So... its taken me a while but alas I am finally starting to build my Aviary. A friend of mine let it slip that he had an aviary that he had never used and offered it to me for free so off I set...

 

 

Hope that image works. Well I picked it up and back home. 5 hour round trip but hey I caught up with an good mate so it was worth it.

 

So today I went out and started to prepare the ground for the Cement Slab... I'm really not a DIY kinda guy but I managed to figure it out after a few hours LOL. This is how it looked when I started.

 

 

 

Middle...

 

 

 

 

This is what it looked like by the end of my time in the back yard...

 

 

 

 

So I'm thinking that 100mls of concrete will be thick enough, what do you think? I originally started digging it down to 200ml but then I looked online and all the pages I went to said 100ml should be plenty. I was also only going to cement the area of the aviary but have since decided to concrete the whole area. Makes it easier when I add on later me thinks. I'd better get a quote on the concrete too...

 

The aviary is not bug but I am hoping that it will be the start that I need. I am thinking of building a nice Birdroom to attach to the side of the Aviary. and then go down between the house and the fence. It will be very narrow though, thats my big concern. Well I'll try and keep you posted on how things progress. Total cost at this stage is $0.00

Edited March 17, 201212 yr by JimmyBanks

okay... I have no idea what is going on with my pictures but according to my Photobucket they are all the right size... Hmmmm....

Terrific to see you up and running JB....so pleased you are finally getting down to it

 

 

One thing...........council requirements is a certain distance from the fenceline. Usually between 500mm to a metre. No point doing a slab if they say move it.

Also too close to fences allow rodents access........rats in particular like to run along fence tops to access aviary roofs.

Slab thickness...........100mm is for garages so 75mm is fine for an aviary...and cheaper too.

 

Noise levels as pertains to your house ( which rooms are close by ? ) and the neighbours....which of their rooms are going to be affected by early morning budgie wake up calls. How cool are you with your neighbours and if they move things will and do change as far as good neighbour relationships goes.

 

If the aviary you have bought has mesh right down to the ground level, factor in some sheet metal to come at least 2-3 ft up the sides to stop mice running through. Mice do easily get through normal aviary mesh as do snakes.

 

Be prepared to double roof your aviary............a 6 inch gap and a second roof......makes it a massive amount cooler and if you extend the second roof it can stop rain getting in.

 

If you new aviary doesnt have a safety door, make one.....you will never regret it.

 

Be prepared to buy some bird mesh ( the kind they sell for fruit trees and close off the area so cats dont get close in the night time. I lost 3 birds the other night due to marauding cats scaring the birds into hard flight in the dark and hitting walls. Have since closed off my area too.

 

Feed on platforms not ground, and not off the wire sides.

 

I think thats it :D

Thanks Kaz. I new you'd be able to give some practical advice. How do you put on a second roof? The wire doesn't go all the way to the bottom which I knew you'd be happy about but yes, I will have to make a safety door... we'll have to see if my DIY skills are up to that or if I need to get someone to help me out. Is your Aviary insulated at all? if so what did you use?

 

You've got me thinking about different locations to put it now... The wife read your post and was like, "We Have To Move It!! I don't want to walk out my bedroom and see Rats!" So there are a couple of possibilities... would a Solar Hot Water service give of any harmful fumes? I don't think it has a pilot light... If they don't there could possibly be space in the back there... otherwise it's the other corner. Hmmmm... Decisions decisions...

Great to see you "Off" at last Jimmy good luck with it all pics look okay from here. I agree with Kaz and your wife about position of aviary, mine make a big din early morn. okay if you like 5.30 rises l.o.

Yes if the nabours complain & it is not to council.

regulation you will have to move it,also in some area's

you are not aloud to keep, birds or Poultry & by your photo's

it looks to be a new area.Better check before you start, if you haven't

already.There are a lot of Council laws these days as to what you can do in

your back yard.

Yeah, I checked with council, no issues with keeping birds... On the other side of that fence is a big grassland reserve. Not sure if snakes are a problem (it's home to the leg less lizard apparently) but I'm guessing they eat birds too... I've spoken to our neighbors on the other side and they're fine with it, so let's hope they don't change their mind. I contacted the council a while ago and there was no problem but it won't hurt to call them again.

