coop

[epriddy]

I just came across this ad on my local craigslist.

Is there an obvious reason that I'm missing that this wouldn't work for finches with some minor adjustments like a double door and a better interior for heating in the winter???

http://richmond.craigslist.org/grd/2662488341.html

[DanteD716]

Oh, My, Gosh! That is awesome, snatch it up!!! You can stuff the indoor part with hay and the birds will weave little nests in there. If you can, get it! You can even keep it you basement or something? How cool!

[epriddy]

I sort of think I'd miss having them inside to enjoy? But I read on here that outdoor aviaries are a big thing?

[DanteD716]

Yes, they are. If your weather allows it, go for it!

[debbie276]

The only thing I see that may be an issue would of course be the huge door, easy for escapes. The coop part looks like it will be very hard to clean unless there is another large door I'm not seeing in the pictures.
I have an outdoor aviary and have to say I really like it but not as much as the one in the house, especially in the winter.
Let us know what you decide, good luck

[epriddy]

I guess I just need to be filled in about why I would want to put my inside pets outside? Here i can hear them sing and have some interaction with them. Outside I'd have to go out everyday in the winter for care and not be able to keep a close eye.

I know there's some ideology here, maybe about returning to the original state or more flight room or something like that... Can someone fill me in please?

[Sally]

What some people do is keep their birds outside during the summer, then move them back inside for the winter. Then you don't have to worry about heating or having to go outside to care for them.

The sizes of those coops are perfect for an aviary, but I would be careful about how much adjusting you need to make. I have made that mistake myself, buying something that then needed so much improvement that it wasn't really a bargain in the long run.

You will need to ask about the mesh, what size mesh it is, as if that has to be replaced, that adds to the cost. Also, the entire end opening up would be a disaster, birds escaping for sure. You would have to add a safety catch, and then only open that whole end if all the birds were caught up and you were cleaning it out for the season. And the enclosed coop part would be so difficult to clean, as Debbie has pointed out, unless there is much better access to it. The ad says something about doors on the sides for gathering eggs, so I'm assuming that it opens up more, but you would have to make sure all the birds are in the outside part before cleaning the inside coop.

If you can copy the basic design and do it yourself, you can probably do it right for less money than making adjustments to this. However, if you can't build something yourself, then it may be cost effective to have something like this delivered and then make the necessary changes. It all depends on what you are comfortable doing. I would think for a do-it-yourselfer, the roof would be the hardest part, but if you were building something yourself, you could always just use a flat roof.

Another option would be to contact that person and see if they can build exactly what you want--the ad sounds like they build these things to sell, not just something that they are getting rid of. If you can get something built with that basic design, with a safety catch, that would work very well. Then you would just need to decide if it will be an all-year aviary or a summer vacation house. If it is all-year, you need an enclosed area away from the weather, but if it is just a summer aviary, then the whole thing can be wired and open.