by Pajarita » Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:58 am
OK, let me try to clarify. My birds are now getting uncovered and their cages doors open at 6:30 am. It's still quite dark then but you can already see a little line of light peeping at the horizon and this is the light they need for, at least, one whole hour (I actually allow about 2 hours of twilight at each end) BEFORE you turn on the ceiling fixture artificial lights which should be a good quality full spectrum (NOT an avian or an UV light bulb!) with a CRI as close to 100 as you can find and a Ktemp between 5000 and 5500. So, I uncover them at 6:30 am and, at 7:30 am, I give them their raw produce: one veggie, one fruit, one leafy green or a cruciform like broccoli. Some people like to give them a variety of them (kind of like a fruit salad) but I have found that, if I do that, they will pick what they like best and leave the rest so they end up eating the same thing every day - while, if I give them only one of each, they are more willing to eat them all, thereby making the range of veggies and fruits they actually consume larger. The other thing I do is always give them a veggie and a fruit of different color (like carrot/blueberry or yellow zucchini/black grap - that kind of thing). This is because antioxidants are usually the ones that 'color' fruits and veggies so, by doing this, I am offering a more balanced meal. Then, about an hour after that (when I actually turn on the overhead lights), I give them their gloop. I make a big batch and split it into baggies that hold one single daily portion and freeze them. I take one out of the freezer every night and put it in the fridge to thaw (it takes three days so I always have three baggies in different stages of defrosting). In the morning, I take the one that has been there three days (it's always the one at the bottom of the pile), nuke it just long enough for it to get to a nice room temperature and add flavoring to it. I give them one day a fruity one and the next a spicy one but the flavors are not repeated until the next week (I use different things for this but the easiest one is just to add a spice -like Monday you add cinnamon; Tuesday you add chili powder; Wednesday you add ginger; Thursday garlic/pepper/oregano; Friday unsweetened grated coconut; etc). Then, two hours before sunset, I turn off the full spectrum lights and, about one hour before I give them their dinner (take away the gloop and produce and replace with a measured portion of seed/nut mix). I let them go to roost naturally and, when night has fallen and they are all fast asleep, I cover their cages and roll down the shades so they will not get any light from cars passing by or street lamps.
So, yes, during the summer, the days are very long and the nights short but they don't miss any sleep because they take a longer midday nap (which is exactly what tropical and semi-tropical birds do in their natural habitat - I am big on keeping their natural biorhythms in captivity, I am convinced this keeps them healthy and in a much better mood all year round.