# Weathering vs. Aviary for BoP



## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

Hey guys!

Looking into getting my first bird soon and trying to decide if I'd be better off with a weathering or an aviary. Obviously I know an Aviary would be better for protection from predators and thieves but in terms of space I don't have enough to provide a very large aviary for him to fly around in whereas if I used a weathering I could give him the run of most of the grass in the garden each day by providing a few perches within tethering length.

Any suggestions or advice?


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Depends on what bird you're getting. Owls shouldn't be tethered.

Our harris' and falcons are all tethered but we do have access to an aviary for moulting should be want it. We're happy enough with that, and given the option to have an aviary for my male (which I did try at one point), I'd still stick with tethering. He gets flown regularly and exercised 6 days out of 7, so it's not a problem for him. They're also heated and we change out the perch covering regularly, so problems with the elements and foot problems from tethering aren't an issue for us. : victory:

As far as 'run of the grass' goes, keep in mind they shouldn't have a long leash when tethered as, particularly in young birds, it can badly damage their legs. We've used a 'trolley system' (difficult to explain in short but I can explain further if you're unsure and interested) in the past with great success, and that gives the bird some amount of freedom whilst also varying perch surfaces and keeping legs safe. It also means you can offer shelter and the bird can choose to be under shelter or out in the open. Pretty useful for in the summer, and if you have a bird like mine who's slightly species confused and thinks they need to walk about most of the time :crazy:, they find it quite enjoyable. : victory:


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## Disgruntled (Dec 5, 2010)

KT has a weathering all year round. We built it as a lean to against the big shed. It has solid sides and a mesh door and front so that on bad weather days she can stay in and look out. We are covering these this week with clear bubble wrap as cold weather is coming and harris hawks don't do well in the cold.
She was kept bowed out throughout her moult as my mentor and her previous owner came to see her and she was pretty mellow even when fat, so managed well. I would like to build her an aviary but not right now as I've just finished labouring over Morganas one and I really don't fancy doing it again at the minute!


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## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

LoveForLizards said:


> As far as 'run of the grass' goes, keep in mind they shouldn't have a long leash when tethered as, particularly in young birds, it can badly damage their legs.


Can you explain how this happens? Is it with the leash tangling or are there other problems?



Disgruntled said:


> KT has a weathering all year round. We built it as a lean to against the big shed. It has solid sides and a mesh door and front so that on bad weather days she can stay in and look out.


This sounds promising I could fashion a weather very easy and looking back over LoveforLizards trolly system that could be achieved in my garden with reletive ease as well 

Brilliant


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Kelfezond said:


> Can you explain how this happens? Is it with the leash tangling or are there other problems?


If a bird bates and is on a long leash, it can build up too much pressure before the leash snaps it back, and that puts a lot of pressure on their leg bones, resulting in injury and potentially breaks. It's more of a problem with young birds for two reasons; young birds are more flighty and thus more likely to bate until they're well manned and trained, and also because their leg bones are weaker when they're young and first purchased (17-22 weeks old). Although, it isn't only leash length that can cause strain and injury to the legs. Poor equipment, anklet design, bowing the bird too soon and poor manning all comes into it as well. : victory:


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## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

LoveForLizards said:


> If a bird bates and is on a long leash, it can build up too much pressure before the leash snaps it back, and that puts a lot of pressure on their leg bones, resulting in injury and potentially breaks. It's more of a problem with young birds for two reasons; young birds are more flighty and thus more likely to bate until they're well manned and trained, and also because their leg bones are weaker when they're young and first purchased (17-22 weeks old). Although, it isn't only leash length that can cause strain and injury to the legs. Poor equipment, anklet design, bowing the bird too soon and poor manning all comes into it as well. : victory:


Ah that makes sense actually I forgot about bating.. Okay looks like the trolley idea will have to be employed.
Is there any reason the bird could not be kept in a smallish (6ft) shed (obviously converted she won't be sat on the lawnmower ^^ ) overnight and then in the morning taken out to the grass on a block perch with trolly system so she can get a little bit of exercise when she's not being flown?


