Night of the living... husbandry?! - Zombie practice in aviculture

 

It's been a while, and for regulars here, sorry, life has just been a handful of late.

I was thrilled this week to see a published paper beginning to assess the welfare benefits of circular aviaries, a great idea I've promoted for some time to anyone who will listen, and I'm excited to see what evolves from these works.

 

This week, the Aviology blog passed a major milestone (for a niche aviculture blog anyway!) by passing the 20,000 readers mark. It has taken a few years and the odd cage rattling (mind the pun), but in the main, reception to the blog has been wholly positive, with many new friends being made over the years having got in touch to discuss various topics. The idea that people would take time out of their day to read my work is humbling... Aviology:AI free since 2017 - here's to you and the future brave readers! 

On that note, to celebrate in some small way, I thought it worth putting together a post to talk briefly about Zombie practice, a theme I've touched on every so often but never described. That sounds a bit like folklore husbandry I hear you say, and to some extent that is true, but whilst there is some overlap, there is a critical difference between the two.

Folklore husbandry, a term becoming more popular as the years pass, refers to husbandry practices not rooted in scientific evidence when evidence is available. Snake oil remedies for cage birds is one prime example, many magical tonics are available commercially for a wide range of situations, but seldom do they contain any active ingredients or have any quantifiable veterinary effect. Using these is considered folklore husbandry because it is used on faith alone, with no data or case studies to back it up.

Zombie practice is usually what occurs as a result of folklore husbandry over time OR situations where systems are not updated over decades and their original creators no longer give input or context.

 

Gimme blooood!...

 

First let's chat about the first instance, which is usually seen more in private aviculture because in that situation there is less of a drive for formalised systems and actions are often more spontaneous, and I suppose, of less consequence to the wider world, but of significant consequence to the birds kept. Zombie practice occurs here when folklore husbandry is enstated, but then matched up unquantifiably with some level of success. Others, looking for success with their own species often emulate that practice in the hopes that they will have the same success, if they do, it is assumed to be down to the folklore, if they don't, they continue to cling superstitiously to the folklore in the hopes it will work eventually. Because many folks in private aviculture do not come from a science background, they often miss out on the critical thinking skills that would empower them to ditch the zombie practice and work on real success they can understand, and share with others. Let me be clear here, this is not an assumption about all private aviculturists, I am one myself, but there is a fair sized fringe that do work in this way, they will often refer to themselves as “old school” or similar, which doesn't really mean anything because there were superb private bird keepers in the past, as there are now (I've talked briefly about this somewhere, you will find a link at the end if you're interested).

What harm do these snake oil remedies and folklore practices do you might ask? Well, the scope is too wide to say for the birds, but in honestly, it does a whole lot of harm to the private keeper, it wastes their time, it wastes their money, it robs them of the true joy of success, if these resources are rerouted to meaningful welfare improvements that are observably improving the birds quality of life, the keeper too can thrive.

Secondly I'd like to touch on what some have considered the more insidious of the two, because it often manifests in an organised form and can last decades unchallenged. That is the instance of zombie practice in professional aviculture settings.

I myself have learnt via many mentors and backgrounds, but never myself subscribed to any “school” of thought, to me, the welfare of the bird in question is the “school” and I am both the student and the servant of that “school”. That's my view for what its worth, which will hopefully help you see my perspective.

One theme I have seen over a couple of decades in professional aviculture, at least in the UK, and every so often globally, are these “schools” or “lineages” of keepers, that route their training and discipline back to often one single source, many of those sources being now many decades old themselves, with the original minds and situations behind those practices now long gone and to some degree lacking in connection to modern aviculture. Although well intended, this kind of zombie practice has marched on through several generations of keepers, sometimes watered down each time it is passed on, and the original understanding, situation and any science behind it lost to time. In this sense this zombie practice comes not so much from folklore, but more a loss of definition and relevance over time, like an ever fading photocopy, losing parts of the original every time it is copied.

 

There's a theme to these images, but not really sure what, anyway...

 

The saddest part is that many of the original progenitors of these initial ideas were on the cutting edge at the time and today, would likely have changed their opinion and position in light of what we now know, just as we will find ourselves questioning our practice 10 years away. Yet it's still common to see 50 year old practice held up proudly as some sort of badge of honour, even when science now suggests otherwise. This is zombie practice in action.

A nice metaphor for Zombie practice in this setting is a headless cockroach, you can remove the head from the body and it may continue to live for a time, but it's usefulness becomes limited and it can certainly not be considered a cockroach any longer in the functional sense of the term. When honest critical thinking ceases, the cause is doomed. This is also true in many professional instances; when practice is taught as discipline without understanding, a timestamp is placed on the usefulness of that knowledge.

