murfchck

Close up of the wire. This is the thicker gauge that comes in panels. It is exactly the same as the rolled though that is only 14 gauge. https://goo.gl/photos/wffFudjqU3cQeAK18 Here is the rolled and the label was, of course, is mostly on the bottom so I couldn't get a good picture of it. https://goo.gl/photos/9NorXPJ6sP67CLpQ6 Here is the picture that won the contest! https://goo.gl/photos/w2RPBB3JaoqgJJ8V9

It isn't a silly question at all about them not being together outside. The dynamics change when outside, they are "free" and get territorial. The majority are out together, but they are mostly the non flyers. The greys all fly but have "areas" in the kitchen and stay to them. But Chacho can only come out when they are in the cages, he attacks the greys and is afraid of the macaws. Honey and Sonny pick on the other macaws so they are out of their cages in the master bedroom when the rest are in the living room. The Too's rotate days out of their cages, Lily can not be out when any others are out. Gus and Koko can be out at the same time but then they form a pack and taunt Lily so... Cocaba is slow and old so he is out all the time in his room but it is gated with a door we can close or the Too's will eat him. The wire is a 14 gauge welded with 1 inch squares. Parrot safe (picture of a parrot on the label, lol) I will get a picture for you, since we are having this wonderful weather, it is still intact in the roll. It isn't easy to work with at all, I like the panels so much better, we used those on the roof. Also, we do use scrap in the center area where it is just our walk way and they are not able to get to it unless they fly off before they get to their cage. I am sorry you got that hail damage, I have never seen hail that big before! Our roof and gutters were totaled with the wimpy hail last month but we are holding off replacing until this season is over, why pay a deductible twice.

Arrgggg, Texas weather. Rain, rain, rain until Thursday and Friday then rain, rain, rain again over the weekend. Here is what we were able to get done last weekend. There is a walkway down the middle of the new additions so in total there are 15 flights now including the area that is already roofed and done. There will be 3 doors out to the yard. We have the wire on their roofs and some in the walk areas now which came from our friend. Still have enough to finish the roof and toe separators with her wire and I already ordered, purchased and have here waiting the wall wire! https://goo.gl/photos/7bw9hLvp3iMHXfNX9

Shhh, I am not telling him he is right. That would go straight to his head and then he would think he is right about everything, and that just isn't true! lol. Spent the day yesterday building the new flights and enclosure, well in between the rain. When there is a 20% chance of rain and I want rain there is a 100% chance we won't get it. Yesterday there was a 20% chance of rain, we felt safe it wouldn't and it rained on and off all day and got cold then hot then cold. Started in a tshirt, then to a sweat shirt then for a few minutes Pat was sweating and took his shirt off then right back to the sweat shirt. Every time he brought out his saw though the rain would start, gave up and did what we could with a cordless drill, few hours later Pat brought his saw out and before we could plug it in downpour came. 20% chance again today. Oh joy!

Pat was right, man I hate when he is right. My old Vincent is back and louder than ever.

So I picked big man up yesterday and took him to pick out a new toy for being so good, lol. Went to the feed store to get pellet and after we shopped I set him on the counter to pay (he was in his carrier). A young guy who works there walked up and said hello to Vincent, Vinnie said hello back clear as a bell, then started just rambling on in his muffled talk. The guy, lol. , natural instinct, tried to put his fingers in to pet him. I stopped him short of a finger wound. Vincent is a tease, he will lure you in with his cute face and then strike at you so quickly you are in his grasp before you know it. I will say he is a different bird since getting home. Not screaming every time I walk in the room, Pat said to give it a few days

