How to keep a Hwamei (Chinese Thrush) through the winter? Key points of winter feeding and management techniques

Feeding and management of the Hwamei through the winter: Before the start of winter each year, most Hwamei birds have molted into new feathers; this natural instinct and change of plumage are of great significance to the Hwamei's overwintering. In winter, when the weather is cold, the ambient temperature is very important to the Hwamei. A water bath for the Hwamei must never be forced, and taking the bird out for walks can also be temporarily stopped. According to observations, the body temperature of birds is generally 38°C, and the suitable temperature is generally above 10°C. Below 10°C, the Hwamei's metabolism will be affected, mainly showing as general discomfort, reluctance to move, reluctance to eat, reluctance to sing, and even more reluctance to fight. Below 0°C the bird will freeze to death. The Hwamei is a resident bird of southern China, not tolerant of cold, and the suitable rearing ambient temperature should also be above 10°C. In the northern winter, the Hwamei can only be kept indoors for the winter.

During the overwintering feeding process, apart from taking the Hwamei out into the sunlight outdoors for some fresh air on relatively warm sunny noons, taking the bird out for walks and hanging it up to sing is generally not advocated. Keeping the Hwamei indoors over the winter also requires double the careful nursing; the placement of the bird cage should also prevent the harm of draughts, as well as air pollution in the home and damage from carbon dioxide produced by indoor fires, etc. For the overwintering Hwamei's feeding food materials, the proportion of fatty feed can be increased, generally up to 20%. Of course, protein feed, insect feed and vitamins must also be increased at the same time. In a sense, the Hwamei's subcutaneous fat is a storehouse of heat energy and the best insulating layer for the Hwamei's body against the cold, so increasing fat is of great significance to the Hwamei's overwintering. In addition, it should be noted that when moving the Hwamei indoors in winter, if there are multiple Hwamei birds, they should as far as possible be prevented from seeing each other and disturbing one another; if they are placed in the same room, the cage cover should be lowered to block them. This is because some fierce and combative Hwamei birds, when they see other male birds, become very agitated and excited, often dashing wildly and bumping about in the cage, jumping and flapping, eager to fight, easily causing injury or disability to the bird's body, or else, out of mutual fear, remaining in an uneasy state and not daring to sing all day long.