Small Changes go a long way!

Summer is here, and that means a lot of different things for me and my birds. One being that we are busy as can be at Sugarcreek Bird Farm with all the babies and people coming into the store, meaning longer working hours or just being really tired after work in some cases. This means I don’t necessarily have as much time as I do during winter to dedicate to my bird’s entertainment needs. So in order to keep them as busy as I am, I have been using a few different methods to keep them engaged:

Changing up their food weekly. Their dry mix gets revamped and new things added and others taken away, different pellet types and flavors, buckwheat, milk thistle, hemp seeds, Biodiversity bird blends foraging mixes (They LOVE the dried meal worms in that), dry bird tea, and toy parts get thrown in with their dry mix. I have also been making a weekly chop, changing up what veggies and sprouts they get week to week so meal time is something fun and engaging, and makes it last more than 10 seconds.

Moving toys around more frequently. Normally once a week is the general advice we give, but I have been giving one new toy every 3 to 4 days, and rotating where in the cage toys are going. This is keeping them interested in their environment and providing them new things to chew on with minimal effort from me.

The TV or Radio is always playing. I have been switching up channels that they don’t normally watch or listen to, so they have different mental stimulation every time. We’ve been experimenting with rock music and Irish folk songs this week.

Ambient attention is my best friend! Cage cleaning becomes flock time, where each “set” of compatible birds gets out for a different part of the cleaning process, being able to interact with each other is very important and socially engaging for them. This takes the pressure off me to be their sole source of entertainment and social time, allowing for flock bonding and allopreening, especially after foraging plates and bowls are out on tops of the cages to rummaging through, making them fly back and forth expending some energy. That makes this time some of my most productive, because they are actively engaged in other pursuits yet also being allowed out of the cage.

Shower time is bird time. They have several perches on the mirror to jump around, a playstand to chew on (because the toys up there aren’t as much fun LOL), and my favorite tunes or book playing in the background. This gives them much needed humidity for their feathers and out of cage time, without needing direct one-on-one supervision from me. (Bathrooms have been bird proofed so it is limited on what dangers they can access, not everyone’s bathroom or house can be set up in a safe way where shaving razors and chemicals are out of bird reach.)

Here are my original Sugarbabies, Kizzy and Query chowing down on their weekly freshly made chop with hard boiled eggs, pasta, pears, kale, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, buckwheat, and milk thistle. They're happy as a clam to help and be quality control for the rest of my flock! If you have anything you’ve been doing to keep your birds busy, share in the comments below!