New aviary/flight cage project!

[finchman]

I was pretty bummed out that the armoire I was planning to buy yesterday turned out to be made partly of compressed wood making it unusable for conversion to an aviary. http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33283 Well today I was blessed to pick up this Lexington solid wood entertainment center for $65 on craigslist! I'm super excited, I'm pretty sure these sell for close to $1000 new, and this one is in near perfect condition. I'm thinking of keeping the door on there, it's small only about 5 feet tall, but could be used for cleaning and access to perches etc. Leaning towards removing the drawers and putting a sheet of plexiglass in place of them. Any ideas would be great! I want it to look really nice when I'm done!

[dunker817]

That's a very nice cabinet. Congratulations on such a great buy. We have members here who have converted armoires into finch housing.

[lovezebs]

finchman

Lovely piece.
I think the door should definitely stay (although I can see it being an escape route for some enterprising birdlings).
Are you thinking of putting some sort of screen around the rest, or using plexiglass? Will there be other small access doors for seed/water cups? How about a slide out drawer in the bottom?

Would love to see step by step pictures of your work in progress.

Good luck.

Elana

[Sally]

I love that cabinet, think it will make a gorgeous flight.

[Jen]

Beautiful piece of furniture and WOW what a price!! Using google, you can find lots of ideas to change your cabinet into a flight. Please post your progress. It will be great to watch the changes. Good luck!

[finchman]

Here is an update. I have gutted the piece and removed the doors and drawers (those will go back once completed). I cut the center board way down to allow the birds to move freely between the two spaces. I tried to draw what I am envisioning in the picture below, crude for sure! All the space above the drawer height will be used for birds. I plan on making the plexiglass window on hinges so it will open to the left which will provide access to the side opposite the door. I am planning on using 1/4 hardware cloth painted black for ventilation on one or both sides of the piece. The cage will be on heavy duty wheels for easy moving as the best way I can see to install the cleaning tray would be on the rear of the piece. This will keep everything uniform and looking good up front. I ordered a 5'x7' photography backdrop to cover the back. (picture below). I'm going to try to make it so the water can be provided from the outside of the cage. Food will be in a "wild" type bird feeder and shouldn't need to be messed with too often. What do you think?

[ranchnanny]

I'm green with envy and I love the back drop.....it's gonna look beautiful!

[lovezebs]

finchman

First of all, I love love the background picture. Wherever it is, I want to go there . Will the picture be behind plexiglass to keep it clean? What will be the actual living/flying space once it's complete?

Where you planning on installing some sort of lighting at the top?
I will have to look up hardware cloth (don't know what it is). Will it offer enough air flow and ventilation even in hot weather?

Can't wait to see how you will proceed. This is quite fascinating, and something to consider as a hobby at some point in life.

Elana

[finchman]

finchman

First of all, I love love the background picture. Wherever it is, I want to go there . Will the picture be behind plexiglass to keep it clean? What will be the actual living/flying space once it's complete?

Where you planning on installing some sort of lighting at the top?
I will have to look up hardware cloth (don't know what it is). Will it offer enough air flow and ventilation even in hot weather?

Can't wait to see how you will proceed. This is quite fascinating, and something to consider as a hobby at some point in life.

Elana

The picture will go over the plywood on the back as a background. I will install 2 light fixtures in the top for full spectrum lighting. Hardware cloth is just a fancy name for 1/4 inch wire mesh. I live in FL so we have central air/heat set at 72-77F year round. Living area should be about 58 inches wide 40 inches high and 22 inches deep.

[Sally]

I've seen a few flights done with the photo background, and I think it is always just so beautiful. This one is so peaceful, makes me want to be there! Can't wait to see this finished. I so wish I had just a few handyman skills. I gave away an entertainment center similar to that one, it would have made a wonderful flight. I'm kicking myself now, but the reality is that it would have sat around in my way for months on end and finally be given away after all.

[lovezebs]

finchman

Sounds altogether wonderful and quite spacious for the birdlings.

How will you keep that lovely picture clean?

It makes me want to run out and see if I can find a cabinet or a shelf, or a something, to practice on. I'm starting to kinda eye my furniture with a speculative eye, lol.

Do you attach the mesh (thanks for the translation ) with a staple gun, or screws?

Elana

[finchman]

finchman

Sounds altogether wonderful and quite spacious for the birdlings.

How will you keep that lovely picture clean?

It makes me want to run out and see if I can find a cabinet or a shelf, or a something, to practice on. I'm starting to kinda eye my furniture with a speculative eye, lol.

Do you attach the mesh (thanks for the translation ) with a staple gun, or screws?

Elana

If you do decide to do something like this be sure to research how to tell if a piece of furniture is compressed, veneer, or solid wood. About 70 percent of the ones on CL I have seen are listed as solid and are not 100% so. Even this high end piece had some veneer which is good quality but not so good for cutting because there is MDF wood underneath, which is a higher quality compressed. The most important parts are the sides, and the top and bottom which on this piece are solid.

The picture is vinyl so should wipe down easily. I will staple gun the wire more than likely.

[Leo519]

finchman

This is going to be some very elegant finch housing - looking forward to watching the progress since your last one turned out so nice!
Are you going to keep it for your birds or sell it?

[Colt]

Looks great. I really like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Birdoor-Transpare ... B00GP5IW4A

They work great for easy access on flights/avaries in order to easily change out food and water. I don't know if they'd be practical in the design you are working with, but for those making wire panels, they work fabulously.

[lovezebs]

finchman

How is your project coming along?
Thanks for the explanation about the wood. Why is compressed wood or veneer undesirable for a project like this?
I am not a carpenter, and so don't know these things.
I understand that the quality of the wood would make the piece more valuable, but does it make any difference in the construction, or to the functionality of the flight, or the finches that will be housed in it?

Elana