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.