a.f.a. visits a ken mcconnell

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These lovely birds are housed in acomplex of aviaries that are of uniquedesign. The aviaries are situated on theflat table of ground between the riverand the steep bluff upon which McCon­nell's house is located. The variousaviaries are designed to the contours ofthe land so have no precise geometricpattern. In fact, the complex is difficultto describe and even more difficult tophotograph en toto.

I shan't give precise details andmeasurements as they wouldn't be ap­plicable anywhere else anyway. I will,however, try to explain some of thegeneral concepts of the constructionwhich many readers may find useful.First off, there are telephone poleuprights that suppOrt a huge overheadnetting system that covers almost all ofthe aviaries. In some instances wire wallsare arranged from the ground to theoverhead netting to form large pens. Ofcourse these large pens tend to be homefor pairs of the larger birds,

In some of these large pens, though,there are banks of individual breedingcages-the large pen serving as a hugesafety zone. Some of the individualbreeding cages are very unique beingbuilt of vety heavy planks about 20 feetlong. Most of these cages house sun con­ures which seem to do vety well in them.Other individual breeding cages are builtof wire along the conventional lines thatmost of you have seen.

In addition to the huge pens and theindividual cages McConnell has a bankof steel framed aviaries that looked to beabout four feet wide and eight feet long.Interestingly, he has used a fiberglassfabric to form shelters that give the birdsprivacy and protection. The fabric isquite strong and flexible-somethinglike sailcloth. The birds, including somenotable chewers, do not gnaw on thefiberglass at all according to McConnell.

To visit the McConnell aviaries is toreceive a lesson in eclectic consuuction.McConnell's mind is obviously creativeand free from rigid traditionalism. Hehas designed and built four or five verywell consuucted types of different avi­aries and blended them into a very prac­tical and esthetically pleasing whole.One visit is not enough to comprehendthe place.

By Sheldon DingleNorco, California

A.F.A. visits a memberKen McConnell

Ken McConnell has had birds since1964. He retired from business as arather young man and he and his wifedid a lot of traveling together. After afew big game safaris and other travelsthey settled down on 14 acres overlook­ing the Sacramento River in Red Bluff,California. McConnell's first birds werechukar that he released on his propertyhoping they would stay put. Theydidn't.

A short time later while in SouthernCalifornia McConnell saw some swans ona pond and became totally entrancedwith the beautiful birds. Back home heworked out and built a fantastic systemof ponds and channels designed to keepand breed swans. He then commenced tobuy up all the swans he could find andbegan what is probably the world's mostsuccessful swan breeding project.

The swan ponds are a few feer abovethe normal level of the Sacramento Riverso water had to be pumped up into theponds and moats. At present over onemillion gallons of water are pumpedevery 24 hours. This fresh water cir­culates through the small breedingponds and the larger channels and even­tually returns to the river, providingideal conditions for captive waterfowl.

From McConnell's home on a highbluff overlooking the river and theponds, the overall effect is verybeautiful. In the collection there areseveral species of swans including theAustralian black, and the black-necked,twO of my favorites. It is delightful to

watch these naturally elegant and grandbirds swim with such dignity and self­assurance.

For his outstanding work in breedingswans McConnell has been given a placein the Federation's Avicultural Hall ofFame, and he has received an Outstand­ing Achievement Award from the Inter­national Wild Waterfowl Association.He has many other awards and honorsgracing his trophy room.

Although for many years McConnelladvertised" Swans are my only business"he no longer does so. During the pastfew years he has acquired a number ofpsittacine birds to add to his collection.Very nice birds, too, I might add, in­cluding Asian, Australian, and SouthAmerican species.

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Editor's ate: Since my visit to the Mc­Connell place and the wnting ofthis ar­ticle two tragedies have dealt Ken Mc­Connell very heavy blows. First, his wtfeof 43 years died seven'ng a companion­ship that few couples indeed everachieve. Second, the disasterous Califor­nia storms caused the Sacramento Riverto nse over its banks andflood the wholeaviary level to a depth of six feet seveninches. Many birds were lost whtle Mc­Connell and hts crew stood helplessly by-unable to enter the savagely swift cur­rent of the raging n·ver. All who knowhim share hts sorrow and know that htsgreat strength ofcharacter Wtll help himto rebutld his Itfe and face the futurewith determination.

McConnell comprehend his operationvery well though. His breeding resultsprove it. He lays his breeding success to agood feeding program, the heart ofwhich is sprouted seed. McConnell says itdoesn't matter precisely which seeds youuse nor the exact ratio of the mix so longas you use a wide variety. It is the soakingand sprouting that boosts the nutritionalvalue over that of dry seeds.

A simple invention greatly simplifiesthe seed sprouting process-anothertoken of the fertility of McConnell's in­ventive mind. The device is no morethan a refrigerator that quit cooling. Mc­Connell fitted it with low wattageheating elements and a thermostat so therefrigerator became, in effect, a perfectheating chamber to hasten the sproutingof the seed rain or shine.

He runs a batch of seed through itevery 24 hours and feeds his birdsnothing but the sprouted seed (the swansexcepted, of course). To prevent spoilageor mold he uses calcium propionate inthe soaking water and he feeds the birdsjust the amount of sprouts they'll eat in aday. Whatever your personal feelings areregarding chemicals, McConnell's birdsthrive on his feeding program andreproduce prolifically, producing happy,healthy babies. It is hard to argue againsta successful system.

To treat the McConnell aviaries indetail would require a veritable book.This short article can only hint at thewhole but, in conjunction with the ac­companying photos, it is hoped that younow know more than you did a fewminutes ago. It is always a pleasure tobecome acquainted with a successfulaviculturist and his aviaries. Ken McCon­nell is an extraordinary aviculturist andhis aviaries are an unconventional butunquestionable success. It was anoutstanding experience to share sometime with him.

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A portion ofKen McConnel/'s swan ponds, Over a mzJlion gallons offresh water perday are pumped through this system, Note the trash barrel feeder on the far left. Ahole zs cut andpaddedpart way up the barrel to protect the feedfrom the weather yetgive the birds access to the food.

Ken McConnell dzscusses birds with Mrs. Bruce McCulloch. The huge poles supportan overhead netting that covers most of the avian'es. The path leads to several com­plexes ofavian'es and cages, On the far left are steel and wire avian'es whzJe those inthe background are constructed ofwood and wire,

A view ofpart of the large channel that is provided for McConnell's swans, TheSacramento River can be seen in the background,

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