Making an outdoor aviary!

[clawstar]

Hello! I'm starting to make a new aviary. I would love to house many birds in it. The available space is 20' by 15'. I could make 2 so they are both 10' by 15'. The area does have power so small birds would get an aviary. I will post designs and stuff on here soon. The flooring is 1' by1' concrete tiles.


Some of the birds I would like are listed below
-Coturnix Quail
-society finch
-zebra finch
-Vally quail
-Ring neck doves



Please post any concerns and Questions (politely!!!)! I am aware than not all the birds will mix and prepare to separate them accordingly!

 

[gpop1]

10x15 open plan will require some planning especially the roof design. Flat or slightly pitched hard roof will have to support a large snow load during winter. A high pitched roof would require less snow load but a higher wind load.
Nothing to worry about unless you are building on a tight budget.

 

[clawstar]

budget is reasonable? we only get a few inches of snow a year and it only stays around for a day or two. We have large wind storms tho.

 

[gpop1]

Standard aviary builds would include at least one wall normally at the rear. This serves as a place to mount nest boxes, etc but more importantly it stops animals (owls, hawks) chasing the birds from one side of the cage to the other.

Due to high winds a mesh window between the roof area and the rear wall could be used to reduce the air pressure.

If you are using 2x4 timber the max unsupported span really wants to be reduced to 12'



these are cookie cutter aviary's I have built they basically follow the same design. One is 8 wide and the other is 12 wide. (3rd is a repeat of the 12')

The rear window (meshed) is to reduce wind load on the rear wall, The cross brace in the front is to reduce twist and to support the length of the front bar with out having to make the bar thicker (thicker would work but then it becomes more visible). Each corner has a stake driven in the ground then screwed to the base as we also suffer from very high winds.
The base frame is lumber that I expect to have to replace one day due to the wet ground during summer so its not used as part of the frame. The 8 foot used landscaping timbers where the 12 was easier to use 2x4. (landscaping timber looks better)

The side wall are about 20' wide which hides the extra support before the door. I don't use nails so everything is screwed with torq head decking screws so its solid as a rock (we have towed one recently with a pick up truck to move it a few feet further apart so I know its over built) also the torq heads don't strip and are easy to remove even after a few years.

The sheets you see laying on the ground are made to hang on hooks at the top of the aviary. There's a steal pipe in the bottom which keeps the bottom of the sheet against the aviary then the sides attach to hooks covering all of the font and side mesh. The rear window has a separate piece that's also attached by hooks.

Night lights are 12v trailer side markers in amber that come on automatically. These were installed after a bird flew in to a perch at night and broke its neck. The lights are dim enough that the birds stay quite but bright enough to allow them to fly if they get spooked

Im not saying this is a good design im just trying to point out some of the things that I have learnt from other people who have aviary's and what you should be thinking about during your design.
late afternoon when its getting cold and dark is not the best time to be working out how to cover a aviary so try to plan the cover into your original design.

Looking forward to seeing you designs and construction method

p.s any good ideas you have will be copied .....

 

[clawstar]

it will be placed into the ground with 4 by 4s, I will talk to my dad about one wall being solid. that wall should be facing the strong wind right? I think I will go with just one large aviary now.... possibly have a smaller building in the middle to help support the roof but also to separate nesting birds, add another layer of shelter, and it will have power for a heat lamp. Sound good so far? and how about Christmas lights to put on a timer to keep light on night(the white icicle, no flashing kind)?

 

[gpop1]

it will be placed into the ground with 4 by 4s, I will talk to my dad about one wall being solid. that wall should be facing the strong wind right? I think I will go with just one large aviary now.... possibly have a smaller building in the middle to help support the roof but also to separate nesting birds, add another layer of shelter, and it will have power for a heat lamp. Sound good so far? and how about Christmas lights to put on a timer to keep light on night(the white icicle, no flashing kind)?

a large cage with a smaller building in the middle. Ok that's a interesting idea which solves roof support, It could also act as a wind break for the birds so that's another bonus.

Ive never seen one built that way so Im not sure if a wall would be required. The main idea of using a wall is to stop a hawk hitting the mesh and scattering the birds to the other side mesh. The hawk will repeat this on either side until the birds get tired then it will rip them to bit by pulling them throw the mesh. A solid wall will give the birds a place to land where the hawk can not get to them.
A building in the middle might work as that gives the birds a safe area that the hawk can not get close enough to scatter the birds.

In the uk a lot of people use a shed with small windows then place the nest boxes inside the shed. Its more of a solid wooden aviary with a large mesh flight. This gives the birds a shelter and a place to keep out of the cold during the winter. You do not require a heated area (hot) as this can stop the birds from developing there winter coats so a oil filled radiator set just high enough to keep the shed from freezing would work well.

Some birds chew cables so Christmas lights will not work. I use low voltage lights and a transformer/timer that you can get for yard lighting from most home improvement stores. The transformer is 12vac so I use the cheap side markers (leds will not work on ac) and I bird proof the cables (pvc conduit).

Your idea is interesting and with very little effort you could add and remove mesh partitions if different birds need separating.

 

[clawstar]

For some reason I have a dislike to hook bills, I have no idea why... would quail and finch still strip the Christmas lights? I will draw a few blueprints this week and post them on here soon...

 

[Finnie]

You could string the Christmas lights around the outside where the birds can't reach them. They give off quite a bit of light, so even if they are not directly in the aviary, they will probably provide enough glow to serve as a night light.