The Quark Flock

[CaptainQuark]

This is our 17-year-old CAG hen, Ndhlovu.

We do African names for African birds. Silly, isn't it? When we got her, we had budgies and lovebirds, so she was BIG compared with the other fids. So we thought, "Hmmm… BIG? Grey? African?" So naturally, we called her Elephant – in Zulu.  She's had it cushy all her life! The most traumatic thing ever to happen to her was "Whaddya mean I can't have some of your ice cream!?"


Now when I talk about giving fresh fruit, I do mean fresh!


What happened to the ground…?


Ol' Nature Girl strikes again!

Almost exactly one year ago, the flock doubled in size. Induna came to live with us. (Induna is Zulu again and translates roughly as "King's Counsellor") This poor guy is wild-caught. He was sold out of the back of a Transit van for £100 to a family with young kids and no experience of keeping greys. The kids used to wind him up by banging on his cage. Naturally, he took to biting them whenever he could. So the parents started beating him – both with their fists and with a stick! When we found him, he was absolutley terrified of people. He also had some terrible nutritional deficiencies, so that, just a month after he came to live with us, a HUGE flake detached itself from the side of his beak. With the right diet, it's growing back nicely, though, and it is now strong and healthy again.  He's still very nervous around people, terrified of sticks and still bites like mad. Induna's happiness and security are my mission in life! He has absolutely no reason at all to trust people or to like them. Progress is painfully slow with this poor guy, but we are making progress!


Induna, CQ's mission in life!


Oh well, there goes my lunch again! Induna is THE messiest eater you have ever met! 


Daddy, daddy! Look at the mess I made! 

I work in parrot rescue here in the UK. Just a month ago, I was asked to safe house an old grey lady before finding her a new home. This poor old girl has some serious history behind her. At some time in the distant past, her left leg was broken, so she has trouble getting around. She also has eye trouble – we're not 100% sure whether it's just a scar from an old injury or a cancerous growth. She is such a sweetie (if you can see past the biting!) that we have decided to foster her permanently! So, of course, she got a new African name: Inenekazi, which means Old Lady in Zulu. 


Inenekazi's eye problem makes it look like she's wearing mascara


Because she has a damaged foot and can't walk on a flat surface, we're putting ropes all around the house so that she can go wherever she wants!

And here's one of the whole flock preening together: Inenekazi on the left havin' a good ole scratch, Ndhlovu high up in the middle and Induna on the right, chewing his toenails.



Oh and then there's the Pocket Parrot.  Li'l Keiko the Quaker has been with us for three months now. He came to us by way of goin' into Boot Camp with the Big Guys! He had a nasty habit of trying to kill off his partners.


"Have my my agent call Forshaw and tell him I'm available to pose for the Fourth Edition!" 

[sandisbirdsitting]

stunning, thanks for sharing
Sandi

[sharla]

wow such cool photos.  i love the flight ones.  I will read your harness article.  i had bought a couple of them but they really didn't like them.  so I never got too far with it.    I would still worry about the hawk issues where I live.  there are so many of them, you can't go outside without seeing about 3 or 4 big ones.  And I know 2 people personally who have had a bird snatched off their arm by a hawk while outside.    In fact this week we have had to keep my boyfriends chiuauas in side as the hawks were so big and many we could see them easily flying off with one of the little dogs.   have you ever had any hawk problems where you live

[CaptainQuark]

I will read your harness article.  i had bought a couple of them but they really didn't like them.  so I never got too far with it.

I would suggest persisting with the harness training. But you will have to take it very slowly and gently, as I hope I have made abundantly clear in the articles. Patience is the key! It took us well over 6 months to get Ndhlovu used to wearing a harness, and was very amenable and was used to being handled and touched all over her body. Unless your bird has been harness trained from when it was a chick (I know at least one breeder in the UK that does), harness training is a long-term process!

I would still worry about the hawk issues where I live.  there are so many of them, you can't go outside without seeing about 3 or 4 big ones.  And I know 2 people personally who have had a bird snatched off their arm by a hawk while outside.    In fact this week we have had to keep my boyfriends chiuauas in side as the hawks were so big and many we could see them easily flying off with one of the little dogs.   have you ever had any hawk problems where you live

We always check for birds of prey before we let Ndhlovu fly. She can be a complete pain in the *** at times, but I wouldn't want to lose her!

[Joja]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the stories behind your flock.  They are all beautiful! 

[sharla]

Hey captain quark,  I was noticing that your harness looks much different than the ones I got.  They were very hard to put on the bird.  I think yours are a better sort.  Could you tell me where you purchased them and a link to the site maybe.  I know your in uk but sometimes you can still order from over seas places.  Mine have a lot of metal and snaps on them and to tell the truth are just not that workable.  I would really like to try this but I think I have the wrong equipment for it.  I have been using the excercise you told me about on Amos and he is now actually flapping.  He even flaps now just sitting on my finger.  it is a big improvement from where he was.  I think he is gaining strength too and would you believe his limp is even better since doing this for only one week.  Thanks for the tip.

[CaptainQuark]

Hi sharla,

Sounds like you've got a nasty dose of the Feather Tether! I wrote a series of articles on harness training (which I have submitted to Jamie, but it hasn't appeared here yet). The bit you're after can be found here.

The harness that appears in the pix above is the Aviator harness, I sometimes get a guilty feeling going on about it all the time, but it really is the best one available – so much so that, when I'm king, I'm going to ban all the others!  The Aviator is made by The Parrot Univeristy and you can buy it directly from them.

Hope that helps!