New aviary! In Texas...

[Rox]

Your aviary is going to be breath taking!!!! Can't wait to see the end results

I have a low perimeter fence around my aviary for my dogs, about 4 feet deep and only about knee height.. It stops my Great Dane from weeing inside the aviary (luckily mine don't make holes in the fence, lol). It definitely helps and also slows them down when they come screaming up to the aviary in the middle of a game running around the garden.

[debbie276]

We bought a waterer that is built like a wild bird hopper feeder so it automatically refills and I'm hopeful but skeptical.

I use chicken waterer in my aviary along with a cement bird bath.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/plastic_waterers.html
I have had no problem with this type of waterer, it keeps the water cleaner then a dish and I know when we go away they always have water.
If you do convert to water bottles be sure there are other water sources till they learn how to use them.

Your aviary looks great, best of luck

[Perfex]

We are finishing our outdoor aviaries this weekend and we have a similar climate to yours (Memphis). Ours is the south facing front porch of our home. To protect from the summer sun, we've chosen corrugated Ondurra roofing (Lowes) on the back half, and insulated underneath. The front half of the roof will be two layers of clear polycarb to allow winter sun in and to help insulate from heat loss in the winter. We already have the Ondurra on our dog runs and it's great, easy to put up and reasonably priced. We'll install fans to keep that hot air moving as needed, too. Plus lots of established plants for shade.
Your aviary looks great and I'm glad the dogs showed you where to beef up the security. Keep the pics coming.

[Shelleypg1919]

That looks amazing! We are going to build an outdoor aviary this summer too. Are you putting an outer and inner door so you can go in and not have a bird fly out? What about an enclosed room so they can go in for warmth in winter? These are issues I am wondering about.

[EGByrd]

Thanks for all the compliments and words of advice! Shelley, we do have a double door system. We bought two prefab 32" doors and the catch area is about 4' deep and 7' wide. We like it being that large because it makes it easy to move large things in and out of the aviary safely. We aren't really sure yet what we will do in winter, whether we will wrap the whole thing in plastic, use heat lamps, ceramic heaters, all of those... but we will likely not have an enclosed area. We will have a corner that is sheltered from the south and west sides, and possibly also sheltered from the north. Aside from that, we will have plenty of nest boxes that they can cozy up in. We got impatient and put some birds in yesterday and it's SO MUCH FUN watching them fly around and explore! I'll put some pictures up shortly

[EGByrd]

Well unfortunately it's been a lot longer than I had anticipated since my last visit and update. With 25 finches, a toddler, 2 dogs, 2 fish tanks, and jobs that make it all possible, it's pretty busy around here! We have 17.5 birds in the aviary right now (the half is a nestling that I found today and is a bit of a mystery to me, so I'll be asking you guys for your thoughts in a different post). We have 4 owls, 4 goldbreasts, 4 zebras, 2 male societies, an orange weaver cock, a pin-tailed hen, and a RCCB hen. We got the roof put on, got the misting system set up, and recently finished potting some plants. The zebras are the only ones that have successfully raised young so far, but the societies are taking care of that mystery baby. We have had a mild summer comparatively (hardly getting above 100 degrees) but it's still HOT! The misting system has done wonders for cooling it down and keeping the bird bath from evaporating away. I thought I would have to make sure it stayed full, but instead I have to empty it out frequently to clean it out and put fresh water in. I have noticed that the birds swap nests often. One day I'll notice that the zebs have moved into a nest, then the next day an owl pokes her head out of the nest. Well a week down the road a goldbreast flies out of the same nest! I sure wish they'd just make up their minds. We had 2 zebras fledge that I didn't even know existed! I never did figure out which nest they were raised in. Anyway, here are some pictures! The plastic dish on the ground in the 4th picture catches water that drips when the mister is on. I guess I could find a prettier rock to hold it down

[mayble]

Beautiful! Love the planters.

[cindy]

Very nice, bet they love the space!!

[debbie276]

Very nice aviary!
best of luck

[EGByrd]

Thanks everyone! Mayble, the pots came from my grandmother, I think she got them in Mexico. Cindy, they do seem to love the space! I love to watch them when the misters are on. Some will sit in a sunny, misted corner and preen themselves, some just go about their business like nothing is different, and some (like the weaver) hardly ever enjoy the mist and sit on the dry side of the aviary. Watching them all bathe in the bird bath is probably my favorite

[Perfex]

It looks wonderful! You did a great job. I did see the pic of your chick, but I don't know what it is.

[DanteD716]

Beautiful setup Emily!

[finchmix22]

Emily,
I started my aviary, with fire ants, rodents, and snakes in mind as the most likely dangers. I treated the ground below with eco safe pesticide, then laid down mesh hardware cloth 1/4x1/4 inch over the space for pavers. Then, laid paver sand and pavers. We used PVC pipes for the frame and then the 1/4in mesh for the sides and top. I bought the corrugated roofing, but it is kind of flimsy and I though with our winds and storms, it might not hold up. At that point, I stopped building because several people here lost finches in outdoor aviaries to heat and predators. So, now I have a half built aviary I'm afraid to use. For the water, I bought a fountain from Home Depot, one that has a light for night viewing. I also bought an outdoor electric heater that is safe for birds, to use in the winter.

If I was to start over, I'd have an indoor section with A/C , heat and running water, with an outdoor section made similar to what I have already built. Misters are the best idea for the heat and good air flow. But, the predators, winters (although they're brief) winds, etc. can be a tragedy waiting to happen, so I don't know if I'll finish our aviary or not. You're making me want to go ahead and complete the outdoor aviary with some adjustments and additions.
Hmmmm........

[EGByrd]

DO IT, DEBORAH! Hahaha we haven't had any problems with predators (knock on wood) and surprisingly no problems with fire ants either. We did lose one zebra baby probably due to heat during a particularly harsh 3 or so days, and we got black ants in that nest. We brought the other baby from the nest inside and put it in another pair's nest. She had fledged a little early and I figured she had bailed because of the heat. She's doing great now. As for the roof, that's probably the one thing that we spent the most time trying to figure out. We ended up with grey tinted polycarbonate panels. The tint keeps it a bit cooler but should let in enough light in the winter to warm it up a bit, and the polycarbonate is supposed to be tough against wind and hail. The next hurdle is getting it ready for winter. This has been a constant project and will likely never be done as we continue to learn about the problems we need to fix. Right now I'm searching the internet for the right kind of plastic to wrap the aviary in for the winter. We have 2 heaters that we can set up in the catch area if we need to provide more heat. If next summer is as bad as 2 summers ago we will likely have to put a window unit out there to keep it cool. Like I said, it's been a little mild this summer!

[Sally]

Emily, your aviary turned out beautifully! What a nice space for your birds!