Aeration

Introduction
The quality of the air your that birds breath is more important than the quality of the air that us humans breath. Birds are far more sensitive to pollution, fumes, and other things because their respiratory system function differently to most other animals. Apart from some insects, and some primates, it is mostly birds that have air sacs, which aide their breathing. They allow the birds to take up more oxygen, remove carbon dioxide faster, especially during flight. They act as bellows which produce a one way flow of air continuously.

This page will try to highlight why aeration is important, what to avoid, and ways to improve aeration for your birds without causing drafts. Just as a sidenote, aeration and drafts are not the same thing, depending on how it is achieved.

Environmental factors

A lot will depend on where you live on this planet, such as a warmer climate, or cooler climate, so there will be some factors to take into account. In warmer climates, you may need to cool the birds by introducing cooler air flow. In cooler climates, you may need to introduce warmer air flow. For both scenarios, you do not want to create a draft, where there is, for example, a fan blowing directly on them. Some species of birds can not tolerate drafts, especially if it is a cold draft.

If your birds are housed indoors, the best form of aeration is an extraction fan. These types of fans only remove old stale air, dust particles, carbon dioxide to name a few, thus helping to keep some kind of ventilation. Where they are placed does not matter, but you should have one that is of an appropriate size for that room. If you have a bird room that is sealed, where air can not get in, then you will also require a filtered air inlet fan. These types of fans should have a heater which can be turned on, or off. They should also have a regulator so that you can control the amount of heat they can produce, to help maintain the temperature in the room. The filter helps keep out parasites, pests, dust, (gases depending on the type of filter used). 

Using extraction filter fans prevent drafts whilst maintaining a good quality ambient air flow. This kind of setup sounds expensive, or even hard work, but in reality, it is pretty simple to implement, also not that expensive. Once it is all installed, there is almost zero maintenance, apart from changing the filters. Avoid using ceiling fans, or fans that have exposed blades. These types of fans just produce a nasty draft, also the exposed blades are an obvious risk to the birds. I forgot to mention, the extraction fan, or vent should have a wired mesh with small holes, this is to prevent anything unwanted getting in.

Clearly, if your birds are kept in an outdoor aviary, you can not fit extraction fans, filters or inlet fans. You can try to house the aviary where there is some degree of air movement, but avoid spots that get too windy. You can read more about housing aviaries, or cages, on the Location Page.

A breath of fresh air

Stale, or stagnant air is the complete opposite of aeration, it will begin to cause many issues, as well as health issues with your birds. Keeping birds in a room with stale, or stagnant air reduces the amount of oxygen, increases carbon dioxide, will probably cause mould, cause higher humidity, and will likely smell musty. The birds will most likely be grateful when you visit the room, as when the door opens, they receive a breath of fresh air.

Outdoor aviaries should have clear perspex or glass covering areas which receive some degree of wind, to prevent drafts. Some people go as far as covering all sides of the aviary in clear perspex in cooler seasons, to prevent the strong winds, but leaving a small gap for aeration. In the warmer months, the perspex is removed to allow the birds to enjoy any sun they receive.

What to avoid

Sun traps, where the sun shines, but there is never any air flow. These areas should be avoided unless there is some form of artificial air flow accompanied by shaded areas, and plenty of bathing water. Never house an aviary or cage near a kitchen, not even an outdoor aviary because of the fumes from cooking. Avoid keeping an aviary outdoors if you live next to an industrial complex which uses chemicals, paints, or gasses. Gasses are a big killer of birds, you can not always smell it. Back in the days, they used to take canaries down into the coal mines. If the canary died, the miners would get the hell out of there. This is because they were exploiting the bird's respiratory system, knowing that they were extremely sensitive to gasses. It is a barbaric practice I am glad to see ended.

The air your birds breath, should be clean and fresh at all times. Lastly, avoid using air fresheners, or burning smelly sticks, I have seen birds drop likes flies because of these.