Building An Aviary For Your Birds

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Before you begin any building work, make sure you know exactly where the electricity cables and water and sewage pipes are, so that you do not dig through any of them. If in doubt, go over the plans of your house and garden. If the aviary is to stand on the edge of your lawn or garden, lay down some planks or boards to protect the ground during the building process.

Never rush the building of the aviary, as this can cause you to make expensive mistakes. Examine other aviary designs and plan carefully. If you do not feel confident to do the job yourself, employ a good carpenter or buy a ready-built aviary in kit form and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembling it.

Always decide what species of bird you are going to keep before you construct your aviary, as different species have different requirements. Generally
speaking, a wooden aviary is more attractive than a metal one and quite suitable for, say, softbills. Wood is also acceptable for small parrots, although if they do start to attack the frame, try covering it with thin sheet metal or very fine wire. Provide plenty of perches for small parrots and parakeets to encourage them to chew the perches and not the surrounding frame.

If you intend to keep large parrots, such as Amazons, cockatoos or macaws, you will have to build the frame out of metal, as these birds will destroy any wood in sight. Even if the wood is on the outside of the mesh rather than on the inside, they will still manage to poke their beaks through the wire and demolish it. Only by lining the aviary with a thick layer of sheet metal can you stop large parrots from destroying wooden frames.

If you live in an area where heavy falls of snow are possible, you need to reinforce the aviary framework. Even 5cm(2in) of snow on top of an aviary is a considerable burden that can cause a weak structure to collapse. You may try to overcome the problem by knocking the snow off the aviary every morning, but beware, overnight snow can really build up. Be sure to include a good drainage system in the aviary because after a rainstorm; a sanded floor will rapidly become flooded.

Pet Bird Feeding Bowls

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In a softbill aviary, where birds may be flying high up or perched on the ground, it is a good idea to have two sets of dishes. Change the position of the dishes on the ground as often as possible, so that no single area of the aviary becomes irreparably damaged. There are two ways of constructing the higher dishes.

One is to build a welded mesh holder 1.2-1.5m(4-5ft) above the ground onto which you can place some dishes. (If you opt for this option, place some sand directly below the holder to catch any mess). The second option is to place the food dish on a wooden platform with a lip around the edge. The lip functions as a ‘bib’ to collect the mess left by the birds.

Remember, it is very dangerous to leave old, uneaten food lying around the aviary. Fix covers about 30cm(12in) above the food and water dishes to prevent contamination from wild bird droppings and to keep the food dry.

The best place for water dishes is in the outside area of the aviary and not in the back shelter, where they can become very dusty. The dish can be very simple – a plastic bowl for softbills containing about 2.5cm(1in) of water and a galvanized metal bowl for parrots. Larger parrots, such as cockatoos, Amazons and macaws, have no difficulty in tipping over a light bowl, so fill their dish with at least 5cm(2in) of water to make it heavier.

You may find that as soon as your birds are given water, they tip it out and play with the dish until they become rather thirsty in the afternoon. To guarantee a
supply of water all day, give them a larger water bowl and, if necessary, place a clean rock in the centre so that the birds cannot knock it over. The only time your birds will not require a water dish is if there is a pond in the aviary. (A ‘pond’ here means a small, easy to clean concrete or plastic structure.) It is fine for the birds to drink from such a pond, providing you clean it out thoroughly at least three times a week.

If you keep some of the more common ground birds, you may decide to use a grain hopper, at which the birds can easily peck. Be sure to replenish the hopper once a week. Before refilling it, completely clean out all the old food, otherwise dust and crushed pellets will build up and the hopper may become blocked without you realizing it.