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Kelfezond said:


> Ah that makes sense actually I forgot about bating.. Okay looks like the trolley idea will have to be employed.
> Is there any reason the bird could not be kept in a smallish (6ft) shed (obviously converted she won't be sat on the lawnmower ^^ ) overnight and then in the morning taken out to the grass on a block perch with trolly system so she can get a little bit of exercise when she's not being flown?


To be honest, unless the aviary is sizeable enough to be able to get a decent flight in it, there isn't much point in choosing that over tethering all the time. You're more than likely going to end up with damaged feathers at some point, and it doesn't really enrich the bird's life in any way.

Weathering daily is preferable imo no matter how that's done, but a trolly system could work well if you have the room for it no matter whether the bird's tethered or free lofted. Bow perches are preferable for the harris due to the nature of their feet and legs, although shelf and block perches can be used away from primary perches or for short periods of temporary housing assuming the bird isn't on them constantly. : victory:


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

I would recommend having an aivary (just to be differnet) If she gets ill it would be better for her to not be teathered, and also if she picks up bad manners it is much better to leave her for a season in an aivary to forget them! If you dont have the space you might be able to find somebody with space who could have her to stay during this time. Also (from what I've seen) people generally don't fly thier birds all year, the guy I help has display birds for the summer and hunting birds for the winter (hh in both collections) and at the end of the season he swaps his birds (other than falcons) so half of them are getting nice and fat and ignored and the other half are fit, weighed, measured and handled, obviously there is some overlap with the displays only just finishing and the hunting already started...

Also I dont know what other pets you have, but any animals that may be considered lunch should be out of sight as it causes unnecessary stress to both the BoP and the other animal.

Hope that helps you decide


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## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

kirstyhorsman said:


> I would recommend having an aivary (just to be differnet) If she gets ill it would be better for her to not be teathered, and also if she picks up bad manners it is much better to leave her for a season in an aivary to forget them! If you dont have the space you might be able to find somebody with space who could have her to stay during this time. Also (from what I've seen) people generally don't fly thier birds all year, the guy I help has display birds for the summer and hunting birds for the winter (hh in both collections) and at the end of the season he swaps his birds (other than falcons) so half of them are getting nice and fat and ignored and the other half are fit, weighed, measured and handled, obviously there is some overlap with the displays only just finishing and the hunting already started...
> 
> Also I dont know what other pets you have, but any animals that may be considered lunch should be out of sight as it causes unnecessary stress to both the BoP and the other animal.
> 
> Hope that helps you decide


My mother is thinking of rescuing a "small" dog, not sure what that is but I'll remind her to keep the bird in mind. Other than that we only have snakes and they're all inside (obviously xP)


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

Small dog will probably be fine regardless of size, I was thinking of more common dinners for BoP like pet bunnies, chickens etc


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## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

kirstyhorsman said:


> Small dog will probably be fine regardless of size, I was thinking of more common dinners for BoP like pet bunnies, chickens etc


Nah nothing like that


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## Disgruntled (Dec 5, 2010)

My bird couldn't give a stuff about the chickens, turkeys, cats or pony. All are out and about by the weathering area. Depends on the bird but mine all coexist perfectly well. I try to keep the poultry out of reach but only in case of disease spread, not because I think they will get eaten..:crazy:


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## Scoffa (Nov 23, 2006)

What is to be gained in free lofting a bird unless it is being bred? I like to keep my birds tethered and manned daily. The trolley system is only good for trained birds, otherwise it will break legs the same as a long leash. When birds are taken off the trolley system and put on a static perch they tend to start bating trying o fly to another perch. A weathering all year is fine for a redtail, but I would think a heated mews is best for the Harrisand falcons. I don't like free lofting through the moult either, because you have no weight control and if you need to catch them before the end of the moult it will cause stress resulting in fret marks.


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