Floors for self built aviary/flight

[Finch Fry]

I have decided to build a large flight to house all of my non aggressive birds in a community setting.

This is the first in a series of posts where I am hoping to get everyones opinions on specific topics on the flight/aviary I will build.

First some background on my flight so people can answer appropriately.

Indoor flight. Dimensions on the order of 10-12 feet long, 3-5 feet wide, about 2-3 feet tall. Majority of construction will be wood, with the back and sides walls made of solid wood, while the top and front will be a wire mesh or something that lets me still see my birds and hear them (so no plexi glass )

So my first question is in regards to the floor of my aviary.

2 parts to consider. First, the permanent floor material. What material of construction should I use to build the floor out of? I dont want it to rot or get nasty over time. I considered plastic of some sort but figured some of you may have some good ideas.

2nd.. The material on top of the floor. The stuff that would get cleaned or tossed or something during a weekly cleaning. A few ideas ranging from fish tank gravel to constructors paper (that thick brown stuff). Another idea I had was crushed corn cobs. You can buy 50 pound bags of the stuff for super cheap, sprinkle a thin layer on the floor which will act as an absorbant, allow porosity for the seed husks to fall between thereby preventing husks from flying out of the cage when the birds push air with their wings when close to the floor. The stuff could be cleaned out weekly probably. Finally, I could do some plastic trays and just twisty tie them together. If i did this, it would ultimately control the size of my cage, which is ok.

Anyways, let the ideas roll. Keep in mind, inside a house, so clean is primary concern.. keeping seed husks in and preventing ants etc. Then price is the 2nd concern.

[DVBourassa]

Floor material - we used plywood with hard plastic sheeting on top

I prefer the paper. It's easy to remove and then wipe down the plastic sheeting. Our next flight we are going to try to set it up where the roll is on one end and we can just pull the paper out the other end and tear it off for cleanup.

We also have about a 4 inch (10 cm) wood skirt around the bottom of the flight and this help immensely with flying seed hulls, etc.

[Pukasand]

I'm preparing to build one also. I need all ideas/help I can get. Thanks for posting this, Finch Fry.

[Sally]

I think the crushed corn cobs are the product that will mold very easily, so not good to use if the birds have access to the bedding material. I love the idea of having kraft paper (or some such kind) on a roll and just pull it thru and cut off when changing papers. Candace has some cages like that, and you can see some at the Abba site (www.abbaseed.com) just to give you an idea of how they work.

[Ursula]

I use Aspen shavings on plastic (pond liner) in my indoor aviary.

[isabird]

I have the same question about the flooring as I am building one too. I already have an aviary.

Are you building this for outside or inside? If outside then why not make it go all the way to the floor that way you can walk in it to clean?

Also, one quick tip. Precut the wire mesh and paint it black prior to putting it on the flight. This will make it so much easier to view your birds. Painting the wire prior to putting on the flight will mean that you will not get black paint on the wood.

Here is a picture of what I got so far. I have wire on the front, left side and top. I will be putting a corrugated material on the top for protection. The right side and back will be plywood. I still can't figure out the bottom yet. Any tips?

[Finch Fry]

I think I am going to go with the toilet paper dispenser idea and just get that thick paper on a roll and just pull it through the bottom of the cage. By the way, I love your cage and its EXACTLY what I have in mind for mine to look like when I get started. I may need to pick your brain on a few details if you dont mind!!!

[CandoAviary]

The rolls of paper are the easiest ever....... I love this set up:




I order rolls of water resistant paper from ABBA or I cut a butcher paper roll in half (the white on the bottom..which is empty right now)

[dfcauley]

I love that idea.... that looks great Candace and saves loads of valuable time.