Post by Joey on Aug 28, 2014 19:54:07 GMT
Hi Guys,
Thought I would make a thread and share the progress with my new birdroom build. Hope to get some feedback
Well this will be my 4th adventure but the 1st when I was a home owner.
A little about me, I first started keeping birds back in 1996 when I was 12 years old. My father built me and him a small Shed with attached aviary, and to be honest we housed a lot of birds, which for me at 12 years old I thought was amazing. What I can remember we had Budgies, Zebra Finches, Canaries, Splendids, Redrumps, Quail's and a few other birds I can't remember their names. In 1999 there was a massive accident in our birdroom where our pet Springer Spaniel broke into the aviary and killed a lot of our birds, and with the other birds which were not killed they escaped. I have to say it was a sad time in the Smyth house after that
The second adventure into keeping Budgerigars was in 2002 when i was 18 years old. I got about 4 pairs of pet type budgies, and four breeding cages, and rebuilt the damaged aviary which was still in place. I kept and bred them for another 3 years, until I was a second year in University. At the time I felt it was too big of a burden on my parents to look after the birds all week for me, as I would only be home at the weekends. I felt sad, but I knew it had to happen. Luckily enough, an elderly chap who knew my father was interested in a few birds, so I informed my father to inform him if he's willing to give them a great home, I would gladly give him all my birds and breeding equipment. I got word back that the guy would give them a great home and would be delighted to take my birds. I felt I did a good deed, and up until recently when I was home I heard budgie chatter coming from his back, which give me a wee smile as I hoped they were from my breeding.
The third adventure was always going to happen, but maybe a little bit sooner than I should have, but I promised myself to keep everything small and realistic until I get my own house. Anyway, at this stage I had finished University, and have had the budgie bug eating away at me for years, so one day during September 2009, I decided I was going to get a small shed and a large flight. My reasoning for the small shed and the large flight was, I wanted to keep the work small and easy, as I am only renting the place, so not a big job to move. Also a larger flight, as it’s easy to take down and move.
After I got my setup in place it was again time for Budgies and damn I was excited. Lucky enough, I was able to get in contact with Gerard Lanagan, who is the treasurer of the Budgerigar Society of Ireland, who give me the details of a local Budgerigar breeder in my area, which turned out he lived 5 minutes away from my house.
The breeders name was Rodney Gillan, who has been really supportive with honest advice on my wee setup, budgie breeding and donating to me a number of birds, with a stunning pair of Spangles. I am very grateful for Rodney helping me out, hopefully one day I will be able to help him out with birds.
In early January 2010, I made contact with Mick Browne from Heatherage Budgerigars in Derry. Mick, just like Rodney was very welcoming and helpful. Again I would give a lot of thanks to Mick for the welcome I got when visiting his birdroom and the good chat we had about budgies, and the books he loaned me, along with some DVDs. Mick also donated some great birds to me, a few cracking Greys to mention a few. Again, like with Rodney, I look forward to the day I will be able to help Mick out with some birds.
In 2011, I had to sell up my setup as my girlfriend got a job in Dundee Scotland which was to big off an opportunity to miss for her, which I whole heartily supported, so she moved to Dundee and I made my way back to Belfast and got myself a Job as a Software Developer in the big bad world of work. Time to be an adult it seemed
I had an inner feeling I had to move home, even though the partner really wanted me to make the jump and move to Dundee but I knew deep down that my father's ill health was getting worse, something inside wouldn't allow me to move to Dundee and that I had to move back closer to home, which proved right, the man who got me into birds and who was my rock sadly passed away on the 25th of March 2012.
So this leads me to my fourth adventure were I promised father when I bought my own house, I was going to build us (my turn to sort the building) a great birdroom for us both to enjoy.
I’ll attach the plans and a few photos off where I plan to start. I got an area paved 16ft long x 12ft wide, to house a shed which I am in the process of ordering as 15.10ft long x 11.2 ft wide x 7 ft high, with a 12ft wide x 9ft long external flight so being the big kid I am, I am excited and hope this will be for the long hall.
