Summertime Outdoor Aviary! HELP

[MarciaLove]

Ok so as some of you know I did want an outdoor aviary for all year round I decided that was to hard and unsafe so now I am going to build a summertime aviary. I want to make it out of wire and just put my birds in it when I am home during the day and its a nice sunny warm day. Now I have some questions is there a specific wire I will need thats safe for birds? ad should I do wood framing or something else? And what should I cover the top with, wood?? I will be making it into sections one for my lovebirds, one for my Green Cheek Conures, one for my Blue Crowned Conure and one for my Lorikeet. Any suggestions will be much appreciated

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I would advise against wood, since parrots chew.

Stainless steal is all I would recommend, and it will get expensive. You can find stainless steal fences that may work, just check and triple check that it is truly safe. Something similar to this might work, but again, check and triple check.

 

[MarciaLove]

thanks could I get some from Home Depot do you think? and what would you use for framing? do they make fence posts that are high enough??

 

[Featheredsamurai]

You could probably stainless steals poles as a frame. I'm not sure about home depot, since I rarely go to home improvement stores, but I bet the employees are full of information. Instead of asking for help with stainless steal, ask if they have anyone who is very knowledgeable with it, or when someone will be in.

 

[MarciaLove]

ok thanks I will make a trip tomorrow

 

[sodakat]

Good grief, stainless steel frames and wire? That will cost a fortune. Did you notice the MIMIMUM order on the link to stainless wire was 200 rolls?

I built an aviary last summer. It was lots of work but so worth it. I built the frame from wood and covered it with GAW wire (galvanized after weld). The wire was treated with vinegar water then rinsed and set in the sun while I worked on the frame. It took me a couple months to build because I did most of it myself.

None of your parrots, OP, will chew through the wood framing on the aviary I built.

I considered buying a carport frame and covering it with wire because I've seen aviaries constructed that way. I also considered steel tubing but affixing the wire to the steel seemed too complicated for me.

Finally I decided on a connector kit which was intended for a storage shed, small garage or green house. I bought a kit that has aluminum connectors which did bend quite easily. If I were to do it again I would buy the e-z frame connectors:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1MU5PC8RJ41WX"]E-Z Frames @ Amazon.com[/ame] They are made from a composite material and likely won't bend like the thin aluminum connectors I used.

You buy the lumber from a local home depot or lumber yard and put it in the connectors to create this:

I will post some pictures of my finished aviary below.

 

[sodakat]

This is my finished aviary:



The wire on the top and sides is 1" 14 guage. The bottom 2 feet and 1 foot into the ground I doubled the wire with 1/4" higher guage wire to keep out small critters like mice and snakes and anything that might dig.

 

[sodakat]

This picture was taken right after I finished before I added platforms for food dishes. and lots of ropes.

I also added an air lock between the sliding glass door on my bird room and the aviary so I can go right out into the aviary and not have to carry the birds across the yard:

It has been terribly cold this winter, but my Eclectus have gone out 3 or 4 times when the sun was out, the wind was down and the temp was above freezing. They love it.

 

[sodakat]

Here is a place that has examples of building aviaries from carport frames you can buy at Home Depot. They are covered with wire also.

Home page Cockatoo Rescue and Sanctuary

 

[MarciaLove]

thank you so much your aviary is gorgeous!!!

 

[Parrotdise]

My outdoor aviary is constructed out of a carport you know the kind with the metal pipes, It was two car ports wide with a gate, but i recently reduced it to one because my husband didn't care for it taking up that much room. I am going to start setting it up soon. It has chicken wire and it is clamped together with metal rabbit cage clips. It kind of looks like the wood one posted above just with a carport frame.

 

[Parrotdise]

Okay trying to add pic This is when we first moved it from my friends yard to mine. Pretty crazy!

 

[MarciaLove]

thats amazing! unfortunately mine wont be that big I dont have the space in a nice part of my yard for that mine is going to be 10' long, 7' wide, and I havent determined height yet.

 

[Jtbirds]

Wow soda I really like that idea of yours. I as well have plans to build I one I am just not sure of how I want to do it yet, I have come across some factory built ones and they are ok, but not as creative as you could be I suppose.

 

[sodakat]

For a couple years I was sure I wanted the carport style because it seemed easy to construct. But when I saw the connector kits and considered building from 2x4s I knew that was what I wanted because of how easy it is to add perches to wood, compared to affixing them to aluminum poles. Also, the cross members that are part of the roof on the wooden structure were ready made perches, and they are up high, exactly where the birds want to be! I am glad I went with wood instead of aluminum poles or steel tubing which I also considered.

If I had macaws or cockatoos I would still build with wood but would know that the cross members would have to be doubled up and likely replaced over time because they would be chewed.

My electus chew also, but at a slower pace. They are not interested in the vertical supports because the horizontal beams are easier to perch on.

 

[Jtbirds]

Yeah I'd have to adjust mine to my erm, bigger guys as well. I came across an outdoor aviary that was powder coated it is sitting up at the rescue currently, I'd like to get something like that as I can take it down every year.

 

[MarciaLove]

neither Home Depot or Lowes had GAW or Stainless steel wire they only had plastic coated and galvanized Zinc coated wire. So anyone know where I could get some Galvanized After Welding (GAW) Wire?? Preferably the cheapest place!!!

 

[MarciaLove]

nevermind I found GAW wire for a decent price online I do however need to decide on one thing should I have a wire roof, wood roof, or metal roof?? The aviary will be in half sun/half shade and if I dont get a wood or metal roof on it I will have something for them to get in total shade but I want to know what kind of roof you guys think is best??

 

[Jtbirds]

Well if there is natural cover I'd say just let it open wire. I'd shy away from metal because that can get hot quick. So what circumstances are The aviary going to be built in really is the question I guess. If there is non toxic trees and so on then I'd say let them have an open wire roof and be shaded by the trees.

 

[MarciaLove]

they are non toxic Sweet Gum trees which I know are safe for birds but I am worried about the pollen?? There is so much pollen that drops from them in the summer everything turns yellow!!! Will that be dangerous for my birds if it drops through the wire right inside the cage??