FINCHforum

Hello everyone. I'm in need of some help/advice. My husband and I are looking to build an outdoor aviary in our yard. We have an acre of land so we have the room for a decent sized aviary. We live in Iowa and the winters can get pretty cold. We're wanting to build an aviary that will house the bird outside all year long but aren't sure how to go about it. If anyone has any ideas or knows where I can look the help would be much appreciated.

Biggest problems--cold temps, diseased soil and rodents.

Outdoor aviaries that allow the birds access to soil can become contaminated and thus nearly impossible to disinfect. Plus rodents and worse can tunnel in. I've struggled with rodents getting into an aviary. Even worse, a mink or a weasel can clear out an aviary in one night.

I'd suggest a building that can have heat added (even to 45° F would be OK) plus attached flights that hang off the building but have wire floors.

Something on this order--the building can be smaller and the flight larger. The idea is shelter from wind and extreme cold, concrete floor to avoid tunneling predators, and outside flights off the ground.

Thank you for your help

FallenIce

Came across this in my internet travels, hope it will be hepful.

http://eggheater.tripod.com/a_aviary_plan.html

With regards to cold Winters:

Your aviary, will have to have a sizable walk in, enclosed and insulated section, with heating and light.

That's the only way I can imagine being able to over winter birds in very cold weather.

I know with our Winters here in Canada, I would need a very sturdy and good sized shed, with extra insulation on all sides, top and even more so on the bottom, and a very good heating system, with the outdoor Aviary part attached to this. There would also need to be a way to close it off and keep the birds inside on days when we dip into the deep freeze.

Our temperatures, can dip down into the -30C some days, along with wind chill factors that make it feel even colder.

That's why my birdlings are indoors year around, sigh....

I live in the UK just outside London and need to keep my 3 pairs of Gouldian finches outside next winter.
As we live in a small grd. floor flat there is no space indoors to keep 3 pairs with possible young.
I need to ask the following for members advice and your comments would be much appreciated;-
The flight cage is not large at 33.5"W. x 30"D. x 44"Ht. and has legs, it has a wire mesh grid floor with a pull out tray for cleaning.
During the breeding season I would attach a large nesting box at one end, this would be partitioned into 3, below wold be a feeding station for seed and water etc.

If I wrapped the entire cage and nesting box with 2 layers of bubble wrap and placed a tubular heater in the bottom of the cage do the readers think this would be adequate? The external night temp. in the winter sometimes falls to -3 degrees C.
The cage is in a very sheltered position against a house wall and is SE facing therefore would get the winter sun during the day.

Your remarks and suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards,

Jessica

Jessica and poohbear could you chime in on this?

I personally wouldn't attempt keeping them in a cage flight outside with UK weather being what it is.

Here are a few links for you...

http://www.cageandaviarybirds.co.uk/mag ... ation.html

https://planetaviary.com/part-2-gouldian-finch-housing/

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/a ... 278?page=1

The Aviary
Think of an aviary as a walk-in cage that houses several pairs of finches. It will need to have all the basic features of a cage (perches, food bowls, etc.) but on a larger scale. An aviary can be indoors or outdoors or both.
While there are some special considerations for the outdoor aviary, the basic principles are the same whether it is located indoors or outdoors.

Materials
You can buy or build an aviary. It should be sturdily constructed of a wood or metal frame with a fine wire mesh. If the aviary is outdoors, concrete makes the best material for the floor. Make sure that the floor of an outdoor aviary slopes slightly for better drainage.

Predator-Proofing
If the aviary is outdoors, you must consider the predators that might live in your locale.
These include hawks, rats, cats and other animals.
Different predators require somewhat different methods to keep them out.
A good general rule is to have two-ply mesh walls with a few inches (5 cm or so) between each ply.
If you are using a concrete floor, have a metal or plastic skirt around the bottom of the mesh walls.
Frequently inspect the aviary for any signs of wear or intrusion.

Shelters
The shelter is a place where your finches can go to sleep in at night and escape inclement weather. It can be simple, but it must be solid and sturdy—most shelters are made of wood. Place your shelter in an area of the aviary that will stay comfortable for your finches no matter what the weather is like. This may require that the shelter be heated or have mesh windows for ventilation. It is very handy if the shelter can easily be closed off from the rest of the aviary.


Cage and Aviary Furnishings


Perches
Perches can be made of many different materials, including wood, plastic, concrete, and rope. Plastic perches are not a good choice, but the others are all fine. Most finch keepers use a mix of different perches. The only caution is to use only one concrete perch (sometimes called a sand or cement perch) because this type can be hard on your bird's feet. If you use rope perches, inspect them regularly and trim off any frayed strands before they become long enough to entangle your finch.

