Building 1st aviary, any advice?

ShaneW · Post by **ShaneW** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:29 am

I'm gonna be attempting to build my first aviary. I've got most of the materials I'm going to need. It will be approx 2m x 2.5m.

I plan on putting on a solid roof and enclosing half the aviary (or 3 sides, not sure). Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:37 am

for an aviary that size the fully covered roof is a good idea. other than that I would have the back wall and both sides fully covered.
make sure to have a safety door on the aviary, this is to decrease any chance of birds getting out as you enter or exit the cage. a water system that you can operate from outside the aviary makes life easier for you & the birds less stress. have a look at some of Gomers pics and see if you can set up a feed station similiar to that. paint the aviary wire black (water based paint) this makes viewing the birds a lot easier. maybe string some fencing wire across the walls, it creates a place to hang nests and also gives you something to allow climbing plants to grow on.

ShaneW · Post by **ShaneW** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:02 am

thanks for the great info.

I saw quite a good idea of having a large net hanging over the entrance door so you flip it over your head and behind you when you go in, just in case a bird flies through, he'll be caught in the net.

Also saw another good idea, by putting a cup hook into the top of the breeding box, you can just hang it on the mesh.

fincher · Post by **fincher** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:26 am

hi ther i also recommend TIME and PAITENCE and dont start in the middle of summer
just a couple of tips for you
thanks chris

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:53 am

nothing wrong with starting in the middle of summer. just means you need a bigger fridge for the extra beer you will drink while working

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:24 pm

Rodent control is my advice. Have a look at the footings Mick dug out for his new aviary. Also remember that small mice can squeeze through 12mm wire mesh so make sure you have sheet metal around the base of the aviary or use 6mm mesh.

BillD · Post by **BillD** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:58 pm

I'm assuming you are building an outdoor aviary.

You should also consider weather. Wind directions, rain/storms and sun light when you position it and how to protect them from the elements. You may already know that, but is a good idea to plan it up front. Saves you from emergency fixes.

Agree with Matt about the rodents, but consider the predators in your area too. Cats, dogs and other birds.

Mickp already told you about the safety door. It doesn't add much and would be a lot safer than a net by the entrance door.

ShaneW · Post by **ShaneW** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:48 am

Great, thanks guys

I will be sinking the mesh about 30cm into the ground for rodent protection, is this enough?

Can you give me some sort of explanation or pics on how to constuct the safety door pls.

Have you got any ideas on how to keep cats and dogs away? I've got 3 jack russels (will be in the same yard as the aviary) and a cat which is still a kitten and not allowed outside yet but will be soon.
I do plan on putting a night light in the aviary to prevent night fright from cats and dogs.

fincher · Post by **fincher** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:50 am

hi there with the safety door you can either put it isside of the avairy or outside the avairy. i prefer them outside the avairy as it takes up room inside the avairy. for the size ilike them to be at least 750mm square enough room to move around with a bucket or that but mine are 900mm wide pretty much. with rodent proffing you can go as deep as you want and still the mice will get in some how. me uncle has got concrete footing of 600mm then another 300mm of bluemetal and the wire is 6mmsqu and hes seen hole going from outside to the inside of avairy so for the depth its up to you wat you can afford and can do. with my footing ive only gone down 300mm with limestone blocks so i can remove them easy when i move out of home(im 18). here are some pics of me safety door designs
outside the cage safety door

inside the avairy
not a good pic can make it out though

if you need any more help just ask us
thanks chris

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:30 am

the footings for the aviary I am building at present are 600mm deep (2 feet) and they are 300mm wide. have a look at my post 'aviary extension'

BillD · Post by **BillD** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:55 pm

You may already have the idea from Fincher's post, but I did find the link on the Finch Information Center:

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/panel_ ... uction.php

Hope that helps with the design of the door. I don't have any outdoor aviaries, maybe others have some experience with other predators.

Very nice aviaries Fincher.

Don't overlook some way to lock your doors, like Fincher has.

Keep us posted.

FINCHIE · Post by **FINCHIE** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:57 pm

I made the mistake of using bark chips on the floor of my aviary. It does not drain well and you end up with a perfect breeding ground for Coccidiosis etc. I changed to river sand which has been great, it drains really well. I put approx 8cm of river sand on the floor of the aviary and when it is time to clean you simply rake a layer off.

steph · Post by **steph** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:41 pm

FINCHIE - do you have a pic of your sand floor? Do you like it still? Pros/cons? I'm building my first aviary...trying to decide on a floor...thanks!