum lighting. The most commonly used bulbs for most folks are Ott lights. They clip on the top or side of your cages. Exposure to full specturm (FS) lighting will help your bird absorb what it needs to properly utilize the vitamins that you provide in its diet. Some vitamins (C and D) aren't properly absorbed without the help of FS lighting.

You also need to have disaster plans. Betweeen ice storms, power failures, and the scarcity of some fossil fuels, you need to have a good plan B. I would suggest that anyone with larger birds really consider purchasing a generator. After all, its very difficult to keep 10 big birds warm when the power goes out. I also have a pellet stove downstairs in the family room, but it needs to be hooked up to a 12 volt battery for the auger to work.

Woodstoves are great if they are properly maintained. Clean chimneys are a must. Getting humans out safely during a chimney fire is hard enough. Bagging up frightened birds is another thing.

While on the subject of fires, PLEASE have a plan. I currently keep 10 pillow cases in a plastic box under one of the bird cages. I can deposit a bird into each one. I have sewn a rope into the hems than serves as a drawstring. Don't depend on your carrier. It probably won't be handy when you need it most. Even if you have them, if you are trying to remove more than a few birds at a time, you are limited to only being able to carry two at a time. You rarely get a second chance to go back inside a burning building. I am currently making Saf T Saks with locking drawstrings and vents out of heavy cotton material. They are safer than pillow cases.

You really need to have at least a 2 weeks supply of birdfood and bottled water. Also, be sure to have your emergency first aid kit well stocked. Keep it handy so you can snatch that out in the event of fire, too.

Thinking things through in advance can save a lot of heartache and just make you feel more comfortable.

[kensbuns]

I learned last year that the heat can go out in an instant on a really cold night at 3 am. I invested in an electric heater and 2 king size electric blankets. My guys dont chew blankets so they are safe. If the electric goes out we go to Kenny's Mom's right down the street. She keeps her door unlocked simply for that reason.

[Vega]

I too learned about the heat the hard way. The coldest night of last winter our heater went...and I had NO clue how to keep my Gypsy warm! We have a big, old, drafty house. By the time we realise the furnace wasn't working the chill already began to set in.

Fortunately I had this awsome site to come to, and got very quick responses on putting her near a heating pad. I put her in her carrier, heating pad under it and a towel over top to help keep the heat in. She pulled through more upset that I had disturbed her sleep than anything else! lol

[mamalovesrico]

Yes, having the heat go out in the winter IS a big deal. It never was before until last year which was also the first winter I've had a bird. And of course my furnace went out many times last year.
The first time it went out, my husband and I weren't even home. We left the house around 7 for dinner and came back home around 10:30pm. The heat furnace was out when we came home. Scared the crap out of me and I hadn't know how long it was out. Called the after hours furnace comapany & realized I had no clue what to do with Rico.
Couple days later it went out again around midnight. I told my husband if it got too much colder before the heating man came over I was grabbing Rico and heading for a hotel.
Just a couple of situations to make you think about.

[Casa Amazona]

What's winter?

[The Outlaw]

Joanie, you are so rotten.

Tara aka Tiki came up with a brilliant plan last year. It involved having your camper ready to receive birds on a moments notice. We have a small camper that has its own heating system, water, lights, stove, etc. We never use it in the winter, but it would work very well in case of emergency. By hooking up the generator, we could actually live in there, for a short time, with all of the birds and all be warm and toasty. If you have a camper or motorhome, remember that it could be a life saver in the dead of winter.

[Tiki]

I thought of that when I read about all the hurricane victims that couldn't wouldn't evacuate because shelters and hotels won't take pets. I would want my own self-contained shelter with me.

BTW, Joanie, if you ever find out what winter is, please let me know too! Does it have anything to do with that cold, white stuff on the road between Tammy's and Jan's?

[Graehstone]

I remember winter ... I think.
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If I want to see snow I will put in a dvd thank you very much.
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But I'd trade you all a little bit of your snow for some of my fire anyday.

[Dustin]

I was going to start a new thread about my last couple days but since this thread is already on the topic i will just add it here!

We live in eastern South Dakota, and Saturday night it started to rain and freeze and by 4AM monday the whole 20 miles area was out of electricity, and travel was practically imposible. so all day monday me and my sister-in laws boyfriend ( they stayed at our house since the weather was getting bad) got everything ready (candles, food, ect)becasue the electric company said they would be happy if the power was on by tues night! Luckily the house didnt release much heat through out the day , we closed it up pretty tight, and by mon night it was only down to about 60 degrees, it was a little warmer in the brid room but not much. soon after sunset we got a generator from my father in laws construction company and had enough power to run the oil filled heater and a light. so we ( 4 adults and 5 birds, they had thier parakeet with them) all slept in the 10' x 10' bird room with the heater. It probably stayed about 70 degrees in the room throughout the night, but in the rest of the house it was a balmy 45 degrees. finally the power came back on about 6 tues night. And some sourrounding farms still do not have power and it is wed night. That was the first time i have been in a power outage for more than a couple hours. I think we are going to go out and buy a small generator like we used, because even though we may not use it very much and they are not cheap but it was literally a life saver the last couple days. Tues we talked to a couple people around town and they made thier way to other towns to try to find a generator and they couldnt find many places that had any left. Also even though some people had propane or fuel heaters they didnt help a whole lot because the fuel places had no power to pump any fuel! so i just wanted to tell people to consider spending the money on one because you never know when something might come up and it is better to be prepared. Like a GM On Star commercial i heard the other day "do you want it before or after you need it"

Dusty

[Lynjupiter]

Originally Posted by Casa Amazona

What's winter?

I was going to say. The best way to deal with Winter and your birds is to move to Florida. Though it does get cold here. Last night was in the fifties brrrrrrrrrr
Today in the seventies.
Lynda