DIY aviary

[Pricey_boy]

I'm planning on building my own XL outdoor aviary next year anyone know where to get some good designs

[Michael]

My post about why a DIY aviary is generally a bad idea. Of course if you have access to welding equipment, materials, powder coat facility, a lot of time, and the will to do it, go right ahead. Otherwise, from once contemplating this same issue myself, I found that the cost of entry to get involved with doing it myself and doing it well, would cost as much or more and a ton of time on top. Of course, the aviary I ended up buying was a disaster that I would not wish upon my enemies, however, I know others have had success with alternate brands so there must be something out there. So while I think people can save money and even do a better job when it comes to DIY like toys, special foods, and play stands, I just don't see it with aviaries.

Maybe you live in a location where there simply is not a supplier of aviaries nor the ability to hire a professional. Then you'd be forced to do it yourself not by choice. But be prepared for it to cost a lot and be an insane amount of work to do it right.

One recommendation I would put forward no matter what design, is to build a double aviary if you have predators around (foxes, racoons, cats, hawks, owls, etc). I know so many cases of birds grabbed through the bars. Even if they aren't pulled out, still killed inside. Ideally you should build an aviary within an aviary (you can use cheap chicken wire or whatever on the outside since the parrots won't come into contact with it). Also burying the wire walls deep down underground and burying a wire floor on the inside should help against borrowing animals if you don't put it on a concrete slab. Final piece of advice is if it's not a full time habitat, don't get any food stations and don't ever provide food in the aviary. Aviary should be just for playtime and no eating. No food means you reduce the amount of pests and things trying to get in there. Then you just have to worry about the things that find the inhabitants to be the food.

[Pricey_boy]

I live in perth wa and we don't have predators like that the worse is cats but my cats don't mind my birds I have some birds in a smaller aviary.
I want to build a large double door aviary where I live the largest we would get is probably 2 m high and abou3 metres wide but I want to buld my own 4m x 4m and about 3m high aviary I'm not doing anything fancy just a standard shape aviary with an entrance door and a safety door the
Size that I want I could buy online it would be between 5-10 thousand dollars and I would be building it my self either way. It's for my larger birds LB corella and galahs and hopefully one day a macaw.

Any large aviaries I can find for sale usually have steel roofs and steels sides or backs which doesn't do any good for birds who like to fly around or hang upside down

[Michael]

You gotta have a roof to keep the sun and predators out.

[Pricey_boy]

I don't have predators at all where I live we don't have predators like in other countries also I'm doing without a roof because most of the year round there's not a lot of sunlight except for in the summer. But I for whatever reason the sun does get bright at another time I cover the top of the cages with a large tarp

[Michael]

You need a roof. You don't want wild birds flying over or landing on top and pooping down into the aviary. Your birds could contract wildbird carried illnesses. I'm not making this stuff up. I've researched all this extensively when setting up an aviary.

Read what I wrote back when I was thinking about it. I'm sure I'm leaving a ton out now.

http://trainedparrot.com/index.php?bid= ... My+Parrots

[Pricey_boy]

Rather than a roof built into the cage what about a roof that slightly stands above the roof so they can still hang upside down and stuff and hang toys and perches.also sun is good for cockatoos they can become unhealthy and they are designed to withstand major heat. In australia cockatoos mainly live in the hottest parts of aus like the Northern Territory which gets up to about 44 degrees c which I googled would be about 111!degress Fahrenheit and they need the sun to stay healthy

[terri]

I think a well built safe avairy is a great idea.Isnt walter a plucker [I bet it would be great for him]Get a hold of Polarn hes always building stuff.

[Pricey_boy]

I would like to have Walter in an aviary but he's ok for now.the one that's been plucking is yumyum/yummy my third .

Walter is getting his new corner cage the estimated delivery date said it would come today but probably won't come till Friday

[Polarn]

Haha, well yeah I'm always building something, thats correct the difference is thought that I do have a fully equipped workshop with welding equipment etcetera, but if you ever need advise on how to put something together just gimme a shout or PM and I'll try help out as good as I can...

btw since I'm always building something... atm I'm trying to figure out how to make loose parts I can fit into my RV (that I built together with a couple of friends who does not want it bird equipped) to make it a good camper to bring the birds along next summer... Kind of would like to have some sort of easy attatched aviary as well as birdproofing certain parts of the bus... without really introding on our original design and current furniture (who knows I might end up buying a new bus having two RVs parked here in the yard.... or scrap the idea and just bring travel cages....) Anyways... thats what I'm currently doing

But yeah Pricey_boy send me a PM with what materials your familliar working with and what possibilitys you have as far as welding etcetera and i'm pretty sure I can atleast provide you with some ideas or input as for what would work better or what really isnt durable solutions or whatever... havn't built as many enclosures for birds though as I have for farm animals and bunnies...