New Aviary Nearly Done

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

as title says this is my new aviary i have nearly finished, just have to felt the roof. then take it all apart and put it up again outside. its made up of 6'x 3' panels so 3ft sq internal measurements and 6 ft tall. next year i will add another two panels to make it 6 ' long 3 ' deep and 6' tall. then i will add a shed probably 3'sq again. mostly made of 2"x2" rough sawn and 9mm ply. base is a pallet with 3/4" ply. what should i use on the floo?. housing trio painted quail, pair diamond doves, canaries and pair of zebras

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

floor

[stealthy1 3,964]

How do you get in to clean your birds with out them escaping?

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

gonna put a box in there that i can shut hatch at night an clean in morning while birds are locked away. thats d plan anyway

[fireman 11,088]

At the risk of sounding a know it all that little set up is not quite there just yet for birds as likes been said your'll loose birds out that door and they won't all roost in that box so you can lock them in when you need to go in there and your looking at keeping to many birds in there as well.If i were you i'd make a safety porch that can fit on the outside of the flight so stopping you loosing your birds.I would also be only looking at keeping a pair of the smaller birds like the zebra's or a pair of canaries but remember when they breed the young will soon fill it up in there and there isn't enough room for a pair of diamond doves imo but would be with the extra bit your going to add in the future same with the quail as well,not just yet mate.Apart from that that is the start of a good strong set up for sure and for the floor it really depends on where it's going to be put as if the floor gets wet all the time then shaving are out and sand will hold the water and rot it quicker so a good quality hard wearing paint will do but if it's not going to get wet to often and has the chance of drying out then sand will do you just fine and even better if from a beach as the birds do love pecking for the extra minerals in it,bit of extra cover in the like some conifer so they can get in out the wind and jobs a good un but your still going to be right in the shit when your misses susses where the kitchen ceiling has gone to

[the_stig 6,614]

outlaw pete will be knocking on up to keep in the house once he sees this ....

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Outlaw Pete's already got a nice aviary, out in the meadow. Six high. Four wide. Eight long.

 

Now, if I was to make something like Bob has there? Fair enough. If that was the amount of materials I had to hand. Only, I'd lay it down. In that thing, bird can only fly a couple of feet, from perch to perch. Lay it down and they can bomb up and down the six foot. Quails could exhaust themselves running around all that floor space.

 

For safe access to such a flight? I'd be thinking along the lines of a long, low panel. Ply with fair sized holes cut through. And these holes then covered in sheet rubber (motor inner tube) slashed with an 'X'. Then, a hinged, drop down door against that.

 

With me? Open the door and push ye hands through the rubber curtains, to do what ever ye want to do in there. Shut the door and it saves that Dog ever poking its head in and having a quail snackette.

 

Fit a small, normal, door in each upper end corner. That'd give ye safe access to the top part. Birds should naturally move to the other end once your arm appears.

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

there is already a small sliding door panel sown into the top right of the main mesh panel. for feeding water etc, with regards to only keeping a pair of zebra finches in there i would have to throw mesh over the whole of my garden to keep what birds i have got. breeding time i put birds in breeders. fireman what are recommended stocking levels? does nobody keep canaries in cages anymore? the cage has been built to easily be added to in the future but i would have thought it big enough for the dozen small birds i have at the moment. the safety porch can be added easily in good time. i was going to fibreglass the base so i could just hose it out. yes it would be better laying down but would not be so adaptable in the future.

[fireman 11,088]

The thing with that flight is it's tall and narrow (that don't mean i'm saying it's shit mate, no way ) and the birds will have sort of limited space to fly upwards and even small birds have wings that spread out and imagine a dozen birds lifting off and landing in that space and wings will hit wings and bodies and damage will be done .Also a breeding pair in a cage is just that a pair on their own and just about all birds need space for breeding and there is a good chance of trouble with cocks fighting if a few pairs were forced to breed in there together,This is only what i think mate and i'm no way a expert but at most myself i'd have a breeding trio of say canaries or two pairs of small birds like a pair of siskin's and a pair of redpolls but that would be it,you could put more in and do ok with them but like any livestock when there living a bit crowded problems do happen and happen quick.I know a few folk who keep birds in tall flights and they all do well with them but it is the smaller finches like redpolls and siskins that do better than the bigger finches and i do have a prefrance for a tall flight like that than say one the same on it's side as it'll keep the birds fitter as they have to fly hard to get up and if it were on it's side the would just flit from perch to perch type thing.

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

more panels needed it is then. how much perch space is recommended per bird? and does an outdoor aviary need to have a heated sleeping box. only ever kept birds in cages up until now so unsure on exact criteria for keeping birds out all year

[gnasher16 30,597]

Do you actually need to be able to get in it ?.......If you treat it like a big bird cage people dont get inside bird cages do they.......How about some kind of removeable tray for a floor and a few hatches cut into the mesh so you could reach in and do any cleaning/feeding etc....your arms will fill the space up and i wouldnt imagine the birds will be in a hurry to squeeze past your arms.........floor could slide out for cleaning so you wouldnt need to be inside...........just a thought like.

Edited October 16, 2013 by gnasher16

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

yes it would be easy to make a sliding tray but i have a trio of painted quail that might make sliding a tray in and out difficult. anybody want to share some pics of their diy aviarys

[gnasher16 30,597]

Theres already about 749 pictures of my little aviary on here ...i was just so proud that i built something on my own i couldnt stop myself .......if a simpleton like me can build one anyone can !!..........Anyway,Quails can jump cant they ?

Edited October 16, 2013 by gnasher16

[Hot Meat 3,109]

Just don't slide tray in too fast an quail be fine, if had the wee tiny quail in a flight with pull out trays mate

[fireman 11,088]

more panels needed it is then. how much perch space is recommended per bird? and does an outdoor aviary need to have a heated sleeping box. only ever kept birds in cages up until now so unsure on exact criteria for keeping birds out all year

With that i'd make the sheltered corner into a roost area with a few perches at different hights but not above each other(so they won't shit on each other during the night)and i'd put some conifer in there so they can get in out the wind a bit and just make sure they have enough space between each other if they want it.A foot long perch will hold 3,4 grumpy birds i would of said :hmm:so your'll have plenty of room for a few in there.As for heating i only keep natives and a few canries so all mine are ok outside 365 days a year and i don't know about foreign finches or budgies etc and heating but i do know some you do need it.