So, that's that; it might be that you have encountered this sort of situation in your work with birds, and its easy to want to buy into, to want to “belong” to something that will give you security, a group, a society, a particular school, but the truth is that great ideas and revelations come from everywhere, as do bad ideas and bad practice. Be fluid and free.

 

The key to selling snake oil (or mystery bird tonics) is usually confidence... the bad kind.

 

What can I do to resist falling prey to zombie practice I hear you cheer!

Thankfully that part is pretty simple, you just need to;

1. Commit to the idea that a majority of what we should know about birds in human care is currently unknown, speculative or unadressed, and that is OK and normal.

2. Know that your obligation to your birds is to reactively research when presented with a problem rather than delve into the security of how little written information is currently available.

3. Be clear in your objective, don't get caught up in aimless or purposeless pursuits. Write down the problem, then establish what you need to answer the question at hand and seek it, if you cannot find anything helpful within known literature, plan how you might obtain your answer practically via observation or data collection.

4. Strip back anything of no use to that cause. Do not yield to what you would like to be the case even if it has been repeated for many years.

5. Not give up, you might be on to something new and better (or not, but let's say you are).

And to be honest, that's about all I'd like to say about Zombie practice for now that I've not already touched on elsewhere and leave you with a quote from a great scientist and philosopher who whilst they were not talking specifically about our field, their thoughts when asked what two things they would say to the people of the future echo wonderfully with what I m trying to convey here.

“I should like to say two things, one intellectual and one moral.

The intellectual thing I should want to say to them is this: When you are studying any matter, or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what are the facts and what is the truth that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted either by what you wish to believe, or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed. But look only, and solely, at what are the facts. That is the intellectual thing that I should wish to say.

The moral thing I should wish to say to them is very simple: I should say, love is wise, hatred is foolish. In this world which is getting more and more closely interconnected, we have to learn to tolerate each other, we have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don’t like. We can only live together in that way — and if we are to live together and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance, which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet.”

~ Bertrand Russell

 

Till next time, stay birdy,

C.

 

If you would like to read another post along these lines, this is a good start...

Unexpected musings on the nature of excellence in Aviculture. 

and you are also interested in the quirky world of circular aviaries, here is an older post that is quite hard to access these days due to the way Blogger is set up.

MMM... DONUTS! - Thinking outside the boxes : Have we overlooked a major new aviary design?

If you've made it this far and are still excited to learn more, you might be interested to know that we have set up a facebook group to help push forward thinking birdkeeping and discuss challenges and ideas. You can find it by searching Aviology: aviculture 2.0 on facebook or use the link HERE.

Bird Keeper Green Flags - Good traits in aspiring professional bird keepers

My last post was pretty full on, and I highlighted some of the most problematic attitudes in bird keeping today. Many got in touch to share their thoughts on this and as a result, I thought it would be interesting to write a follow up article aimed at the younger up and coming bird keepers (or maybe some open minded current keepers), that rather than just sharing the negative traits one can develop, throw out some positive ones to look for and aspire to. So here goes...

Being a zoo bird keeper as a profession (and doing it well) is a demanding and sometimes unforgiving career and certainly not for the faint hearted. It requires a level of dedication and interest that would tax even the most enthusiastic of general keepers. The main reason for this is that birds are so fragile, unpredictable and ungiving in their habits that they could easily put off a novice keeper dipping their toes into the world of career aviculture. Couple this with the need for astute and informed, species specific observation skills and a nutritional grasp wider than most other taxa and this route becomes a pretty intimidating prospect.

 

As this post is more about us and less about birds, today I'll just include some cool species. All are connected to the article somehow, 10 points for Ravenclaw if you get it by the end.

 

Professional aviculture at least from my perspective is in a state of flux, a genuine push toward better welfare standards after decades of foot dragging is resulting in a conflicted environment, where often the costs of improving welfare to an acceptable modern standard can be sudden and overwhelming, leading to collections having to prioritise species or in some cases collection plan and reduce bird species so that better welfare can be provided to the remainder of the collection. Graduates either studying to move into industry or ready to work are usually well educated and versed in welfare and behaviour, and have the best intentions, but lack the historical understanding to see where aviculture has been and where it is heading. A level of resilience is required if a student of the avicultural arts is to survive long enough to learn how to function within the modern zoo ecosystem whilst still maintaining their sense of optimism and drive.