Do not buy sandpaper covers or other perch covers. These harbor bacteria and can cause foot infections.

http://www.birding.uk.com/forum/

I live in central Kentucky USA, and I have Canaries and a few Gouldians in an unheated building + aviary. It got as cold as -3° F (-20°C) this winter and I don't see a problem. One Canary hen set up house and has raised 3 chicks already. We're still getting some nights below 32° F (0° C).

Not all finch species would be OK with this set-up. Canaries are notably tough. I've not heard about cold limits for Gouldians, but mine seem fine. I've heard of people keeping Society finches like this.

The key is a dry area without wind so the birds can retreat there when they want to.

They also get fed free-choice with seeds, each type offered separately. They eat more oil seeds when it is cold. Also, egg food as much as they want, and greens on most days.

lovezebs, one of the articles you linked to (thanks for those) talked about the owner losing birds in the winter when they didn't move from the outside area into the building at night.

I solved that by having my inside lights on a timer. They go off a little bit after sunset. That way, if any birds are outside when the sun goes down, the light in the building attracts them inward. At any rate, only just-fledged chicks are likely to try and spend the night in the outside area. Older birds don't seem interested in camping out.

Dave

Hi Dave,

My response was to jessica, who lives outside of London.

She is talking about keeping her Gouldians in a "flight cage" ( if I understood her post right) outdoors year around.

I have no problems with built aviaries, where there is an outdoor aviary, and a building for the birds to go into during inclement weather.

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your response and very valid comments, especially the links.
My intentions are to insulate the cage with bubble wrap and also to heat it, it would be situated under an outside stair and one long side would be against a house wall, the sides of the cage that are subject to wind would be covered with a tarpaulin with the bubble wrap inside that.
My questions to you are as follows:-
1/ I have a tubular heater with a mesh cover to protect the birds from touching it and possibly injuring themselves, should I put this heater on the bottom of the cage?
2/ I had read that in NW Aust. where the Gouldians are native that they;-
a/ Nest down low on the ground in mud burrows, and
b/ Several pairs share the same nest.
Has anyone heard about this.
Thank you for your comments,
Rgds.
Jessica

I'm pretty sure they nest in hollows in trees waaaaay up in the air

jessica,

Feathers and such will fall on the tubular heater and cause problems.

I think just have the heater in reserve, so if you get a really cold night you can use it. It is likely to overheat your space so make sure it has a thermostat that controls it. Plus--put a thermometer in there and check the temperature quite often.

If the birds are outside in the early autumn, and acclimate to the weather, I believe they'll be fine without the heater.

With bubble wrap surrounding your aviary, I think you might get too warm during the day--especially if the sun hits it. Leave one side exposed, without bubble wrap?

Anchor your unit so that a stray dog can't do damage. And be aware that cats will be interested.

The key to the whole plan is having a dry box attached so they can get out of the wind and the weather.

Hello FallenIce

This is a great subject to talk about. Happy you brought it up!

Mine is a 30-year work in progress. I tore it all down once and started over in an attempt to correct all my early mistakes.
Anyway, it's now built in 3 sections with over 500 total sq ft. There's an outside area that blends nicely with the backyard landscape, a weather-protected area and a secluded dry space where they can go without being observed all the time.

My only advice would be to design your space with yourself in mind as well. I have 3 viewing areas where I can observe all their fascinating habits without disturbing a single one. One spot is in my dining room where their 5' long treat tray is just a few inches away from my viewing window and favorite rocking chair. Friends love this amazing habitat and I like to spend most of my lunchtimes there or outside in the warmer months where I can be close to their community bird bath.

Before you build, your drawings should consider all the utilities and the things mentioned above like drainage, floors, water devices, perches, rodent/preditor control and ease of feeding and cleaning so you don't become a slave to your own hobby.

This is a very creative thing you're doing...I'm sure you will enjoy the whole design/build project and all the fascinating birds that will come later.

Paul

Hello again Dave,

I lost contact somewhere in Cyberspace.
I like your idea of using a shelter for the birds when, on a sunny day, the bubble wrap is moved from the front of the cage.
If I were to build a marine plywood box to attach to one end of the flight cage it could provide shelter and have nesting quarters.
Q. Would the sheltering part need to be almost fully enclosed and just have 35mm dia. holes for the birds to enter and exit?
Q. How deep would I make this box.
Q. If I used Coco-fibre for the nests what material to put in the sheltering area.?
Has any of the members ever built something like this? The size of the box could be 30cms x 90cms which would need to accommodate 2 nesting boxes and an area where the birds could be fed from, the remainder could be a shelter.
Regards,
Jessica

jessica GouldianGuy Dave

The majority of Gouldians in the wild, prefer to nest in tree hollows, however some have been known to nest in holes in termite moundsl, in abandoned burrows, and more recently in nest boxes provided by people.

Personally, I would still be very hesitant about housing outdoors in a flight cage. Aside from the weather issues, there are always the dangers of dogs, cats, rats, mice, and wild birds, but that's me.

Wishing you the best of luck.