Abstract
Here in Southern California most breeders of the African Love Bird have used large aviaries and bred the birds on the colony system. But, today. we are faced with an increasing problem of mutations. Breeding ten to fifteen pair of birds in a single colony enclosure and keeping track of the mutations is nearly impossible. Ir you were fortunate enough lo have, for example, fifteen Green split for yellow (Cherryhcad ) males and fifteen yellow (Chcrryhead ) females, there would be no problem, but this idyllic condition is nearly impossible to duplicate. The problem seems to be more and more evident with all the new mutations now available in very small quantities.
This problem of keeping accurate records of the breeding of the mutations can only be solved by breeding the birds in small groups of no more than three pairs or even better, in single pairs.
The pens in our bird house are six feet wide and fifteen feet long, which is ideal for ten or so pairs. There are twentysix such pens on either side of a central aisle half of which face Southeast, the other half Northwest. It would be best if all pens faced Southeast and with any new enclosures we build this will be kept in mind.
Late this past summer we decided to build another house to accommodate single pairs. The original building had two problems. First, the birds could be seen from the street. Passersby too often stopped and looked at the birds even though a fence and many trees near the road hindered the view. The other problem was the cold air from the north. Sometimes in January the temperatures would drop to the mid thirties and the cold air. from the north would blow through the pens.
With this in mind we decided to build a new house on the northwest side of the original house and have the whole southeast side open for light and warmth. The other three sides would be closed except for a few french windows that could be opened for ventilation in warm weather. This new building would then block the view from the street and also dampen some of the noise of the birds, as well as protect them from the weather (see diagram).
To make the space for the new building a retaining wall had to be built the entire length of the building, some sixtyeight feet. A grove of King palms and a large apricot tree already in place would help to soften the appearance of the building. But to keep these plan ts in place some masterminding had to take place. Since our property is on a slight grade the retaining wall was a massive chore. At its highest point it would be six feet tall and at its lowest a single building block high. Because of the Apricot tree, the width of the building would also have to be altered. The building would be sixty-eight feet long and one side would be fifteen feet wide while the entrance side of the building would be only six feet wide. This gave us an entrance to the building that would be only six feet wide by twenty-four feet long with the remainder of the building forty-four long by fifteen feet wide.
After pouring the foundations for the building and completing the retaining wall, it became very evident that there was enough steel and cement to hold up a fortress. This is when my brainstorm hit.