Chatto Creek Aviaries

27/06/2025

Hey everyone! 😁
Sorry I haven’t been posting many videos lately—I just needed a little break.

But I’m back with a new video showing how to make a basic soft food mix for your birds! 🤩
It’s simple, nutritious, and perfect during moulting, breeding season, or just as something extra for them in the winter.

💡 Tip: You can add more veggies, and easily cut the recipe down to suit the number of birds you have!

NOTE: that when feeding egg in soft food it needs to be removed and replaced each day!

Best to feed it in the morning and take it out at night.

When it gets hot i give it to them in the morning and take it out in a few hours.

Or if you can't do that then only give them a small amount that they will eat all.

🙃 Just a heads up: you might hear some odd sounds in the background—like a clicking noise, whistle, or something that sounds a bit like a hiccup. Those are vocal tics. They’re involuntary and part of a neurological condition I live with.

It’s something I’ve had to get used to, and they’ve just become a part of me now. I’ll try to edit them out where I can, but sometimes they’ll still be in the videos. Thanks so much for your understanding!

Feel free to message me or leave a comment if you have any questions!

16/06/2025

Okay yes—I might look absolutely ridiculous in this photo 🤣
But I need to share an important reminder for all fellow bird keepers:

Always wear an industrial-grade mask when cleaning out your aviaries or sweeping your bird room!

Bird dust—made up of dander, feather particles, droppings, seed husks, and more—can be seriously harmful to your lungs over time. Even if your bird room is well-ventilated like mine, the risk is still real. It's not just uncomfortable—it can lead to long-term, irreversible respiratory issues.

Did you know? A single budgie can produce up to 3 milligrams of dust a day.
If you have 300 budgies like I do, that’s around 0.9 grams of dust every day floating around your space. It builds up fast.

Too many passionate bird lovers have had to walk away from the hobby because of lung problems that could have been prevented. So even if you feel silly in your gear, wear it anyway—your lungs (and future self) will thank you!

Stay safe and keep enjoying your birds! 😊

31/05/2025

The Importance of Hygiene in Bird Care and Breeding 🐦

When it comes to owning or breeding birds, hygiene is absolutely essential. It's one of the most important responsibilities for any bird keeper—whether you have a single companion bird or a large flock in an aviary

Good hygiene doesn't just make things look tidy—it directly affects your birds' health, comfort, and lifespan.

Why Hygiene Matters

Birds are very sensitive to their environment. A build-up of waste, food debris, or bacteria can lead to serious health problems. Diseases like bacterial infections, respiratory issues, and even parasites can thrive in unclean conditions.

Regular cleaning helps reduce the risk of illness, supports a healthy immune system, and ensures your birds are happy in a clean environment

🚫 It’s Not Just About the Bottom of the Cage

Many new bird owners focus only on cleaning the floor of the cage—and while that’s important, it’s only part of the picture.

Perches are one of the most overlooked areas, but they play a huge role in bird health. Birds spend most of their day standing, sleeping, and playing on perches. If perches are dirty or caked in droppings, they can harbor harmful bacteria and fungi.

What many people don’t realize is that birds can absorb bacteria through the skin on their feet, which makes regular perch cleaning a must.

🧽 🧼Tips for Maintaining Proper Hygiene

Here are a few simple hygiene practices you can do to keep your birds healthy:

Daily:

Remove old food, change water and change their paper.

Weekly:

Scrub perches, food and water containers with hot water and bird safe disinfectant.

Monthly:

Deep-clean the entire cage or aviary setup.

If you have toys in your birds set up.

Toys can get dirty just like cages and perches. If a toy is too hard to clean or is worn out, it's best to replace it. Dirty toys can carry bacteria and might make your birds sick.

🧼 Simple Cleaning Tip

There are many bird-safe disinfectants you can buy to clean cages, perches, and toys.

But if you have a lot of birds or want to save money, you can use hot water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Just remember to rinse everything really well so there’s no soap left behind.

25/05/2025

These are all looking for new post codes😊

24/05/2025

Results from the Dunedin poultry show😁
Always enjoy the show, just lovley people and Awesome community 😊

There was a few more prizes but can't show the birds due to them going to the next few bird shows.

23/05/2025

These are all going to be at Dunedin poultry show, and looking for new post codes 😁
Get in fast as they all went very quick last year.

20/05/2025

Only 3 days to go!🤩
It’s going to be another awesome weekend!

Whether you’re a bird lover or just curious to see something different, come experience the wonders of a poultry show!😁
From unique chicken breeds to pigeons, ducks, and more—there’s something for everyone!

I’ll be there with my rare budgies for you to see, and I’ll also have some budgies available for new postcodes. So if you’re thinking about a new feathered friend, bring a cage just in case!😉

Even if you're not looking to buy, come say hi! I'm always happy to chat and answer any budgie-related questions you may have.
Hope to see you there! 😃

11/05/2025

My Budgie Breeding & Showing Journey – From One Pet to My Dream set up.

