Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

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Tabaneske
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:52 pm
Location: Australia

Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Tabaneske »

Hi again everyone.

I am looking to build my own aviaries or even just have some smaller breeding aviaries built for my birds. I was wondering if anyone has made their own aviaries, and how did they do so?

It's way too expensive to get a premade aviary from a hardware store, they charge an arm and a leg for something that could be built cheaper.

Anyone got some ideas to throw at me?

Cheers!
SunniDai
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:49 pm
Location: Washington state, USA

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by SunniDai »

We went and bought 1 inch by 1/2 inch rolled welded mesh wire for our outdoor aviary. Image
We used the same clips that are used to make rabbit cages for connecting it all together. Used PVC pipes for the framework. (no glue, just fitted it all together) It was way cheaper to do it this way, plus we got to put it all together the way we wanted it. :)
Hope this helps,
Dana
~Dana

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Tabaneske
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:52 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Tabaneske »

It does help. Thank you. :)
JonoH
Posts: 49
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:41 am

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by JonoH »

Have you actually costed out the materials that they are made with. (ie coated steel welded corners, made to come apart if you ever move, colourbond steel).

I am in the process of making a new aviary also but the saving is only about $1-200 dollars off a pre-made one (i am building a double hex aviary with flight). And i can tell you now it is costing me more than that in time so not really much of a saving in the end.

There are a few online sellers of aviaries in Aus that are very well priced.
Donovan
Posts: 833
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:18 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Donovan »

Here is mine, It's hard to make out though but if I think about it I'll go get a better picture tomorrow.

It's 2"x2" wood frame with 1/2" wire

It's a little over 7ft. tall. About 8ft. long and 6ft wide.
each section was put together with screws so that I can take it apart one day if need be.

The best feature in my opinion is having two doors and a sort of buffer zone. You might be able to make it out on the far right side of the image.

When I walk into the cage the bird is still contained. Then I close the door behind me and open the next door.. no chance of him flying away.

I will say though that this was an expensive project. It looks like a simple cage, and it is, but wire is really expensive. When it was all said and done, (wood, wire, screws, wire staples, and various hardware) I estimate total cost was around $600.. probably $350 for wire, $150ish for wood, and another hundred on the little things.

(and for any critics looking.. there is a large tree branch in there for a perch but you can't see it very well at this angle and there are a couple of a toys in there .. even a piece of fresh corn hanging from a chain :P . It's a little more interesting for him nowadays though with a small tree placed inside for perching and climbing on and a few more toys. You just have to be careful not to clutter it up so much they can't fly around well.)

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InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by InTheAir »

Donovan, that is brilliant. I want one just like that!
Skyes_crew
Posts: 1946
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Hawaii

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Skyes_crew »

Can I um fly you out to Hawaii to build me one??? I am a horrible builder. I started enclosing my porch and gave up when the wall kept falling down :lol:
I am owned by my birds...and I wouldn't have it any other way :D

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Donovan
Posts: 833
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:18 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Donovan »

alright here is a better view of what I call the buffer zone

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go in one door, close it, then open the cage. And I'll tell you now it's handy. Twice now the bird has flown out while I was doing things in there (like bringing in a new tree) and was stopped in the buffer zone, and shortly after was happy to return to the main part. As long as I'm just coming or going he doesn't attempt to fly out.
Skyes_crew wrote:Can I um fly you out to Hawaii to build me one??? I am a horrible builder. I started enclosing my porch and gave up when the wall kept falling down :lol:
No because I still haven't found a bird sitter yet ;)

Also, I like that pvc cage.. I'm not sure I understand what the clips that hold the wire together are though. My cage is really heavy. Surely 200 lbs. I bet a pvc cage would cut that down by -alot- though I suspect the cost wouldn't be any better than mine.

I might look in to the pvc idea for building an extension to the existing cage.
Tabaneske
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:52 pm
Location: Australia

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Tabaneske »

These are all awesome ideas! I might have to wait til my hubby and I get to a more permanent house before building more aviaries, Lol.
JonoH
Posts: 49
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:41 am

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by JonoH »

How do you guys find the timber holds up over time, i'm thinking after constant hosing and cleaning of droppings and fruit?

Cheers
Donovan
Posts: 833
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:18 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Donovan »

I've never cleaned the outside cage.

The stuff hits the ground .. the bird doesn't go down there.. so i just leave it alone.. fruit pieces and all.. I can look down there and see lots of ants taking care of things. There's not enough to even notice. Doesn't look like a landfill or anything. Rain takes care of alot of it I think.

Also.. on the bottom I used treated wood to help it last longer.

If you can find a way to build a frame with pvc or plastic then it'll last alot longer. My cage is only 6 months old and I can already see the non treated wood starting to decay.
Skyes_crew
Posts: 1946
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Hawaii

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Skyes_crew »

If I had the money I would build the whole thing out of that composite PVC deck board.
It's - Stain resistant
- Scratch resistant
- Split resistant
- Mold and mildew resistant
- Durable and long lasting
- Impervious to moisture and insects

Straight off the website lol

Plus it looks just like real wood.
I am owned by my birds...and I wouldn't have it any other way :D

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SunniDai
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:49 pm
Location: Washington state, USA

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by SunniDai »

Donavan, that is a great looking aviary :)
~Dana

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Melika
Posts: 1920
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:11 am
Location: Florida
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Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by Melika »

Donovan wrote:If you can find a way to build a frame with pvc or plastic then it'll last alot longer. My cage is only 6 months old and I can already see the non treated wood starting to decay.
Most of the cheap PVC piping and plastics won't hold up after a few years of harsh sunlight. So if anyone else here is from, say, Florida, don't look to cheap pvc pipes for a long-term solution either. They become brittle and crack. XD

Most rabbit cage suppliers will have wire and cage clips (for connecting the panels of wire) relatively cheaply. But wire is going to be a cost, no matter what you do.

We had some old rabbit hutches/cages that we used for a long time for the budgies and tiels.

Some breeders I knew built a frame and hung breeder cages/aviaries, so they didn't have to worry about anything in the ground getting into the birds, and food and waste drops through the bottom wire to be raked/washed away. If you can't walk into your aviary though, you'll want to somehow be able to reach anywhere inside, just in case, so another access point might be planned.

Check out Google images, just search for "aviaries" and look at all the pictures to get some ideas started. :)
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
SunniDai
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:49 pm
Location: Washington state, USA

Re: Homemade Aviaries or Breeding Cages

Post by SunniDai »

Melika,
Luckily we live in the Pacific Northwest, so harsh sunlight and heat isn't a problem for us except for one week a year :lol:
So PVC works here. Wooden cages, because of the rain, would rot out quickly up here. It depends on what part of the world you are living in as to whether PVC or wooden works best.
Dana
~Dana

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