Yeah, I checked with council, no issues with keeping birds... On the other side of that fence is a big grassland reserve. Not sure if snakes are a problem (it's home to the leg less lizard apparently) but I'm guessing they eat birds too... I've spoken to our neighbors on the other side and they're fine with it, so let's hope they don't change their mind. I contacted the council a while ago and there was no problem but it won't hurt to call them again.

 

 

How close to the fence it is will be an issue council will have rules on.

Take a plan of what your going to do & get it in writing the okay.

So down the track for what ever reason,you have the proof of the

of the Councils approval

Yeah, I checked with council, no issues with keeping birds... On the other side of that fence is a big grassland reserve. Not sure if snakes are a problem (it's home to the leg less lizard apparently) but I'm guessing they eat birds too... I've spoken to our neighbors on the other side and they're fine with it, so let's hope they don't change their mind. I contacted the council a while ago and there was no problem but it won't hurt to call them again.

 

 

How close to the fence it is will be an issue council will have rules on.

 

 

Agreed. My council states the aviary has to be a minimum of 1 metre from the fence. However the distance from the front road is to be a minimum of 5 metres and the distance from your own or neighbouring house is up to 25 metres dependant upon the number of birds you keep. Definitely worth tracking down your council website (or visit if the info is not available) to determine if your chosen placement recieves the council tick of approval.

 

 

Called today and they confirmed their are no restrictions other than they need to be clean and they can't cause a rodent problem. Now to see if I can get that in writing... I still think I will move it to the other side so that It is away from the fence. There is a lot more room that side too for expansion. Who doesn't love expansion...

Called today and they confirmed their are no restrictions other than they need to be clean and they can't cause a rodent problem. Now to see if I can get that in writing... I still think I will move it to the other side so that It is away from the fence. There is a lot more room that side too for expansion. Who doesn't love expansion...

 

 

I would still double check the distance from fence and neighbours thing.............the info you got doesnt sound right.

I must admit, it seemed like a very bird friendly policy. LOL. I asked about the fence line and she said "You can put an aviary anywhere." that said, I've decided that I like the idea of having it 500mm - 1m away from the fence line. It gives space to walk around the outside of aviary. I'm not worried about the houses at the back, they are plenty far away it's the house at the side that I worry about. That's why I chose the original location... Away from all the houses. But you're right, it's to close to the fence. There is no perfect spot, I just need to find the least not perfect spot. I'm a man of great indecision...

Edited March 19, 201212 yr by JimmyBanks

The planning is half the fun

mabey to late but just to say leg less lizards dont eat birds they are just like a skink but with no legs no harm at all

Edited June 9, 201212 yr by funkypanda

Tossing up between a few designs...

 

 

 

 

 

What to do, what to do... all are 3 x 3. I've checked with my council and anything 3 x 3 or under doesn't need a permit. And it is going to be 500mm from the fence line. They are all pretty basic no running water or anything like that. Just nice aviary/birdrooms...

Wow. Great designs. What is your opinion on the importance of Vitamin D. If you want your breeding room to have access to direct sunlight this might help you make a decision and rule some plans in or out.

Last one Jimmy, for me.

I like the 3rd one. It looks like it will have good air flow.

The 3rd one has a veranda maybe fill this space with a juvenile aviary??

I like the first one. How many birds are you going to keep?

 

I'm thinking this is going to be the one. I'm just going to start out slow so all 4 of those breeding cages won't be in use straight away, but hopefully after a while I'll have the place chirping with budgies...

Edited February 21, 201312 yr by JimmyBanks

I like this last one, too. It gives you a nice breeding room and a nice flight.

Yeah. Should do me well for a little while

 

Now the trick is actually building it. I've dug out the spot and a mate is planning to come over tomorrow and pour the slab... we were meant to pour it last week but didn't get the Decking done that we were supposed to... Wife's priorities come before mine LOL Happy Wife Happy Life.

Here's an idea, JB: Get an indoor budgie in a cage, and then your wife will be motivated for you to finish the aviary, so the bird can move outside!