outdoor aviary help!

[MarciaLove]

I really want to rescue a macaw but my house is too small to house one comfortably so I want to build an outdoor aviary for year round use. I live in GA so I need to know if I even can have one for year round use. It can get up to 100 degrees F. in Summer and down to 30-20 degrees F. in Winter. I would be building it completely from scratch so if it is possible to have one what materials would I use? I don't want the bird to get too cold in winter so I was thinking plexiglass and a heater maybe, but would it keep the heat in at all, and what about summer would it be too hot??? please anything you know is very helpful!

 

[weco]

Don't know where you live in GA, but I know of a B & G and a zon that are in an outdoor aviary in N. GA. year-round. In the winter, they have a bank of 4 heat lamps...two for each bird to keep them warm & there is a roof over a 4'x8' area, with a fan blowing, in hot weather, where the birds can hangout.

 

[MarciaLove]

im in Sugarhill about an hour north of Atlanta. Really?? do they ahve a plexiglass cage, mesh wire, or what?

 

[MarciaLove]

i have been looking at tubular heaters maybe for the aviary what do you guys think of that?

 

[weco]

Not familiar with tubular heaters, unless you're talking about tubular glass encased infrared heaters. He bought some 20 odd 6'x8' stainless steel 2 inch by 4 inch welded wire panels from a surplus auction at the old Dobbins AFB, built a foundation on a concrete slab, with a small room at one end, like an old carport utility room.....no plexiglass. Several years ago, when those several types of plexiglass carriers were the rage, a friend of mine almost lost here severe because the bird couldn't get out of the sunlight when the sun moved in the afternoon.....even with the holes that were drilled in them for ventilation, they got too hot sitting in a 70 degree room. Using plexiglass sheets at least 0.25" thick, you'd be looking at over $250/sh for a 4'x8' and it gets brittle when it ages.....you'd be better off using Lexan.....it has a greater flexibility and strength, but don't know current pricing on it. One thing you DO NOT want to do is let the protective paper coverings set on it dry out or let it be exposed to heat or set in the sun or you will play h... getting it off. Get some building ideas from macaw owners who have outdoor aviaries. Whatever you build it will need to be skunk, fox, coyote, wolf and raccoon proof, as well as macaw proof.

 

[MarciaLove]

ok thanks and i plan to have it in half sun half shade so would Lexan still be good?

 

[weco]

Lexan is a different formulation of plastic than plexiglass, but in the application you're thinking about, would be better than plexiglass. I neglected to mention previously that plexiglass has a tendency to yellow & fog as it ages, especially in outdoor, exposed environments.

 

[MarciaLove]

thanks im going to check out Lexan now!

 

[MarciaLove]

do you know where to get lexan for the cheapest? and what would you suggest for the roof Lexan or wood or some metal?

 

[MarciaLove]

1/32" X 48" X 96" Clear Makrolon Tuffak Lexan Polycarbonate AM1/32" X 48" X 96" Clear Makrolon Tuffak Lexan Polycarbonate AM
what do you think of this would it be good?

 

[weco]

How big of an aviary are you thinking about building? What is your reasoning for using any type of clear material, other than for windows? You would not want to roof an aviary with any clear plastic or glass.....that would be akin to leaving your bird(s) outside without any shade protection. Not trying to be surly or a smart a.., but I don't think you understand the materials dimensions you posted...the 1/32 is the thickness & would compare to the thickness of one and a half poster board thicknesses. You would need to be looking at 1/4 inch thicknesses as a minimum. My Patagonian conure bent a 1/8 inch piece of Lexan....1/8 inch is 4 times the thickness of 1/32 inch. Some times a thickness will be displayed in decimal dimensions, where 1/32 equals 0.03125; 1/8 equals 0.125; and 1/4 equals 0.25, and so on.....Lexan is available at Lowes, though they may have to special order a 4 by 8 sheet.....it's possible you could find better pricing online, but I am not convinced that would be a viable way to go.

 

[MarciaLove]

no no your not being a smart a at all i really dont know much thats why i posted on here! and i was planing on one 8'High,8'Long,6'wide and thanks about the thickness ill find some thicker!

 

[JKF8]

MarciaLove,

Will get back with you another time (soon I hope) to give you some personal advice regarding your questions. I think, from first-hand experience, that I have some good suggestions for you. Got to sign off now though, chores to tend to.

 

[MarciaLove]

ok thanks so much!

 

[weco]

Plexiglass, Lexan, Lucite and Perspex are all acrylic products used mainly as a substitute for glass, that can be manufactured from clear to any number of colors and transparency. To construct a clear-view aviary like what you envision, you're looking at a materials cost of around $3,000-$3,500. The quarter inch plastic sheets are going to cost around $250 each and you will need at least 11 sheets, then you are going to need either aluminum or stainless steel flat bars for joints, along with stainless steel nuts and bolts to put it together.....then you will need to develop some sort of exterior framework to hold this thing up, the on top of everything, a roof system built/mounted to the exterior framework (not the clear-view walls).

 

[MarciaLove]

what do you think about glass? i can get glass for free from my dads work he always brings home glass pieces tempered usually but some not tempered all different thickness usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch very good glass! what glass if any would work?

 

[weco]

OK, here's some data on Gwinett Cty weather:
Tornado activity:

Gwinnett County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is slightly above Georgia state average. It is 2.1 times above overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 2 fatalities and 18 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 4/8/1998, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado killed one person and injured 10 people and caused $75 million in damages.


Honestly, while what you envision is possible, it really is not practical, and glass would be dangerous.....it could shatter from a stray bullet, a stone being thrown by a mower or even a weed eater, or a branch falling from a tree. Glass shattered...if flying glass does not injure (or worse) the bird, it would have free access to the outside world. Using 1/4 inch or thicker glass, you're going to need to seat the glass on rubber pads & mount the panels similar to the plate glass windows used in store fronts.