Dr called tonight. It is an oil gland he will be getting it lanced. Poor guy. I felt SO stupid though, i am so worried about him feeling like i just left him that i am softly crying telling the dr to please tell him "good night big man" wait for him to say it back and then say "good night, good night, good night, mama loves you". Yeah, like hebis going to say that! Lol. Thank you all for the well wishes, this week i have needed that extra support. No matter how hard someone tries to do their best, there is always that nagging feeling in the back of their mind that keeps poking at you making you question yourself. On the bright side, Koko and Gus won a photo contest from an amazing artist who will be doing an oil of them for auction. The proceeds from this get to be divided between me and the person who purchases the oil and donated to the sanctuaries of our choice! Greywings, i will be needing yout sanctuaries info, my part will be going to you guys! Only seemed fitting and right since that is were Koko came to us from! The artist is pretty backed up with orders and just now getting November and December's ordets out and commisioned to do a large mural so i don't exactly know when but it will happen. There will also be a calander and mugs and stuff, lol. My babies will be famous! Lol

https://goo.gl/photos/mPh7cNmLPpVNcHtSA My little boy is off to the vet this morning. Found this on him this weekend, it is right over his tail feathers. Thought it could be an obstructed oil gland, I called Dr 1st thing yesterday and sent him this picture because his first available is next Wednesday, not tomorrow but the next, and wasn't sure if this was something that could wait. They called me last night and said that his first thought was oil gland also but that it just looked weird, could be the picture, but he didn't want to take any chances and I should get him in first thing in the morning. I was also told to be prepared that he may have to stay over night. They know I don't do well leaving my fiddos overnight. Cocaba is winding down also. He can't perch on top of his house anymore, sticks to the bottom area of his playpen and we set perches inside it for him, he uses them but not any of the upper ones, he has fallen off last 2 times went up top. I guess at 65+years old, he is allowed to feel his age. Pretty sure he is also almost totally blind now too.

Well behind us is park area at an apartment, on the side is a Japanese woman who says she loves it when they are out and it reminds her of being at a zoo. The neighbor on the other side gets a little annoyed when the Too's are screaming but will just come over and say, "I hear your birds are outside" which is my cue to bring them inside, or at least the one that is screaming (Lilly). Amazingly the macaws and greys are very quiet when outside. You will hear the occasional scream and the repetitive hello from them but that is it. I try to explain to people when they come over that their arrival gets them excited and the dogs are barking so the birds are screaming but when it is just a normal evening they are really quiet and play very nicely. One neighbor came over with her new puppy, she just walked in so the dogs didn't even know she was there so they didn't bark which didn't set off the bird alarms, after about 10 minutes she looked around and was amazed at how calm the house was and said she finally gets what we had been telling her which was just walk in, don't ring the doorbell or knock!! I am hoping this year since the Toos are going to 100% safe to get outside, that over time they will stop the constant screaming and get use to it and quieter. Not going to hold my breath on that one though, they are Too's after all. Yeah, our yard has taken on many changes since the flocks growth but since we didn't use the pool in two years, that didn't bother me at all to see go away. All the tadpole deaths did hurt my heart a bit when the dirt came in. However, somehow a frog made it inside the house and we guess spent the day torturing Bubba by playing in his tray of his cage. I took the guys out when I got home from work and Bubba ran out the minute I opened the door to his cage. Several hours later when it was time for them to go back to their cage, he wouldn't go in and just kept looking down in the tray. Pat finally saw the guy and got him out. Once out, Bubba went in his cage. So we know atleast one tadpole made it! Well darn, my photos won't open to share the picture of Bully the frog. I will post it once Google photos is working again! Got it! Here is Bully the frog! https://goo.gl/photos/bo44L5Y6zbAVBTbD8

Because of the last storm, I think the weather people panicked. Turned out to be just a nice spring storm that lasted maybe 20 minutes tops. lol https://goo.gl/photos/EWLxnjpBzddf24HT6 I love spring time and so do the fiddos! Have 5 more flights under construction that will join the existing ones, can not wait! https://goo.gl/photos/a7toMzGpnVZ9DMbu6 https://goo.gl/photos/9SSU2MAUbAGJkcqx9

Spring has sprung. The outdoor flights have been uncovered and the larger ones that were up on the top deck are now moved closer to the others so we can build a few more fights and have everyone in a safe enclosed area! Going to take a while to do, yesterday we got sunburned working out there in a fury so they could be outside today and this morning I woke up to a huge temperature drop and high winds. You just never know in Texas. Last storm took shingles off our roof and half our gazebo was blowing in our neighbors yard and they are saying 60mph winds today. At least everything that could be damaged by winds has already been damaged so I don't have to stress over that! lol I guess today we work on the inside cages.

