Birds in the greenhouse

[hosshead]

I have a combination aviary/greenhouse.
I HAVE TO keep them separated from my plants.
ABSOLUTELY, as they will pretty much tear up any vegetative matter.
My birds are finches and grossbeaks.
And they LOVE greens.
So I buy them their own romaine lettuce heads that I "spike" onto a branch on one of their personal trees,(down'ed trees that I've cut down to greenhouse size and then sunk into the gravel for an arboreal finch atmosphere...), and they will tear the smithereens out of those within 3 days.
Trust me, if your finches get into your orchids, you'll be losing the orchids pretty quickly.

The quail sound pretty nice and safe.
But your flying birds need to be kept separately from your orchids, I SWEAR.
Speaking from personal,(and tragic ),experience.

I use inexpensive window screen material,( the rolls you can buy dirt-cheap at any home improvement/lumber store), stapled to 2x4's mounted vertically between the ceiling and the ground and anchored as a see-through wall, a slit through one screen allows me a walk-through between sides. As long as that slit isn't gappy, the birds don't kniw it;s an opening, so they never cross into the orchids.

I have little mini fountain bird bath I've made from an aquarium pump and some rocks in a basin and they just sing and splash and carry on when I switch it on each day.

It's nice, but you do have to plan and protect accordingly.
Good luck!

[utah]

Very good to know. I don't have quite enough room for a separate area so I'll just stick to the orchids (and dachshunds) for now and admire the birds that fly through the yard and drink out of the pond. At least for now.

Originally Posted by hosshead

I have a combination aviary/greenhouse.
I HAVE TO keep them separated from my plants.
ABSOLUTELY, as they will pretty much tear up any vegetative matter.
My birds are finches and grossbeaks.
And they LOVE greens.
So I buy them their own romaine lettuce heads that I "spike" onto a branch on one of their personal trees,(down'ed trees that I've cut down to greenhouse size and then sunk into the gravel for an arboreal finch atmosphere...), and they will tear the smithereens out of those within 3 days.
Trust me, if your finches get into your orchids, you'll be losing the orchids pretty quickly.

The quail sound pretty nice and safe.
But your flying birds need to be kept separately from your orchids, I SWEAR.
Speaking from personal,(and tragic ),experience.

I use inexpensive window screen material,( the rolls you can buy dirt-cheap at any home improvement/lumber store), stapled to 2x4's mounted vertically between the ceiling and the ground and anchored as a see-through wall, a slit through one screen allows me a walk-through between sides. As long as that slit isn't gappy, the birds don't kniw it;s an opening, so they never cross into the orchids.

I have little mini fountain bird bath I've made from an aquarium pump and some rocks in a basin and they just sing and splash and carry on when I switch it on each day.

It's nice, but you do have to plan and protect accordingly.
Good luck!

[quiltingwacko]

Another thing. Quail can fly. They mostly walk but they can fly up onto the roof here.

[orchidingram]

I have large parrots and a greenhouse is not a good place for them, if they are out and get excited they fly and land on anything including nice new spikes. I have lost a few this way and damaged some plants also.
Chuck

[OrchidTess]

I have a Conure (and 7 other parrots) that likes to turn big pretty leaves into shredded green piles. He once turned the sleeves in a suede jacket into suede lace. No parrots in the greenhouse unless you want destruction.

[Don Perusse]

From time to time I have birds but NOT intentional. Wrens drive me crazy taking out the potting media, especially the moss and tree fern. I also have seen hummingbirds too but difficult to get out as they climb to the ceiling and bump their heads trying to get out. NO BIRDS IN THE GH IS A GOOD IDEA!

[redrose1226]

Parrots have fascinated us throughout the years due to their high intelligence, gorgeous colors and adoring personalities that simply won’t be ignored. Generations of parrot lovers insist that there is no better pet than a parrot.

[SOS]

I approve the idea of breeding the laziest fattest humming birds.

If there was no spraying in the greenhouse I would want a tortoise for weed control.

[mojomick]

My friend brought his Cockatoo (sp?) on his shoulder when he came over to work on one of my motors in the greenhouse. The bird was climbing all over his back so I coaxed the bird onto my shoulder to give him some room. The d*&m bird, broke my gold necklace, and proceeded to bite my ear and then glommed onto the back of my neck and wouldn't let go. she was very proud of herself once he got her off, but now I have a big bruise, welt and ugly spot but the bird never got the opportunity to eat my plants. She can strip a Vanda in 20 seconds flat!!

[lycaonpictus]

Wow -- something I'm uniquely qualified to address! Of course, it isn't about orchids.

I'm actually a zookeeper at the National Aviary in the United States. What we're known for is having huge, free-flight exhibits which are (essentially) giant greenhouses with hundreds of birds flying loose in them. So I can give you ALL KINDS of information about what goes into maintaining this sort of set-up!

That said, I'm going to vote for the button quail or chukar partridges. The egg-laying isn't an issue if you keep them well-supplied with oyster shell grit. You might want to think about supplementing their diet with offered food, too, instead of assuming they're getting enough through foraging.

With either quail or chukars, three hens together (plus lots of people contact) would be plenty of company for them. As others said, make sure they have fresh water, sand, places to hide, etc. I don't suggest anything like the finches unless they are caged, because they're actually able to escape through remarkably tiny crevices. Also, they aren't social in the sense that they like people being around, so they would probably mostly hide up out of sight whenever you were nearby. However, if you want to look around a little more, check out a pair of crested wood partridges! Tiny, gorgeous, and amazingly social. They follow you around like puppies and make the most adorable little noises!

Re: the whole parrot question. DON'T! Even if the birds enjoyed being there, you would be STUNNED how quickly parrots of any size absolutely decimate vegetation. Keeping their housing well-planted and looking nice is a full-time job for us!

Finally, you might need to do a little research to make sure the orchids aren't in any way toxic to the birds. I honestly don't know the answer to this.

Feel free to drop me a private message if you want to talk more!