Hi everyone for those who dont know me, I’m Hannah—a young but incredibly enthusiastic budgie and genetics breeder. I’m passionate about helping others and making the bird hobby more welcoming and better known to all.

I wanted to share my full, honest journey—from my very first pet budgie, to my first breeding pair, to raising chicks, attending my first bird show, and where I am today. I still remember how nervous I was starting out. Not everyone will feel that way, but if you do, know you're not alone—and I'm always happy to help.

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How It All Began

It all started when I was 8 years old with a sweet little pet budgie named Snow. She had the biggest personality—flying around after me in the lounge and even joining my mum in the kitchen, having baths in the veggie water!

On my 14th birthday, my parents took me to a pet shop, and I picked out my first breeding pair: Bugs and Lola. They gave me my first-ever chick, Buzz—and that was it. I was hooked.

Fast forward to Boxing Day 2017—my dad surprised me by saying, “Let’s go get the supplies to build your aviary.” It was the best Christmas ever. I started with just a few birds, simply breeding in the aviary and soaking up everything I could learn.

At the time, I had no idea that bird clubs, shows, or exhibition birds even existed. But when I discovered that world, everything changed.

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Getting Into Bird Shows

My first experience with budgie showing came through a poultry show in Dunedin. My sister was showing her Pekin bantam chickens, and I decided to tag along with a few of my budgies. To my surprise, I ended up winning big prizes!

That win gave me a boost—but it didn’t erase the self-doubt. I had people tell me my birds weren’t good enough for “real” shows and you will get nowhere with your birds. And honestly, back then, I didn’t have the confidence I do now. But that’s exactly why I’m sharing this: to encourage anyone who’s starting out.

Later, I entered my first proper bird show in Christchurch. My birds weren’t of show quality, but I went anyway—and I’m so glad I did. Because the truth is: you don’t need perfect birds to start. Every bird has value. Every breeder has to begin somewhere.

And yes, sometimes you’ll hear unkind comments or feel out of place—especially if you're young or just starting out. I’ve experienced that myself. But I’ve also met amazing people, made lifelong friends, and found lovely and willing mentors, who have helped me in my journey.

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What I’ve Learned Along the Way

Over the past 15 years of keeping budgies and 10 years of breeding, I’ve learned so much—especially in the last 5 years.

I’ve learned who I can trust, and how to spot those who might take advantage of new breeders.

I’ve had setbacks, made mistakes, and been sold birds that weren’t what I expected.

But I’ve also had incredible highs—building my dream setup, raising stunning birds, meeting some awesome people and helping others along their journeys.

This hobby has brought me challenges, yes—but so much more joy, growth, and confidence and passion to help others and my drive to build a quality show stud and save the rare breeds.

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A Safe and Welcoming Space

I made this page to be a safe, positive place—no matter where you’re at in your bird journey. Whether you’re keeping birds as pets, thinking about breeding, or curious about showing, I’m here for you.

If you have questions, need guidance, or just want someone to chat to who understands—I’m just a message away.

I’ve accomplished things I never thought I could, and if I’d given up early on because of negativity, I wouldn’t be here today doing what I love. So if you’re starting out, feeling unsure, or wondering if you’re “good enough,” let me say this:

You absolutely are. Keep going. And reach out if you need a hand—I’m always happy to help!

29/04/2025

To everyone I caught up with at the bird show over the weekend—what a pleasure it was to see familiar faces and meet some new ones too! 🐦😊 It was a fantastic show! 🎉

Here’s the rare selection display I put together for the event. I didn’t place much with my show birds this time, but I wasn’t really expecting to. Most of my show team were in full molt, so only brought a few to help with numbers and support the show. 😊

So some close friends know that my health took a bit of a hit late last year and earlier this year, which meant I couldn't spend as much time with the birds as I usually do. But I’m learning to adapt to this new chapter in life and I’m finally getting back into things full-time with the birds again 😁🤩

I’ll be posting more often from now on
What are things you might want me to cover ?

Also remember if you have any questions on any of my posts just ask. Their is no judgment on any of my pages😊.
hope you have a great week!!

18/04/2025

Come along to the Dunedin Bird Show! 💥🤩
It’s going to be a fantastic weekend with a variety of beautiful birds—budgies, cockatiels, finches, and more—on display and for sale.

A big thank you to the Dunedin Bird Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase a display of rare budgie varieties and colours that I’ve been working on. I'm super excited!
This is your chance to see them in person—some just don’t show up properly on camera, especially the stunning Red Violets.

One of the many rare varieties on display will be a gorgeous purple budgie 💜—a real treat for bird lovers, and definitely something you have to see with your own eyes!

Whether you're just curious or a fellow budgie enthusiast, this is a great opportunity to see these birds up close. I’ll be around on both the days and always happy to have a friendly chat about these beautiful colours and budgie breeding in general.

Bring your friends and family—it’s going to be a great day out!

05/04/2025

A few rare variety chicks 😊

01/04/2025