It's maybe not a surprise then, that in these challenging times there seem to be fewer young aviculturists stepping up to the plate, and those that do often change direction into different taxa or move out of professional bird keeping altogether. It is sad to say that in my experience more promising young bird keepers have moved away from aviculture than stayed the course.

Over the years I've interviewed, worked with and mentored many aspiring bird keepers and as such seen those that thrive and those that don't and so I thought it may be useful, particularly to students looking seriously towards a career in professional aviculture, to compile a list of my "green flags". These are outlooks, qualities and behaviours that generally indicate that a keeper will develop into a "good egg" (you older readers will know exactly what I mean here).

 

 

Disclaimer: These are just my own thoughts, and don't mean you will always get that job or placement you are aiming for, but they will help you understand what it takes to move forward in an upward direction.

 

Calm

First thing on the list is your demeanour. Being a calm, centred person is very helpful when working around birds day to day. Some bird species may seem very excitable and loud, but that does not mean that they require their keeper to be. For many smaller species if you are loud and boisterous you will at best spook them into avoiding you and at worst cause them to panic and seriously harm themselves. Learning how to remain calm and non reactive will go a long way towards helping you develop understanding with the birds you care for and enable you to observe them easier and recognise any developing issues earlier which they may otherwise mask. When I encounter someone who is not immediately excitable or distracted constantly it assures me that the birds are likely to be safer around them.

Observant

On that note, observation skills are critical in aviculture, more so than any other taxa. Birds get sick fairly often, have complex social needs and plenty of windows for chaos to develop quickly. It is true that birds "die all the time" but I would wager that many of these deaths are avoidable with a good understanding of species specific behaviour and a bit of proactive common sense and observation. There have been times in my early career when I've noted something, thought I'll "keep an eye on it" and found an unsalvagable case develop days later, and the kicker is that almost all situations are different, so being flexible and observant can help you make the right calls and communicate situations effectively to your colleagues each time. It's better to raise a concern that may be fine than overlook one for fear of sounding silly and it turn out fatal. When I encounter keepers who notice small and seemingly insignificant things about a bird it rings bells.

Willing (and able to learn (and research!))

This one is pretty specific. We often say we are willing to learn, but what I mean here is not only to say it and expect to be taught, but be able to self motivate yourself to learn independently and do the research needed to maintain your birds well, and keep doing it, forever. What is key here is not only to research what avicultural literature may be available but also to scour every source you can on the natural habitat, behaviour and needs of that species. Legacy aviculture has its merits and can still offer a lot so should not be ignored, but you should also remain aware that it is a minefield of folklore practice and welfare snake oil and some good people out there still promote very erroneous practice with great confidence. The truth is that whilst you may have mentors who are willing to guide you, the only real way to make productive moves forward is to develop yourself, by yourself, for yourself. Sounds harsh, and certainly not what many young keepers will want to hear, but nobody is coming to save you. You are going to build yourself into a solid keeper or fail. It's something I wish I'd learned way earlier in my career, so here it is, a gift to you in the hopes you make good use of it. If your friends and colleagues tell you otherwise, you need better friends and colleagues. Self motivated, alert and interested keepers are always a green flag, especially those who are aware of innovative and developing areas in modern aviculture.

 

Healthy

Simple really, nobody will say it because it seems a trifle unfair, but you need to stay healthy and aim for what is optimal for your body type. Nobody will judge you for not doing this, but if your physical and mental performance bottoms out because you are not taking proper care of yourself your team will notice when they have to draw up the slack. Drink enough water, eat properly, exercise, simple stuff but not always obvious to younger keepers and it's in your personal interests to be healthy too. If someone comes to an interview and has a healthy home life, enjoys walking, sports or similar, I can infer from that that they are likely disciplined enough to be staying fit and able to carry out their duties well at work.

Honest

This one is easy to say, not always easy to live by. Be honest about what you are doing, what you are seeing and what you are thinking, but try to present this in a diplomatic way wherever you can. Often in this line of work, the phrase “never attribute to malice that which can be easily explained by ignorance” is a reality. Birds are complex, there are thousands of species, all very different and no one of us can ever know all we should know about them, they keep their secrets well even with your best research. Speak up if you are concerned or have useful ideas and be honest about what you are doing and if there are problems make sure to carefully articulate where you may have misunderstood. Don't run to blame someone else, aim to resolve a situation and avoid it again in future with clear, calm communication. Young keepers who are honest about what they do or don't know fill me with confidence, over-hyping yourself in an attempt to impress could result in a colleague overburdening you with a task you are not ready for and this could come at the cost of the birds, an outcome nobody benefits from.

