Common mistakes
These are frequent slip-ups when starting out and how to avoid them.
Registering many birds without a backup
Before loading the whole aviary, make a first backup. Then you can keep filling in records more calmly.
Thinking local mode saves a cloud copy
Local mode stores data on the phone. To switch phones or protect the aviary, create a local .zip backup or link Google Drive from Settings → Backup. See Frequently asked questions.
Making up uncertain genetic data
If you suspect a bird is a carrier, mark the mutation as Possible in the general Carrier of selector. It stays separate from the confirmed carriers and is not used in calculations. The Gouldian finch by-zone editor also offers Possible on each carrier, and so does the roseicollis genotype editor, under each locus when you choose a carrier.
Registering a bird again because it does not show up when pairing
First check sex, status and filters, and use View bird if the new-bird form warns about a duplicate ring. Unsexed birds can be picked by confirming their sex. Females already in another active pair appear dimmed and have to be separated first; a male, however, can be in several pairs. See Frequently asked questions.
Replacing the cloud to try to recover a photo
First check the account, the sync categories, Wi-Fi and pending attachments. Sync now also requests a check against the cloud. Replacing the cloud changes the reference aviary for all your devices; The cloud wins replaces the one on the current device. Do not choose either without checking where the data you want to keep is.
Expecting the address book on the web or on a device that is not updated
The address book syncs since 6.2.0: a device with an earlier version neither receives nor sends it, and Mis Plumas Web does not show it yet. Update the app on all your devices; the first sync after updating uploads the address book each of them had. See Breeder address book.
Not starting incubation
Adding eggs is not the same as starting incubation. If you don't mark the start, the app cannot correctly calculate hatchings or reminders.
Marking a clear egg as hatched
If an egg was not fertilised, mark it as Clear. That way it stays in the history without altering the chicks tracking.
Creating pairs without checking kinship
If the app shows an inbreeding warning, review it. It does not always prevent breeding, but it is worth keeping in mind.
Using statuses as if they deleted data
Changing a bird to transferred, on loan, deceased, lost or donated does not delete its history. It is there to organise lists without losing lineage, clutches or old records.
Thinking a bird disappeared after transfer or death
By default, the app hides transferred, deceased, donated and lost birds from the list so they do not get mixed up with your current aviary. They have not disappeared: they remain in the genealogy and the history. To see them, turn on the “Out of the aviary (N)” chip in the bird list or turn off the Hide birds no longer in the aviary option in Settings.
Confusing transferred with donated
Use Transferred when a bird is sold or handed over as a normal transfer; if a sale price is recorded, the app can offer to create the income. Use Donated when you give it away for no payment: this status never asks for a price or creates an accounting entry. Use Lost for a disappearance. All three keep the record and free the cage.
Expecting a bird's price to move the balance
Recording a bird's estimated value creates no expense or income, and that is deliberate: it measures what the bird is worth, not money that has moved. Only the purchase and sale prices can create an entry, and always after asking you.
If you entered a purchase price and chose “Only value the bird”, do not look for the expense in the balance: it was never created. And if your balance shows expenses but no income, check that the birds you sold are marked as transferred and have their sale price recorded — from their record, with “Record sale price”.
See Your aviary's value.
Saving backups without attachments
Current backups include photos and documents by default. If you turn off Include attachments to save space, bear in mind that this backup will not be able to recover your photos when you switch phones or reinstall the app.
Confusing a visible mutation with a carrier
If the bird already shows a mutation, you usually do not need to also mark it as a carrier of the same mutation. The app tries to prevent those duplicates.
Not assigning cages
You can use the app without cages, but the sooner you create them, the easier it is to know where each bird, pair or chick is.
Not receiving alerts even though notifications are enabled
If you turned notifications on but hatching, ringing, fertility or treatment alerts are not reaching you, it is almost always a system permission:
- Grant notification permission to Mis Plumas in the phone settings. Android and iOS ask for it the first time; if you denied it, turn it on by hand from the system settings.
- On Android, some manufacturers “optimise the battery” and delay or silence apps' alarms. If alerts arrive late or not at all, turn off battery optimisation for Mis Plumas.
- The alert time uses your phone's time zone. If you travel or change time zone, upcoming alerts are recalculated with the new local time.
Alerts are scheduled when you save and scheduled again when you open the app, so opening Mis Plumas forces them to be rescheduled if something does not add up.
Forgetting to check Home alerts
Home is meant as a daily dashboard. Checking it often helps you not to miss hatchings, ringings or fertility checks.