perches

[crewchief]

How long do i need to sun dry fresh wood for a perch?

 

[henpecked]

Depends on wood,size and your weather. I usually leave mine whole until it is completely dry. They seem to crack and split less . If they do crack or split you might be able to work around it. I leave my dragoon wood in the rafters of the barn , winter time is drier here in Fla and lower humidity. Smaller pieces cure in a few weeks and larger 2" dia stuff might take a month or two. The sunshine is more for bacteria and fungus that need damp ,humid conditions to thrive. You could "cure" smaller pieces in your oven at low heat if you wished to speed things up, watch and don't burn them,LOL

 

[crewchief]

Hey Thanks for the help. I am in NJ, and the humidity this time of year is brutal. especially this summer. But this will help, i am going to cut a few and put them up to cure. Thanks again

 

[mrgoogls]

can you use fresh wood and not dry it? what is wrong with that?

 

[henpecked]

Yes you can use fresh wood if you wish. It might split and crack as it drys. By letting the wood dry and bake in the sun help to destroy bacteria and fungus or parasites left by wild birds. We do give our birds fresh branches ,leaves and flowers at times but be careful where you collect it from.

 

[mrgoogls]

okay thats good. i know some people use the sun to dry it to get rif of bacteria. i used a 1/10 bleach water mix to do that. the wood is still fresh though. sont worry about bleach fumes though. i did it over 2 weeks ago and the bird wont be here til the end of september