Self Aware

Self awareness is key to good development not only as a keeper but as a person. Knowing your weaknesses and your strengths will help you not only plan better but also assist you in recognising where you fall short. At first our ego thinks “how do I fall short?!” but the truth is that we all do, sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ways, but it's in your interests to know where you have room to grow rather than crawling blindly (and maybe arrogantly) through life thinking you are already perfect and “enough”. Dedicate yourself to growing so that you can better serve your birds, they deserve it and so do you. Rookies who show clear self awareness, demonstrate a path of self guided growth and a maturity score high for me, these are the foundations of a solid reliable keeper in future.

 

Objective

This one is tough in practice, as no matter how objective we think we are we are often not. Emotion gets caught up in our work (and should, otherwise why are you here?) and we regularly have to make uncomfortable decisions or sit with situations we are not happy with. What is critical to a good keeper is firstly how they view it objectively and ask is this hurting my feelings or ego more than is sensible. Are my views on this causing welfare to be compromised, am I getting in the way of myself here? Euthanasia decisions in particular never feel “right” emotionally, even when you are 100% doing the right thing, and if they still feel wrong ten years down the line, you're doing well. Dulling your senses to important decisions like euthanasia is not only a bit cowardly, but will also impact your ability to make objective welfare decisions in future. Stay sharp, it's not easy or comfortable, but it's correct.

Unentitled

I'm not going to dive deep here, as this attitude is thankfully uncommon, but I'd be lying if I said I had not seen is a few times, particularly in new keepers and work experience.

The truth here is that in spite of what a college or university may have told you, or what you may have told yourself, no one zoo or institution owes you a free education, a free job, a free interview, cripes they don't even owe you a chance at a placement. You have to come ready to go and be willing to get your hands dirty and get tired, it's tough, but it's true. If you want to work with birds (or any taxa to be honest) having an entitled attitude is the quickest way to push away anyone who might have any interest in helping you. Remember, all the keepers you see were in your place once, they may have grown on well, or gone a bit wrong, but what unites them all is the graft it took to get there, nobody handed it out to them (in 99,9% of cases anyway, and you should not pin hopes on being that 0.1%!).

Resilient

Resilience is a bit of a gross word to me, as it's become a bit of a corporate buzzword used to normalise pushing staff beyond reasonable limits, but in this case, it is the right term I'm looking for.

What I'm getting at here is that you need to be able to get back up again when you get knocked down. Birds need you every day for their husbandry needs, so this part of our role is unavoidable. It's why we work weekends, Christmas, Birthdays etc... It's the path we choose, and biology cant change the needs of the birds to suit us.

It's going to be tough, and if you follow the bird keeping route, probably tougher than most keeper roles. You need to learn a huge volume and still be honestly happy with being “a fool” when it really comes down to it. You need to work your damned hardest to breed a species in need of conservation only to have a chick die days before fledging. You need to say goodbye to that bird you spent a year training when their health suddenly goes downhill. The next day you need to get up, get on and care for the other birds as if it never happened.

This is probably one of the toughest parts of not only bird keeping but keeping any animal. In my experience only exposure really builds genuine resilience in a keeper, going through those situations and learning ways to guide yourself through and maintain your core energy day in day out. Focussing on other tasks that can keep things moving forward whilst you process something is key, but like all things, it's likely you will in time, find your own ways to becoming more resilient, whist still maintaining your “fire” for the craft.

 

 

I'll leave it there for now, as that is a lot to take on board and think about if you think about it seriously, and although there are probably more green flags I could share, these core ones should help anyone who is feeling a bit lost and in need of a little encouragement.

My takeaway advice would be to write down these points as bullets and honestly ask yourself where you could improve on those areas. If you are strong in some areas, great, move on to working out how you become even stronger, better still maybe reach out and help others in your life that find this hard, they may too be searching for growth.

The biggest green flag of all is that you are here, you desire to develop enough to have found your way to this article, read through it and are now making a plan, or adding to an existing one. You would be amazed how many keepers are not that proactive when it comes to their career development. If you start off strong now and continue with a good mindset, think of where you could be 10 years from now.

I hope this has been of some help and best of luck out there, it's tough, but birds are awesome.

#staybirdy

C.

 

 

NEWS: If you've made it this far and are still excited to learn more, you might be interested to know that we have a facebook group to help push forward thinking birdkeeping and discuss challenges and ideas. You can find it by searching Aviology: aviculture 2.0 on facebook or use the link HERE.

I may see you there!