Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:41 pm Post subject: New Aviary
I'm In the process of building my first aviary, its only a small one (2.2m x 1m x 1.9m) because space in my garden is limited. I have 2 female Kaks both about two and a half years old, my question is, how many more birds could I put in and what sexs without overcrowding
If use 1.2 x 1.8 and 1.2 x 2.8 constructio ply sheets for back and roof
Front 2m heigh
'Kit set' the front and side panels screwed to gether by the roof and back panels, using 50mmx 50mm H1 treated framing
Sit all this on a level 'foundartion' of bricks or H4 treated 100mm (or75) x 75mm timber.
Rem to put the mesh inside the framing..not on the outside.
U can keep 10 to 15 kakariki, no nesting boxes, plan hanging perches for pecking order heights, as a holding flight
BUT they will NEED fresh water EVERY day.
(Automatic watering is not hard or expensive to setup)
And good size seed tray...at least a week supply.
Its like a tropical fish tank, the number of fish (within limits) depends on the 'pollution' and feeding level
A tank with high filtration will support more fish per gall than one less _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Hi Steps,
I have a very small rear garden, its about 7 x15 mtrs. I am framing with 34x34 treated timber and using 1220x2440 ply sheets its 1.9 mtr high because I'm building it against a shed ( as a wind break because the wind really whistles down the gap between my house and the houses that backs on to mine). I have read all the comments on aviary building in the forums on this site and am adapting your design (downsizing) to my circumstances. The odd length is due to the need for the air-lock type entrance to stop the little so and so's escaping.
About a third of the roof is polycarbonate sheet to give extra light in the winter as is about a third of the two end walls. The mesh I am using is 1 inch x 0.5 inch because we have had a slight problem with rodents in the last few months. I think it has been sorted but to be on the save side I've gone for a small mesh size.
I understand when you talk about tropical fish stocking levels, I kept them for a number of years before being seduced by kakariki's, that's why I asked the experts how many I could keep in the size aviary I building. To be honest I Thought my target of 6 or 7 was pushing it a bit because they can be so active and I was worried about overcrowding. when I kept fish I always under stocked my tanks.
Would you suggest an equal number of each sex? Or more females?
When it is finished I will try and upload some photos so you can see what Ive done.
Regards
Jim
I have changed the orginal design as described above
Mainlt so I can dismantle and move without to much hasstle and add flights to the ends
I still have internal doors between flights, built into the side wall units ... the end flight (yes realise u only have 1...for now ) side door have a 'clip on ' safety door unit about 1m x 750mm...held in place with 4 small scrap ply tags about 2"x4" and screws.
Mesh we use 17mm x 17mm, small mice still get in , but route maintainence of baits /traps (other posts ) is a must no matter what u use
The floors I still mix up a sand cement/ mortar mix of 5:1 which carry in after building in a couple 20L buckets, pur spead and float out with a slight fall to a hole under the water tray that has a 10L bucket with drain holes.
about 5 to 15mm thick
If one wants to move the avairy, it dismantles around the motar floor and the motor breaks up into peices with a couple good thumps with a hammer
Dont attach to the shed, u will regret if for some reason u want to move later.
Stapling mesh is a job I hate, I use 9/16 staples in an electric staple gun, and attach the mesh on the panels before assembely...one can get it pulled tighter, and straighter ...a stable about every 3rd hole..
I would recomend to go to 50mmx 50mm frame, H1 treated (that Borax treated in NZ)
As to sex...we just throw in what ever into the holding flight...basically they sort pecking order out themselves ok IF there are perches at diferent heights cnrs etc....they argue the most when it comes to roosting in the evening.
dont consider trying to breed in it. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Hi Steps,
I haven't attached it to the shed, that's brick built (used to be the coal house in the old days).
Its built on paving slabs which were a pig to cut for the drainage hole. they are reclaimed and full of pebbles. I plan to skim with concrete as soon as its finished, I'll have to experiment first as I've never done it before.
I took note of what you said in previous posts and got an electric stapler, the rest of the aviary is held together with screws so I should be able to dismantle it in an hour or so if needs be.
I am already thinking of how to extend it. The Dragon sorry wife is not very pleased. Ive taken up a big space where her washing line went past.
I orginally was going to use pavers, and put a gravel base down, so drainage went between the pavers and away...
Then realised cutting and laying them was going to be hard work..
A couple buckets of mortar and spread was far ewasier..
I see no point in laying mortar over the pavers..
I orginally used a soak hole...gravel, but over the yrs it just gets clogged up so hencr dropped the buckey with holes in the soak hole...
makes far easier to lift out and mt every couple yrs
it also lines the hole because mice will tunnel under the mortar floor then up thru the soak hole
Extending....using 50x 50mm frame, the back panel and roof panels fit to the middle of the divider divider frame, so the next panels then screw to the other 25mm, with the next divider on the end. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
All par one of the slabs were already laid, over the years they have sunk slightly so they are not even, so to save the effort of re-laying them I am going to lay a very thin layer of concrete. I lifted a shrub to make room for the aviary, and covered the hole with a reclaimed slab, that's the one I had to cut, I thought a two foot square hole was a bit to big for a soak hole.
I would just drop a 9 or 10L plastic bucket with 4 1/2" holes in the bottom in the hole, back file the scrub hole.
Then make up the mortar, spread it out with a slight fall to the bucket top edge, and float off
wouldnt worry about the slabs. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
already trimmed and dropped the slab in! I'll check how the run-off is to the bucket and then see about putting a skim of concrete over the slabs,its taken a bit longer to build than I thought partially due to my 7 year old helper I've had a week of work which should have been more than enough time to build it, but you know what kids are like "let me drill this hole Dad, Let me saw that piece of wood Dad, whats this tool for Dad." So I got distracted and made mistakes in measurements and had to go and get more timber etc. Never mind hes back at school next week and as I have at least one day off in the week I,ll get more done. I think I'll have to run a bit of concrete around the edge of the aviary to prevent the sand escaping underneath where the slaps are uneven.
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