upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hellooo out there!
Anyone have any experience with outdoor aviaries or flight cages? I am thinking I would like to have one for some birdy summer play time. Would a large dog kennel with a top work? Do the little wild birdies come into the area ? Does anyone worry about disease or parasites or raccoons? Birds would not be left unsupervised but you know we worry about any possible harm... Seems like the sunlight and warm breezes would be good for everyone and introduce a great opportunity for exercise.
Thanks !
Cheryl

Cheryl,

We bought one from Aviary Connections a while back, but it's been to cold to set it up. We live in SW Indiana, about two hours south of Indy.
http://www.aviaryconnections.com

We are looking this week at putting a concrete pad in to set it on & our hopes are that all will be ready by mid to late March so our M2 & CAG can go outside & enjoy the warmer weather (if it ever gets here).

Check them out & I can let you know how it goes together if you want.

Chris ,
Thanks for the link ! They look beautiful and perhaps something to look into. I guess I was thinking rectangular and bigger... but I am just beginning to do a little research, hoping for input from other bird owners,too. Please do let me know how yours works out. Here in southeast Michigan we can't expect reliable warm weather for several more months. But we're all hoping for early spring !
Cheryl
Winter the U2
Isaac, Stanley and Evelyn ( the CAGs)
Makira ( SI.Eclectus)

http://www.cockatoorescue.org/index_files/Page3389.htm

Okay.....now these are HUGE, but you might be able to scale them down a bit.

And just a note, the rest of the site is AWESOME!!!!! I love looking at the pictures of all the birds.

Serafina,

That site is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheryl,

We choose the Aviary Connections for two reasons. One was that our aviary will be located in our front yard & wanted it to look nice, but the other more important reason was that we have been told by many sources that standard chain link can posion a bird because of the lead in it. We thought that we could do a much larger area that way $$$$$$ wise & still make it look nice but didn't want to endanger either of our birds. We looked into ungalvinized fencing & then powder coating but just couldn't find anything. Now some will tell you they have never had a problem & others will tell you that you can wipe the cage down with vinager once a month & that will fix the problem, but for us & our schedule we knew that wasn't going to happen as often as it should & we just didn't want to risk it.
Perry who I think owns Aviary Connections gave us a 20% discount for buying in the winter, as well as free freight so that helped as well.

Either way good luck & let us know what you decide & then how it works.

Serafina and Chris..
You guys just rock.. !!! Sera, that site was awesome and the tips on colony building was just what I was looking for. I think the 10x10x20 car port size would work just fine in my back yard... I just need to find someone to help build it ! It looks like they used farm fencing to enclose it, that's what I am using now to enclose the yard for the dog. But because Chris mentioned the possibility of chain link fence causing a problem I am wondering about that. Thanks everyone for your input ! I'll keep you posted on results. And I am anxious to hear of yours !!
Cheryl

I'm glad you guys liked the site. I just found it myself and I was super impressed. That place seems so cool! I wish that they allowed visitors (I think I read on there that they don't).

And their 'how to's' on the colony building is so nice of them to have up there!!

The wire used to enclose the aviaries is NOT fencing. The fencing materials you'd buy at places like Home Depot etc. first of all is too large to use. It may keep your birds in, but it won't keep other critters out! You need to be cognizant of wild animals (raccoons have been known to injure/kill birds), rodents (can easily slip through that standard fencing).

I think Lori used the standard carport cover frame that you can get at Costco. Actually, I'm building some aviaries now using these.

If the aviary is to be built on grass/lawn/ground, I'd suggest wiring in the floor as well, so that the critters mentioned above cannot dig under to get into the cage.

You don't want to use anything larger than 1/2" x 3" wire. The gauge you'll want should be heavier as well, especially if the enclosure is to house larger hookbills (greys on up...including cockatoos--other gauge wire might be too easy for them to destroy), so I'd say 12 ga wire would be what you need.

You'll want to order GAW (galvanized after weld) aviary wire. You'll want to make sure you wash it well in vinegar and water and rinse well before you put your birds into it. This will loosen/remove any zinc particles/residue (which you don't want your birds to ingest).

http://www.naturalbird.com/faq/
http://www.sierrawireandsteel.com/index_cages.html


If it's in your budget, there is stainless steel wire:
http://www.twpinc.com/twp/jsp/product.j ... oardId=112

Mom2Sera wrote:I'm glad you guys liked the site. I just found it myself and I was super impressed. That place seems so cool! I wish that they allowed visitors (I think I read on there that they don't).

And their 'how to's' on the colony building is so nice of them to have up there!!

Yes, they now do allow visitors, I think during the summer months, and you'd need to call in advance to schedule.

Alexz, I was wondering we would like to build an aviary this spring for our fids too. So far we have been unable to find a website to buy these costco carports. Are the discontinued? Could you tell me where you got yours from? I am from Ohio and have never seen one of these stores. ANy ideas?

They sometimes carry the heavy-duty carport covers. That's actually where I got mine, because when I went to purchase Costco didn't have them (it's a seasonal item at Costco). When I get home, I'll get the information as to the manufacturer and model # and post it later.

You might also want to google for the aviary wire to see if there are manufacturers or distributors closer to you as shipping can be expensive. The gauge is important though, anything smaller than the 12 gauge (and in this case the gauge numbers get higher and the wire gets thinner--16 gauge is thinner than 12 gauge) smaller gauge wire would be too easy for larger birds (or raccoons breaking in) to break through.

gracie's mommy wrote: I am from Ohio and have never seen one of these stores. ANy ideas?

Where at in Ohio. Costco's are popping up in Ohio now. It's a West Coast chain (like Sam's Club). You need a membership to shop there.

Sometimes it's hard to see what's in the subject line...

Do you have Home Depot or Lowe's?

Connie P....who is one of the moderators of this chat has also done the carport thing...so just email her...I know she has photos and stuff...
Like Alex said...be very careful that it is totally critter proof...Racoons and opossoms can dig....and I know of two birds that have died due from...is it sarcosis...that is caused from opossoms...??
I think it's #10 galvanized wire that is used mostly on aviaries..

PS...also..if you use any wood for beams etc...make sure that it's not treated...and that the wire is wrapped around it to prevent the birds from chewing the beams....I saw this done when I visited the Gabriel Foundation last June...they have a great set up....and could be done on a smaller scale..too...let us know what you come up with.....