Mews (Internal) Materials
Wood Chips: don't overheat in direct sunlight and will not dull talons if a bird bates a lot; biodegradable material and, when decomposing, will harbor mold, fungus, and bacteria if not circulated
Pea Gravel: lasts a long time, easy to clean with a hose or power washer, cheap; bugs find an easier time of living in pea gravel if meat is left around, can reflect a considerable amount of heat. Pea gravel areas should be well shaded. Smooth.
Sand: easily cleaned out/raked, easy to manage; reflects heat on a bird. Birds who are tethered and bates will file the talons sharply. Sand can get under anklets and can abrade the skin. Sand can get in food/water.
Dirt/Grass: natural; a tethered bird who bates will dull her talons. Dirt can be raked /removed, absorbs well, and contains microbes which help break down both leftover food particles as well as mutes.
Rubber Mats: easily pressure washed; black mats will heat up considerably, impermeable, mutes will dry slowly and tend to smell more
Shavings: good in cold climates/be cautioned in warm or moist climates; produce an amount of dust (moisture gets held in them and they can mold), small enough for a bird to ingest them
A varity of perching areas should be provided (different sized branch perches, flat perches, etc.), and should be placed in different areas, some high and some low, some near darker corners and some more in the light. A small weathering area can also be provided with a comfortable perch/resting area. You can even place a salt rock or concrete block in mews to have another area they can perch and feak on.
Keep perches away from walls, windows, and bathwater. Try keeping perches about two feet away from windows to let the bird look outside without turning around and harming its feathers.
Mews should have windows for ventilation and extra stimuli. The windows need bars to protect them from getting out, since most birds would want to escape. Windows help prevent mold.
Consider light, angle of the sun and wind direction.
For mew bars, use thick-walled PVC pipe. It won't rot, though it may become brittle in cold weather. You can also run an EMC inside of the PVC pipe so it cannot be bent to break, but stops the bird from flying into a window. PVC can break due to UV light, heat, can become brittle, but thick-walled PVC will last longer.
Wood slats should have about 1.5 inches of space between each bar, but a bird the size of a kestrel should only have about 3/4 of an inch between bars.
The bird will have limited vision to things that can alarm them and keep her more private. Consider screening the window to prevent mosquitoes and bees from entering (reduced risk of West Nile Virus and bee stings) Creating window insets allows a window to be fully blocked in case of a storm or need for privacy (ex. breeding).
Bathpan: used for hydration, bathing (feathers, gets caked mute and dirt from the feet); must be cleaned out every few days to prevent sanitary issues
Paperwork: can be kept near or in the mews in a protected area so any officers that come by can see that it is legal, or it's easy to grab when going out for a hunt
Thermometer: can be placed on the outside and inside of a mew for temperature checks Lights: useful in the winter months when it gets dark quicker, or during late/early feeding times
Video Camera: useful to keep the bird in check when you're gone; good to see if there are any predatory disturbances or law enforcement, or people messing with the bird
