my DIY aviary, starting from day one. [pics heavy]

[javansparrow]

day one

as promised, I started to build my new aviary today (it's sunday night here now, while I typing this)
and please note that I am using experimental material. so dont lol me. lol.

the plan:


the site: yes it is second floor. you can see the neighborhood there. I'll move some plants.


I also planned to put this bucket with everything in it in the aviary. (mind the hose)


just trying to be as cheap as possible. I used galvanized steel tubing (hope it's the correct term), usually found as partition material, and this painted wire mesh (still gonna paint it again in black though).





tools: again as I described it previously; this is an experiment. some of the tools were finally decided to be




at first, I try to assemble using screw and the joint will be strengthen using that general purpose glue. But soon find out using screw is hard and so does about applying the glue. next I used rivet with hand riveter which worked much better. the downside is only that that hand riveter is the only tool which is not electric powered. I have a pretty bad sore arm right now.

(hand riveter - sorry pick one from google)


how it is done:

first I cut the tubing using jigsaw:


using a plier I bent as needed:


then the main tubing is bent to form a 90°


applied the glue before I hand-screwed it


well, it didnt take much time to figure out that scwering is hard to do. Then I went to a friend to borrow a hand riveter, also went to a shop to buy some rivets.

so this is how its done next


preparing other part


and this is how it looks by 5.00 pm this afternoon


well, though I am self employed, tomorrow (monday) I'll have a lot to do. I hope I can finish the frame by tuesday, if the situation allow me.

Thanks for reading.

[finchmix22]

Jim
What type of finches do you have? The mesh looks like it has one inch spacing? That can be too big for most finches, but predators can get to the birds. I'd put a 1/4 inch wire mesh around the outside, to prevent predatory birds, rodents etc. from gaining access to the finches. NIce plan for a balcony.

[lou]

Hi Jim, your framing looks great, good job.
I have done lot's of commercial work using metal studs, why don't you use screws with a wide flat head (pan head screws)? The framing would go alot faster.
lou

[DanteD716]

Looking great!!! This might be a good short cut for some... But I got this closet from a store, forgot which one, it a metal frame with a plastic cover and it zippers in the front (my bedroom doesnt have a closet) and it was like 20$.. It is like 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 2 ft deep, but if coonected with another and you attatch mesh to the frame it would be a cheaper easier way to do the frame.

[Finnie]

Dante, do you have a link to where that closet is available?

[DanteD716]

Honestly no, but I will ask my mom where we bought it.. it is similiar to this but I removed the plastic cover and it is a perfect metal frame http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/50505.jpg

[jdc]

i just found this.

all i did was google on 'portable metal framed closet', or some such thing.......

http://www.target.com/s/portable+metal+ ... 0022a2644d

[javansparrow]

Jim
What type of finches do you have? The mesh looks like it has one inch spacing? That can be too big for most finches, but predators can get to the birds. I'd put a 1/4 inch wire mesh around the outside, to prevent predatory birds, rodents etc. from gaining access to the finches. NIce plan for a balcony.

Hi,
this is a 10mm spacing mesh, barely half an inch.

my problem here is rat infestation. but with that 10mm spacing even a young rat/mice can't get into the aviary.

[javansparrow]

Hi Jim, your framing looks great, good job.
I have done lot's of commercial work using metal studs, why don't you use screws with a wide flat head (pan head screws)? The framing would go alot faster.
lou

this is the problem

the metal stud (just learning the term) is just too thin to work with screw. that's why then I used rivets.

btw, this week turned out to be very busy for me. so I think I'll be able to finish it by next weekend. so be patient guys.

[DanteD716]

Jim, what will you be stocking the aviary with??

[Lorddaxter]

i just found this.

all i did was google on 'portable metal framed closet', or some such thing.......

http://www.target.com/s/portable+metal+ ... 0022a2644d

What a great idea:)

Im going to talk my husband into throwing out the bed in one of the spare rooms, it has 2 mattresses on it(forget why!)and is never used, then I think I'll set 2 of these up, I think I may get the breeding bug soon!

[TheCanadian]

I done a lot of framing in houses with metal studs. We always use "Kelly Screws" they are designed for metal studs and are "self tapping" which means you don't have to pre drill the holes. They work great.

EDIT: I dunno the actual name of the screws but if you ask at home depot or rona or whatever hardware store you use for "Kelly screws used on metal studs" I'm sure you'll find them (that's how I found them my first time when dad sent me to get them)

[javansparrow]

Jim, what will you be stocking the aviary with??

Well, I have now ready 2 pair of timor zebra, next Im gonna put more finches there; Im thinkning about java sparrows again (all variation I can find here; normal, white, silver and fawn), strawberry finch and maybe society (if I can find it again here - the last time I had 4 socs, all them disaperaed one by one, rats I guess)

I done a lot of framing in houses with metal studs. We always use "Kelly Screws" they are designed for metal studs and are "self tapping" which means you don't have to pre drill the holes. They work great.

EDIT: I dunno the actual name of the screws but if you ask at home depot or rona or whatever hardware store you use for "Kelly screws used on metal studs" I'm sure you'll find them (that's how I found them my first time when dad sent me to get them)

Lol, just read Kelly Screws and I googled it but found nothing. then I read your edit.

[jdc]

I just bought this:

http://www.kmart.com/stor-4-shelf-stora ... 220070001P

phenomenal price, sturdy plenty for an aviary set up such as fits my hopes.

Wire or plastic netting can easily be attached to the shelves. Easily. I can lower the shelf that is just up from the bottom shelf; and I can raise the one that is just below the top shelf........to the height i want for the flight.........THEN I can simply attach the wire or netting to those two shelves all the way around, and voila! There is the flight cage! I can just lay paper or something on the bottom shelf of the flight cage---the shelf that comes with the unit itself, and I got my flooring all set............ I think this--brand new!!!-- is a phenomenal deal.

Not only that, you can still use the shelves above and below the flight part for storage of bird stuff--or setting a light stick on, etc.

If you reflect a little, the possibilities with this unit are quite nice. I would have to pay, I bet, a few hundred dollars to get something like this from 'bird store'.

I hope some find this helpful. I sure do!!!!!!!!!!! BTW, this unit is metal, not plastic.............

[javansparrow]

well, I think I need to put my wish list here. so here's some addition:

parrot finches
some canaries