Getting started

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If you have just installed Mis Plumas, this is the recommended path to start without getting lost. You do not have to fill everything in on day one: the important thing is to set up the foundation of your aviary and then add information as you go.

Before you start: the first screen

The first time you open the app, it asks Where do you keep your data?

  • On this device: no account. Your data stays on the phone and you can move to the cloud whenever you like.
  • With a cloud account: turns on cloud sync and takes you to create your account or sign in, so you have a copy on the server and can use your aviary on several devices.

At the top right is the language: it comes set to your phone's language if the app has it (otherwise, Spanish), and tapping it lets you pick another; the screen changes straight away. If you then sign in to a cloud account that already has a language, the account's language is kept. Later on, you change the language in Settings → Language and turn the cloud on or off in Settings → Data.

1. Set up your breeder profile

Go to Settings and review your breeder number and aviary name. The number is used to build composite rings and the aviary identity appears in supported documents.

To add or change the logo, use the edit action in the aviary header of the side menu. You can complete or correct these details later.

2. Enable your backups

Before registering many birds, set up a backup.

  1. Go to Settings → Backup.
  2. Link your Google account or create a local copy.
  3. Make a first manual backup.

That way, if you switch phones or reinstall the app, you can recover your aviary.

If you also want to see the important dates from outside the app, you can later turn on Google Calendar in Settings → Data. It is off by default and creates a separate calendar for Mis Plumas.

3. Create your spaces and cages

The app works best when each bird has a clear location.

  1. Go to Cages.
  2. Create a space, for example Aviary, Terrace or Breeding room.
  3. Add the cages inside that space.
  4. Use simple names: C1, C2, Aviary 1, Quarantine, etc.

Later you will be able to assign birds and pairs to each cage.

4. Register your first birds

Start with the adult birds you already have in the aviary.

  1. Go to Birds.
  2. Tap +.
  3. Fill in species, ring, sex and cage.
  4. Add the genetics if you know them.
  5. Add the confirmed carriers. If it is only a suspicion, turn on Possible when the selector offers it, or keep the doubt in the notes.

If you don't know a mutation or a piece of data, leave it blank. It is better to complete the card later than to make up information.

5. Create a pair

Once you have a male and a female registered:

  1. Go to Pairs.
  2. Tap New Pair.
  3. Select the male and the female.
  4. Assign a cage or pair name if you use one.
  5. Save.

If the app shows an alert, read it carefully before continuing. Some alerts do not block you, but they help you decide.

6. Register the first clutch

When the female starts laying:

  1. Open the pair.
  2. Create a New Clutch.
  3. Add each egg as it appears.
  4. When real incubation begins, tap Incubation start.

From then on, the app will calculate dates and important reminders.

7. Check Home every day

The Home screen is your daily summary:

  • Hatching alerts.
  • Chicks pending ringing.
  • Active clutches.
  • Pairs in states like Laying, Incubating or With chicks.

A good habit is to open the app at the start of your aviary day and check whether anything needs attention.

8. Tune the app to your way of working

Once you have the foundation built, you can complete:

  • Notifications, reminder time and fertility or ringing days by species.
  • Incubation days by species and the sensitivity of inbreeding warnings.
  • Optional sync with Google Calendar.
  • Text size, high contrast or reduced animations.
  • Visual ring format.
  • Species quick access in the bird list.
  • PDF exports to keep an external record.
  • Calculator for genetics, inbreeding and hybridization when planning crosses.
  • Incubator module if you work with physical incubators or hatchers.
  • Physical cage layout if you want to reflect the real rows and columns of your aviary.
  • Income & Expenses module if you want to keep the aviary's accounts.
  • Inventory module if you want to control the stock and expiry dates of your products and medication.
  • Transfers between aviaries module if you have a cloud account and want to transfer records to other breeders.
  • Nests module if you want to identify nest boxes and keep track of their successive clutches.
  • Address book module to keep private contacts and notes about other breeders (with the cloud, on all your devices).
  • Cloud sync if you want to use the same aviary on several devices; it is independent of Google Drive and Google Calendar.
  • Language and the currency used in Inventory and Income & Expenses.
  1. Breeder settings.
  2. Backup.
  3. Cages and spaces.
  4. Adult birds.
  5. Pairs.
  6. Clutches.
  7. Reminders.
  8. Incubator and cage layout, if you use them.
  9. Exports and tools.
  10. Income & Expenses, if you want to record financial movements.

With those steps you will already have a solid foundation to work with the app.