Building an outdoor Bird Aviary

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:10:06 +0100

The common outdoor bird aviary is generally considerably more spacious than the traditional bird cage. They allow your birds more space to fly around and exercise. They also offer a more instinctive surround and give the birds exposure to natural sunlight and fresh air.

Designing Your Bird Aviary

Every bird aviary is going to be distinct, depending upon the variety of birds you keep in it. your climate and the use of your bird aviary. Some just housing birds will have totally different needs compared to someone who is wanting their birds to breed. Some people prefer solarium-style of bird aviary which can be connected to their house. Most people have a free-standing facility, these are the most cost effective. Some aviaries resemble a nursery, while others look more like a chicken pen.

How big should your bird aviary be? At a minimum, I would suggest the bare minimum bird aviary flight area to be as follows.
3 times the wing span for the width,
6 times the body of the bird for the length
Four times the bird’s body length for the height.
A bird aviary that is 2.4m long, 1.2m wide and 2.4m tall would hold a flock of approximately 18 budgys or cockatiels.

You should visit your local council to find out if there are any planning issues that may disallow your plans. Its possible their may be restrictions or it could be just a case of applying for a permit, this will differ between councils.

Building Your Bird Aviary

To build a standard wire flight bird aviary, start with the floor. I always recommend a concrete floor. Cnncrete floors are easy to sweep out and hose down every once in a while. They also help to deal with mites and fleas which we breed on a dirt floor.

To give your birds a more natural surround, place some sand and bark over the concrete. Once every couple of weeks you can give it a tidy up . Another way to make the bird aviary a little more friendlt is to locate some holes in the concrete when you are pouring the floor. This can be done by placing a large bowl or dish where you want the holes. In the holes you can then plant some shrubs or small trees for your birds.

The concrete floor should be roughly 100mm thick. After that’s down, you can your frame your frame. Once again the frame material is a metter of choice but the most cost effective is a metal frame. I suggest using a 30x30 galv tube. Make sure it has been galvanised and isnt bare metal, this will prevent it from rusting.

After the frame is in place, use a galvanized, welded-wire for the walls and roof. Depending on your climate you may want to use a colorbond steel for the roof to give your birds some added protection The wire spacing and gauge parameters vary on the size birds you are accomodating. With larger birds you can afford to have larger holes.

Choose a wire that’s a heavy enough gauge that your birds can’t break it apart. For large birds 10-gauge wire or heavier will do the trick. Medium-size birds will need at least 12 gauge wire. For smaller birds, you can probably get away with 16-gauge wire.

16 gauge wire is the bare minimum I would suggest any thinner than that and it is to flimsy, if it gets a knock from anything your bird aviary will have a hole in it and your birds will be lost forever.

The entrance to your bird aviary is another important factor. Some people will install a double door configuration with an air lock setup. This way you enter a small enclosure that the birds cant access before going through the second door which leads to the main aviary. This way your birds cant escape.

As discussed previously if you are going to make your roof from mesh you will need to provide your birds with some shelter. Your bird aviary needs to be able to protect your birds from the harsh climatic changes. One of the best and most cost effective ways to do this is to coves approximately one third of your bird aviary with shade cloth.

Unwanted Visitors

The final thing to keep in mind is how best to ward off unwanted intruders, which will vary depending on where you live. Foxes, cats, possums and snakes pose the greatest danger.

12mm square wire will prevent most animals from getting inside your bird aviary. The best idea is to bury the mesh in to the ground so it goes past the concrete floor, this way nothing can dig its way in.

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Building an outdoor Bird Aviary