Play Stand

[RobertsKitty]

If I were to go outside and cut some branches off a tree to make a play stand do I need treat the wood some way before a bird could play on it? Also are there certain types of trees that the wood is toxic?

[spookyhurst]

For a list of what kind of tree branches are good/bad, visit this site: http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

 

It's quite a comprehensive list. The same site also tells about different methods to clean the wood. You could potentially use a bleach solution, a soap solution, or "lightly" bake the branches in the oven. I use a Grapefruit Seed Extract solution to clean Nikko's perches, so I bet this would be a really good method to clean the branches (much much safer than bleach). Here's an excerpt from the above site about cleaning:

 

Cleaning Wood: One philosophy says clean bird perch wood before it’s used by soaking for an hour or two in tub of water with a cap of household bleach. Then rinse the wood in clean water. Another philosophical camp says the Chlorine bleach method may cause an occasional sickness or fatality. Maybe that’s due to too strong of a solution. The second philosophy may use mild soap and water solution followed by rinsing with clean water. Both of those viewpoints agree about allowing wood to dry thoroughly, including drying exposed to direct sunlight, provided the drying environment is clean. Oven drying needs to be hot enough to kill microorganisms, but cool enough to avoid combustion.

[lovemyGreys]

spookyhurst a great link

 

When i use branches i have cut from a tree i give them a good scrub with hot water, i personally dont use any form of bleach, when they have dried out i give them a good spray with an avian disinfectant.

 

Make sure any branches you cut down have not had any contact with any pesticide's <br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/08/30 19:52

[Dave007]

A very good method of making natural branch playstands/floor stands is to first find dead trees/branches. Make sure that they're different thicknesses. Dead branches are very hard in the interior. Take these branches and soak them in water until the outer gray bark is very pliable and somewhat soft. Peel all of the bark off and you're left with very hard wood that can't be destroyed by parrots. The larger the parrot (macaw vs grey--amazon) the larger or smaller the branches should be used. The branches should be bent, knarled and different thicknesses. The base piece should be vertical. The rest of the branches can be nailed or screwed together using your own imagination. Parrots aren't fussy and appreciate what they would normally have in the wild. For a long time I've made approx 25 for friends and myself. I have woods in my backyard and every year trees have to die.

 

 

[lovemyGreys]

WOW MrSpock that is so cool No wonder your friends have you make them ! Can i be your friend :laugh:

 

A great idea for all of us, thanks for posting the picture.

[spookyhurst]

Count me in as very impressed too MrSpock {Feel-good-000200BB}. Wish I had access to some tree branches. I've been wanting to build Nikko a foraging tree for some time. She has had to settle for a gym made out of PVC pipe though.

[Dave007]

If you're really serious about getting branches but aren't able to get them,just go to your local PARKS DEPT or any YARD DEBRIS DEPT in your county that collects branches, grass, bushes and all other * green* stuff that people discard from their property on a weekly basis. Either of those depts will be more than glad to give you all the branches you want--all sizes, all thicknesses, all lengths, bent, knarled, curled, different wood shade colors etc etc... And there's no charge.

[judygram]

Very impressive Dave, and you being a handyman and all, I wish I lived nearby and I could be one of those friends too. But I have these kinds of things around where I live but getting them together for a playstand is the hard part. My hubby is so busy with other things he does not have time for making me one or two.

 

But thanks for sharing this idea with us, maybe some of us will be able to get some of these made since you posted a photo to show how they look.

[danmcq]

MrSpock, you give good advice and do beautiful work.

 

Thanks for the information, Ideas and photo.

 

I think I will give it a shot when I have a tree trimmed in 2 weeks. :-)

[Talon]

Spooky, thank you for the link. It's very informative.

 

MrSpock, thats a beautiful play stand you have built. I wish I had someone who could build one for Talon. You do very nice work. Thanks for sharing a photo of it.

[Guest Monique]

The great thing about natural branches is that they aren't as uniform in size and shape as many of the store bought perches, so standing on the same perches even just in slightly different areas is good for the feet.