destroying the nest boxes

[alana8819]

hi all what type of nest box would you use for alexandrines, has anyone used metal ones? they are selling them down town but wasnt sure whether they will use them, the normal wodden ones they chew threw in a day, has anyone made their own? any suggestions would be great.

[pinkdevil]

Never seen or heard of metal nest boxes.

I have seen PVC nest boxes that are supposed to be good, never used them though. I prefer to use wooden since it is more natural for the birds.

Hang on and I will check my bird mag........

Back...ok if you can get your hands on latest Australian Aviary Life bird mag (May-June issue) from the newsagent (or just go to page 11 lol ), there is a short section on PVC nest boxes.

[Rolly]

You can either use sheet metal to line the lower part of the nestbox.
or a gauge 16 welded wire attached to the floor & walls, to at least
prevent your IRN from demolishing their nextbox completely.

[Jay]

I've seen at least one breeder use metal nest boxes but I don't personally use them. They don't have the natural look and feel to it and I also think that a metal nestbox will not retain heat as much as wood does. In other words, metal boxes will be a lot more colder for the young featherless chicks to endure.

Rolly's idea above is excellent.

[alana8819]

i found wooden nest boxes about 6cm thick today with plenty of room
for the alexandrines no way they are chewing through them so quickly
destructive little things they are. i didnt think the metal ones would be any good and they were 150 bucks where as the wooden ones i found today were
only 50 each.
thanks for your help guys

[nil]

i have seen nest box that is a simple large log tree with a hole.
this is very durable because the walls of the nest are very thick.
to manufacture this, you need a tree log and a carpenter to make a hole and a cabin inside