Aviary - Advice

prospect

I am planning on building an Aviary leaning to my garden shed.
I am going to use the shed for access (i.e go in the door of the shed, then another door out to the aviary). Also, I am planning on screening off some of the inside of the shed to allow the birds fly inside for nesting, etc.

I have searched the internet for guidlines etc, so I can incorporate them at the planning stage, but there is not much information.

I was wondering if anyone here has built one and can offer design tips based on experience.

Cheers
P

Schlemm

The 'airlock' type entrance is a good idea.
Concrete underfloor with a cover of sand or gravel is good.
Ideally it should face the sun but provide some shelter.
Avoid severe fluctuations in temperature.
Night heating may not be required if adequate insulation.
Lights are usually needed, some people usually turn them off at about 8pm.
Quarantine or a hospital away from main aviary is also a good idea.
Use non-toxic, easily cleaned fixtures with no sharp edges, and avoid V shapes and mesh smaller than birds head.
Close-fitting, plastic litter tray (+/- grate).
Recently galvanised metal may cause zinc toxicity.
Provide a perch, but it should be made ideally from wood rather than plastic or sandpaper to prevent bumblefoot, and the diameter of the perch should be the right size for the bird's feet.
Keep dishes off the floor to protect from vermin or faeces, and the aviary should be mouse/rat proof, etc.
Provide toys and stuff to play with.
If you're keeping tethered birds like a hawk or a falcon, heat below the perch in the winter and the straps should be long enough to reach the ground.

What sort of bird(s) are you planning on keeping?

Our man in Havana

I will try to get some photos of mine tomorrow - you may have to remind me tho!

prospect

Hi, I have a few Zebra Finches, so mostly Finches, Canaries.

I know some part time hobby breeders and they often come across unwanted birds, so my plan is to house some of them.

Sigma Force

Those types of birds can be more delicate although I have seen them in avairys before. I think though with the dodgy weather we are having (and will continue to have by the looks of it) the avairy should be set up do deal with all weather conditions. So having protected tubular heating installed would be a good idea.

Also make sure it's located in a well sheltered spot, I can't let my tiels out when it's very windy eventhough it's a sheltered area because the wind tends to blow them right into the wire so with smaller birds you would have to be extra careful, perhaps having a good part of the flight area enclosed in timber.

If the birds are going to have access to a flight and their indoor area has a window (plexiglass) they shouldn't need any extra lighting but to be practical for yourself you might want to put a light in. Make sure all fixtures and fittings are bird proof.

Ronseal so a garden woodstain that is safe for birds and pets once dry. Lots of colours to chose from too.

Use avairy wire 1/4 inch no bigger otherwise you'll get mice. Concrete floor is a must or patio slabs it also gives you a solid bas to work from.

Perches of various sizes, I find it hard to get weather proof perches so if you haven't got any fruit trees I would buy some now and put them in pots and you can use the branches to make perches, get a good sized tree so that you will have a constant supply. Leave the tree a few months before using it to make use any sprays the garden center used are gone out of it. Apple trees are a good safe bet. You can also get a heavy pot and put organic compost in it then cover it with large gravel or stones and place it in the avairy.

Food dish wise you know the heavy duty netting staples for the aviary wire well you can use then in their indoor part putting them in backwards into the walls to hold their food and water dishes. I wouldn't put nest boxes in if they are the same sex unless you want to breed from them but if you are taking in unwanted birds I would suggest not to breed from them because you could soon have too many birds for the size of the avairy.

Here's a load of pics of ours.

We used patio slabs.


You can hang plastic dishes on the wire, I did use those stainless steel coops holders but they actually rusted the dishes are find but the holders beomce rusty.


Aviary when it was nearly finished planted an apple tree on the outside, handy for picking off leaves to give them esp. fussy birds who won't eat their veg.


Toys like this can be used for small birds canaries/budgies etc on the inside of their housing.


A pop hole is handy to have so birds can fly in and out of the shelter without having to leave a door open. Open doors can bang and injure birds in the wind and also let rain in. The wee sliding door to the left is the pop hole and then another door for cleaning.


The shelter itself as it was being consturcted. The shed is about 3 or 4 feet high and stands on a stand thingy that way it holds the heat better and cleaning it is at waist height. We got Shiplap timber it's much warmer.

prospect

Wow, thanks for the replies, and those pics GPR, It's exactly what I was looking for.

By nesting boxes, I meant internal housing that the birds can use in extreeme weather condtions, accessing through pop-holes like yours.

I will only be taking in a handful of birds from the guys I know, but I will either stick with all male, or divide the aviary into two and keep the birds seperate.

prospect

Bond-007 wrote:

I will try to get some photos of mine tomorrow - you may have to remind me tho!

Gentle reminder, I'd love to see more photos, GPR's have given me some ideas.

Our man in Havana

Will take some today for you

prospect

Bond-007 wrote:

Will take some today for you

Mucho appreciado

Sigma Force

Argos are doing mini sheds now that could be converted into bird housing esp. if they were put on a height first. A pop hole could be cut into them and the two doors open for access to cleaning.

prospect

Guineapigrescue wrote:

Argos are doing mini sheds now that could be converted into bird housing esp. if they were put on a height first. A pop hole could be cut into them and the two doors open for access to cleaning.

Cheers,

I have a small timber shed that is soon becmoing obsolete, and am planning on using half of it as their internal dwelling.

Edit: The other half will be for access, and storage of feed/grit etc.