outdoor aviary

Question
I have an outdoor aviary with finches, canaries, and button quail.  My birds appear healthy. They are not overcrowded.  Some breeders treat with antibiotics 2 X's a year and treat for mites prophylactically.   Is that advisable and what antibiotics should I use. It doesn't make sense to me.  I am not a breeder.  Any advice or reading recommendations would be appreciated.  Many thanks

Answer
I personally don't treat my own birds twice a year on a regular basis. Breeders may do this because they have so many birds and can't always catch when the birds get sick. Twice a year obviously isn't harmful to the birds and if you have a lot of birds and are too busy to notice when they get sick I would recommend this otherwise don't worry about it.
I personally get regular over the counter meds for birds from www.ladygouldian.com or www.ladygouldianfinch.com. If your birds are severely sick, you will need to take them to the vet. Seeing as how they are outdoor birds I would suggest sending in one or two birds to a vet for a check up once every couple of months just to be safe.