Took Kane into the vet this week. I hated to do this but had to for her safety. She got her wing clipped to match as closely as possible to her missing wing for her balance. She took a flight that popped her keel open a little and I couldn't chance her doing it again. She is adjusting but I don't think I am. Cocaba, the elder red front, has lost sight in one eye and his hearing is all but gone. We have to take him to the vet for his beak which is splitting down on his lower breaking off and is now just a thin piece down the center, sides have fallen off. Afraid he won't do well with the stress of it but don't know what else to do to help him. Oliver is still fighting his sniffles, had to go in and get flushed again this week, still trying to do the drops in his nose 2 x's a day too. Boy when it rains, it pours.

My greys don't do that but my goffins does. He will be on my hand and just flip himself backwards. When I flip him back up I have to be ready because he will flip back again quickly.

I just have to snicker when Marley looks at me and says...Crap, hello.

What a whirlwind it has been. We finally found our house in the country with lots of land for all the flock to scream, romp and play. Got moving on trying to get it. Found out it is bank owned and unless you have cash, no go. Found a few investors who said heck yeah, great deal will help then had the rug pulled out from under our feet when they backed out at the last minute. During this time, a person offered us another house that would fit us all but it needed a lot of work and it is within the city and has a 5 bird max. We were willing to take our chance and had a back up plan in case the city was called. We started work on the house so we could move in and then put ours on the market. Put in a new double garage door, repaired holes in the ceiling, took over 40 bags of trash to the curb that was just from the garage and master bedroom. Got it looking decent. When the time came for us to do the paperwork, the tune changed and the price doubled putting it out of our reach. We believe in making our own way but good gosh, one break is all we need... The flock is doing great, Kane is still my Kaniack. Still wearing her coconut hats and killing the blinds and curtains. Bongo has done a complete change from when he first moved in and now is on the top of the list of trouble makers! He has now made is own designs in the walls and has discovered the buttons on the coffee maker and is determined to remove them. Also has found that pushing things off the counter is tons of fun. From a spoon to lids and yes, that bottle of red wine in the pretty display holder. What a mess he has become. He also enjoys chasing our little dog out of the kitchen should she even think of entering. Macaws are doing great also. Oliver is fighting sinus again, had them flushed and we were supposed to put drops in 2 times a day. Has anyone who works full time, both parties having different schedules ever been able to figure out how to make this possible? The evening drops were all we were able to pull off, poor guy. We stink as nurses. Cockatoos doing good also. Lily is in full blown horny season, scared to pet her anywhere! lol

Since I have had all of mine we use an oral syringe with bird mash (baby bird formula) in it as a treat. They all love it so when medication times comes they are happy to see the syringe! Most of the oral meds are flavored fruity so it is easier to trick them into it being a treat. That being said, right now we have to do 2 drops of an antibiotic into each nostril of Oliver 2 times a day, there is no trick for that one other than be quick and get it over with fast and it takes 2 people! LOL

Lol! Funny you say that. Last night we had to go out to meet a customer at a job site. Where were leaving, got our normal "i'll be back" from Cotay, the "l'm going" from Ixta. Bongo did his whistle and i stopped dead in my track at the door. I looked at Pat and told him i didn't hear Gabbys hello. Sure enough i went back to her cage and the food door was open. Found her hiding behind her roll of towels in the kitchen cubby hole.

You know your plate is full when you are going to dinner and have to put all the birds in their cages, do a dog count and locate the cat. Then when you get home and find a bird sitting on your kitchen table totally mad at you for forgetting her. Guess we have to do bird counts now too. :-( We were so lucky, not that she would have gotten hurt by the dogs (they are scared of the birds), but she is my chewer of all things wood and loves to get on the floor and eat my cabinets. The look of total disgust she gave us, it was hard not to laugh after we scolded ourselves.

Seventh Generation multi cleaner. The best thing ever! Spray and wipe, very rarely do i have to go over anything twice!

