Outdoor Housing???

[ScissorChick]

Don't do it. Any bird like that is not to be kept in such temps/weather.

Remember, they dont come from where you are, and where

they come from, the temps are different. If your going to get

a bird like that, it should be kept INDOORS. Do non stop

research, and dont go for it until you know more about them.

 

[arherp]

Quote:
NOT true.. (not referring to the research before getting animals thing - totally agree with that!) But, I maintain my 'tiels outdoors year round here in Kentucky. Same hutches as I keep my quail in. They do Great (if anything, their colors have improved from getting all this UVB...) and breed fine for me in the spring time. We have had rain, sleet, snow, ice, and been down to 0 degrees.. the tiels do great...

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
Considering the sizable population of feral quakers/monk parakeets in Chicago, this doesn't surprise me too much. Some birds are amazingly adaptable.

I'm curious about your setup - how many cockatiels do you keep? What kind of protection do you provide them from the elements? On average how long do they live?

 

[Akane]

Even chicago being on the water isn't like the middle of the midwest in the middle of winter. The average in Chicago is still above 0. Closer to 20F. Iowa and even more so wisconsin regularly see -20 to -30F for sometimes a week or 2 at a time. I still say popsicles.

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
Average temperature is pretty meaningless in this context. If anything the size of a parrot is going to die in -20F, it happens in a matter minutes, not days (unless you count the starvation or dehydration from being unable to get food due to the cold). There have been plenty of -20F days in Chicago during the 40 years that quaker parrots have been living in the city and the population has managed to survive.

But the crux of the matter isn't how cold it is, it's all about how they keep themselves warm. They keep themselves warm by taking shelter and huddling together for warmth (often with extra heat from a vent or exhaust from a building). Really no different from every other bird that lives in cold climates.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think many pet birds would survive living outdoors during a bitter cold winter. Not unless they had adequate shelter (wind proof and very well insulated) and a large enough flock for them to share body heat.

That said, I would never keep any of my birds outdoors in the winter (or during hots spells in the summer for that matter). I'm just interested in arherp's experience because it is intriguing.

 

[bagendhens]

firstly, australia isnt all super hot desert and scrub land, thats where teils come from, along with most parakeet species and of course the budgerigar...true sutralia isnt the tundra either, but they have a varied climate depending on where you are in the country...

as long as they have protection from drafts and rain teils and budgies and some of the grass keets can take north american winters (even in NH/CT ect)
the quaker parakeet is illegal in many states because of its ability to adapt, we have wild colonies here in connecticut that survive new england winters every year...
the normal every day teil or budgie wouldnt do well just tossed outside, but if you allow them to adapt to the climate and provide enough shelter from the elements through spring/summer/fall, they should do ok in all but the coldest places. and in those places a simple indoor house attatched to the flight with a heat lamp is plenty.

of the 3, teils lovvies and budgies (commonly refered to in the usa as "parakeets") id probably go with budgies, english budgies if you can get them would be even better, the english is a larger stockier bird and frequently kept in aviaries outdoors in the uk. the american budgie strain is a little slimmer built and my experience has been, not as hardy...
teils can do well too, but ive never had luck keeping teils...

DO NOT do lovebirds, they tend to be highly agressive little guys who are well known to kill especially during breeding season...
my linneolated parakeet came to me because a lovebird escaped its cage and brutally killed this little guys mate and then whent after him...he luckily survived, missing a few toes and was in pretty bad condition missing alot of feathers, but healthy now...i would NEVER mix lovvies with anythign but other lovebirds, and even then id be incredibly careful during breeding season.

some of the grasskeets (true parakeets) might do ok also, but im asuming when you say parakeet you mean the budgie lol.
so yeha, my choice for your set up would be budgies, then teils...

 

[arherp]

Quote:
Considering the sizable population of feral quakers/monk parakeets in Chicago, this doesn't surprise me too much. Some birds are amazingly adaptable.

I'm curious about your setup - how many cockatiels do you keep? What kind of protection do you provide them from the elements? On average how long do they live?

I keep them in the hutches I raise my quail in. (Not with the quail, but that style of cage.) I haven't had any die yet, so I dont know how long they will live. Probably longer than the average captivity lifespan, which is 15-20 years. The hutches have roofs and 1/3 of the hutches have wood on five sides, so that keeps them dry.