Photo of where it all starts
Thought I would make a thread and share the progress with my new birdroom build. Hope to get some feedback
Well this will be my 4th adventure but the 1st when I was a home owner.
A little about me, I first started keeping birds back in 1996 when I was 12 years old. My father built me and him a small Shed with attached aviary, and to be honest we housed a lot of birds, which for me at 12 years old I thought was amazing. What I can remember we had Budgies, Zebra Finches, Canaries, Splendids, Redrumps, Quail's and a few other birds I can't remember their names. In 1999 there was a massive accident in our birdroom where our pet Springer Spaniel broke into the aviary and killed a lot of our birds, and with the other birds which were not killed they escaped. I have to say it was a sad time in the Smyth house after that
The second adventure into keeping Budgerigars was in 2002 when i was 18 years old. I got about 4 pairs of pet type budgies, and four breeding cages, and rebuilt the damaged aviary which was still in place. I kept and bred them for another 3 years, until I was a second year in University. At the time I felt it was too big of a burden on my parents to look after the birds all week for me, as I would only be home at the weekends. I felt sad, but I knew it had to happen. Luckily enough, an elderly chap who knew my father was interested in a few birds, so I informed my father to inform him if he's willing to give them a great home, I would gladly give him all my birds and breeding equipment. I got word back that the guy would give them a great home and would be delighted to take my birds. I felt I did a good deed, and up until recently when I was home I heard budgie chatter coming from his back, which give me a wee smile as I hoped they were from my breeding.
The third adventure was always going to happen, but maybe a little bit sooner than I should have, but I promised myself to keep everything small and realistic until I get my own house. Anyway, at this stage I had finished University, and have had the budgie bug eating away at me for years, so one day during September 2009, I decided I was going to get a small shed and a large flight. My reasoning for the small shed and the large flight was, I wanted to keep the work small and easy, as I am only renting the place, so not a big job to move. Also a larger flight, as it’s easy to take down and move.
After I got my setup in place it was again time for Budgies and damn I was excited. Lucky enough, I was able to get in contact with Gerard Lanagan, who is the treasurer of the Budgerigar Society of Ireland, who give me the details of a local Budgerigar breeder in my area, which turned out he lived 5 minutes away from my house.
The breeders name was Rodney Gillan, who has been really supportive with honest advice on my wee setup, budgie breeding and donating to me a number of birds, with a stunning pair of Spangles. I am very grateful for Rodney helping me out, hopefully one day I will be able to help him out with birds.
In early January 2010, I made contact with Mick Browne from Heatherage Budgerigars in Derry. Mick, just like Rodney was very welcoming and helpful. Again I would give a lot of thanks to Mick for the welcome I got when visiting his birdroom and the good chat we had about budgies, and the books he loaned me, along with some DVDs. Mick also donated some great birds to me, a few cracking Greys to mention a few. Again, like with Rodney, I look forward to the day I will be able to help Mick out with some birds.
In 2011, I had to sell up my setup as my girlfriend got a job in Dundee Scotland which was to big off an opportunity to miss for her, which I whole heartily supported, so she moved to Dundee and I made my way back to Belfast and got myself a Job as a Software Developer in the big bad world of work. Time to be an adult it seemed
I had an inner feeling I had to move home, even though the partner really wanted me to make the jump and move to Dundee but I knew deep down that my father's ill health was getting worse, something inside wouldn't allow me to move to Dundee and that I had to move back closer to home, which proved right, the man who got me into birds and who was my rock sadly passed away on the 25th of March 2012.
So this leads me to my fourth adventure were I promised father when I bought my own house, I was going to build us (my turn to sort the building) a great birdroom for us both to enjoy.
I’ll attach the plans and a few photos off where I plan to start. I got an area paved 16ft long x 12ft wide, to house a shed which I am in the process of ordering as 15.10ft long x 11.2 ft wide x 7 ft high, with a 12ft wide x 9ft long external flight so being the big kid I am, I am excited and hope this will be for the long hall.
Photo of where it all starts