Hubby was at a job yesterday and he and the customer started talking about parrot sanctuaries and rescues, our flock and how we came to live with them. Turns out she is the editor for a newspaper, she asked Pat if it would be okay for a reporter to contact us to do a story on parrots and their plight. We will see if she was serious I guess, he said absolutely. lol Just in case they actually do, we started our outline of what needed to be discussed. Our list includes several sanctuaries including online resources like this one! I know without this group here, I would already have been placed in my own sanctuary!

Here is Kane, baked yam is a huge hit! This was in mid December but she still loves her yams. https://goo.gl/photos/jEMjPmSmccDKFXbb6 https://goo.gl/photos/ysS1sRD7xeycBYXA8 Bongo eating things that I "thought" was out of his reach.. https://goo.gl/photos/mLy7pv5CEuEhtVek9 Cocaba in his second condo. (if he falls off his area, we set a cage up with a ladder to this area so if we are not home he can still climb to food and water which leads back to his big play area. https://goo.gl/photos/pwE5Frhzxqm1351Y7 https://goo.gl/photos/MN8476jmhFqzVLeB7

It has been a while, sorry for being away so long. All the flock is doing great. Bongo has turned into Mr Terror. He is into everything now and things I use to leave around now how to be put up or they get eaten or destroyed. I am finding Tupperware to be my new friend. Like spoon rests with no handles and I have learned that actual spoons are stored on the floor, not in the half a spoon rest. Kane has been growing up into a terror in her own right. Blinds and curtains are no match for her! She loves to slip down her cage in stealth mode a have walkabouts. She did not fare well on the last 2 she took. She tried to climb Chachos cage. He got her poor stump foot both times, she is tough for sure. Didn't even act like it hurt her until we had to clean the gashes. Bubba did the same thing and tried to climb up his cage and squealed like a baby and he just had a small scratch. Held his foot up for 2 days, lol. Cochaba, our 60+ year old wild caught red front is making progress by leaps and bounds. This bird was a breeder all his life, never handled without a towel. Pat took baby steps with him and he got on Pats arm last night of his own choice. He is just so sweet with Pat. I can give him beak kisses and rub his head, Pat is able to groom his feathers on his head. lol No change in the Cockatoos, they still compete for my attention and scream if I am not quick enough to get to them. Vincent the goffins, he is a spoiled mess. Will not go to sleep unless I hold him like a baby in my arms for a few minutes, otherwise he screams all night. We tested this theory too, he would scream all night. lol I tried to add pictures for you but when I click on it, I get "null". I will try again later! Hope all is well with everyone!!

So there is nothing a one foot, one wing, quarter of a tongue bird can not do. She is into everything and hangs from the curtain rods like she doesn't have a care in the world. She even tried to fly to me, ended up hitting my cheek bone then got her stub tangled in my hair before crashing to the ground. https://goo.gl/photos/bz13s3ytL1d7bwTQ7

Happy New Year everyone! I wish 2016 to be special for all!

So I was told last night, Santa wouldn't be climbing a ladder to stuff the stockings :-( but that he would make sure everybirdie got their gifts. Dinner got extremely burnt last night while we were outback in the shop counting and recounting all the toys making sure no one was missed. Yikes, I had forgotten that I had dispersed a few of the gifts when we got them (sometimes the excitement of new toys is too much for me to handle and, like a kid, I couldn't wait!) Kane's favorite toy is a coconut half with the plastic chain and a bell hanging from it. She doesn't play with it, she puts her head inside it and wears it like a helmet. What I should have gotten her for Christmas is a set of mini blinds all to herself, she is a mess. For only having one toe on one of her feet she sure gets around, she scales the drapery rod in the bay window and gets anywhere she wants to go and destroys anything in her way. Bongo also has taken a cue from Kane, he has turned into a wrecking ball all of his own now. I have this 5 shelf ladder thing that he can't stay away from, he doesn't mess with the wood of the shelf, just the drywall all around it. When I move the thing I will have a perfect outline of it engraved in the wall. Ah well, such is life with a parrot! Merry Christmas everyone!