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From: susans@cfi.COM (susans)
Newsgroups: rec.birds,rec.pets
Subject: Re: INDOOR: Looking for a newsgroup focused more on pet birds
Keywords: liberty
Message-ID: <907@cfiprod.UUCP>
Date: 26 Sep 90 15:16:56 GMT
References: <3029@legs.UUCP> <1052@helens.Stanford.EDU> <1007@massey.ac.nz>
Reply-To: susans@cfiprod.UUCP (Susan Scheide -CFI-)
Organization: Consumer Financial Institute, Waltham, Mass.
Lines: 71

In article <1007@massey.ac.nz> AChamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove) writes:
>In the UK it is called Liberty Birds.  I am interested in having a group
>of birds which can be kept in an open avairy, at liberty but given food
>so as to encourage them to remain nearby and to get them through
>food-scarce times. Can I get some information on this practice. 
>The birds I am thinking of getting are budgies and/or canaries.

	Let me get this straight: are YOU in the UK??

	If so, budgies and/or canaries are not going to
	survive your winters out of doors.  If I'm wrong,
	excuse me, and do please tell us where you are.
	Both birds come from very warm climates and will not
	live through winters (I'm sure there are exceptions,
	but must we quibble?).

>How long do I have to house them together or feed them from an aviary
>before I can open the doors and have them return regularly for food?

	I can't believe either species could be relied upon to
	regularly return.  Both species are flock-oriented as
	opposed to simply pair-oriented, so they'd doubtless
	join up with other birds and follow where they led.

>Do I have to have a large meshed aviary so that they can see the surround
>before they are released, or can I house them in an attic loft?

	How would you keep an attic loft clean?  You turn a flock
	of budgies loose in your attic, and your going to have a 
	hell of a mess that will be darned difficult to clean up:
	feathers, droppings, seed, which attacts rodents...

	With an aviary, if outdoors, you can hose down the floor if
	it's concrete, sweep/rake if it's dirt.  

>If I use an attic loft, can I just have a small (1 m. sq.) outside area
>for them to see out?

	You mean a window?  You'd better, of have lots of artificial
	lighting, or get bats, because birds like brightly lit areas
	and plenty of sunshine.

>Is there a preferable time of year to release?

	Sorry, don't know where you are.  Couldn't say.  I sure
	wouldn't buy a bunch of canaries and budgies to let them
	go!  Wouldn't it be easier to just start feeding the
	wild birds and encouraging nesting by providing platforms,
	etc.?  At approx. $15.00 per budgie and $50 per canary,
	you're looking at an expensive experiment.

>The bird-news articles I have read on the subject only use the technique
>on a pair of birds, and they release them with chicks in the nest; is
>this necessary?

	I've never read about this "techinique."

>I would like to have some pet birds but dont like the idea of keeping

	They won't be pet birds if you turn them loose.  Most
	likely they'll be gone birds!  I don't want to debate the
	moral issues of caging birds, but you shouldn't release
	birds into the wild unless they are taught to cope with
	freedom and are in the appropriate environment (Australia
	for budgies, ???? for canaries).


-- 
                        Susan S. (susans@cfi.com)

                        Another Friend of Bill's