I found this cabinet at a garage sale, and since it had removable door panels, I got to thinking I could replace them with wire....

 

So I looked the whole thing over, and it seemed like a possible plan. I think it's new enough that the stain would not contain lead, and old enough that any fumes from it would long since have dissipated. The wood appears to be pine.

 

I paid $20 for the cabinet, then went to the hardware store and bought 1/2 " vinyl coated wire mesh, and some bolt latches. (Another $39 spent)

 

At home, I removed the inner shelves, the door panels, and the back of the unit. (I also gave it a good cleaning, using minimal water, some bleach, and some vinegar, and dried it out in the sun so as to not damage the wood. This isn't going to be the easiest cage as far as future cleaning goes.)

 

Then I cut the wire into the necessary size pieces. The hardest part of the whole thing was flattening the wire after I unrolled it. In one of the panels I made a smaller opening for access, and fitted a square of wire for the door. (I had to go to a craft store to look for something to hold the wire door shut, and I found alligator clips, which work great, so another $1.59 spent.)

 

Next I installed bolt latches. Two on the inside of the left door, top and bottom to hold it in place, and then one on the outside to latch the right door against the left door.

 

I stapled the wire panels in place, and my husband helped by cutting the original backing down to a smaller size and refastening it to the bottom of the back. Then we put in perches, newspaper on the bottom, toys, feeder cups, etc.. and finally, the birds!

 

All done over one weekend. Here are before and after pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside view:

 

 

">

 

 

 

And the final product!:

 

 

">

 

 

 

 

">

 

 

Not bad for $60.59! (And most importantly, my husband likes it. ) Well, and the birds too....

It's beautiful!

GENIUS!! I love it.

VERY cool and unique!!

(Is the floor around the cabinet still seed-free? lol)

Excellent buy for $20 and with your VISION you have the best indoor cage around.

Excellent job, what a great end product for $60

You have done a really great job on that.

VERY cool and unique!!

(Is the floor around the cabinet still seed-free? lol)

 

 

:happy-dancing: Ha Ha! Never was seed free! :ohmygod:

 

I've actually been thinking of attaching some kind of flap at the bottom of the doors to direct the seed back inside. Or I could just open that drawer at the bottom a crack and let all the seed fall in there! :boogie:

 

 

Thank you everyone, for all your compliments. This has solved my dilemma on how to house more birds without hubby complaining about cages everywhere.

 

The dimensions are 33.5"w x 20"d x 40"h. How many birds do you think would be comfortable in that space?

That is beautiful!!! I want to buy a nice big cage for my birdies, but I can't find one I like on a budget. What a great idea, and that looks so beautiful!

Where do you buy the wire mesh? I am thinking of making one instead.

Awesome job!

VERY cool and unique!!(Is the floor around the cabinet still seed-free? lol)

Ha Ha! Never was seed free! :rofl: I've actually been thinking of attaching some kind of flap at the bottom of the doors to direct the seed back inside. Or I could just open that drawer at the bottom a crack and let all the seed fall in there! Thank you everyone, for all your compliments. This has solved my dilemma on how to house more birds without hubby complaining about cages everywhere. The dimensions are 33.5"w x 20"d x 40"h. How many birds do you think would be comfortable in that space?

The thing is about seed...........it doesnt just fall................all it takes is a bird to fly and the husks go sailing through the air.

Where do you buy the wire mesh?

Hardware store.

VERY cool and unique!!(Is the floor around the cabinet still seed-free? lol)

:rofl: Ha Ha! Never was seed free! I've actually been thinking of attaching some kind of flap at the bottom of the doors to direct the seed back inside. Or I could just open that drawer at the bottom a crack and let all the seed fall in there! Thank you everyone, for all your compliments. This has solved my dilemma on how to house more birds without hubby complaining about cages everywhere. The dimensions are 33.5"w x 20"d x 40"h. How many birds do you think would be comfortable in that space?

The thing is about seed...........it doesnt just fall................all it takes is a bird to fly and the husks go sailing through the air.

 

No kidding!! And then all it takes is one person to walk by and scatter seeds and husks across the floor to all corners! It's like reverse sweeping!

 

 

Where do you buy the wire mesh?

Hardware store.

 

Finding the mesh wasn't the hard part, it's finding the right cabinet that took me quite a while. Check Goodwill or other thrift stores, ads in the paper, Craigslist,etc. Unfortunately, when people are re-selling old furniture, they often have an inflated idea of what it's worth. But at garage sales, people really just want to get rid of stuff. Mine was marked $45, which I thought was high. I was surprised when they accepted my offer of $20!

Also, keep in mind that whatever you get, the budgies will chew it! That really narrows down your choices, because so many are made of unsuitable material, or have questionable looking finishes. It took me months of keeping my eyes peeled before I found mine. Good luck with your search!

It is an excellent idea and the finished product it somthing that most home owners would put in their house.

Ross

I love what a great idea I wnet to the local tip and got a nice bid book shelf that I converted into breeding cages. It looks great for free.

The guy at the dip was a friend and if anything came in thta was suitable he would save it for me also I got a wonderful TV unit but I destroyed it (cut the top off) I use it under my breeding cages as it's so perfect because there are 3 cupboards in it for storage.

He also saved me a huge piece of perspex (can't spell) for my hospital cages which saved me heaps.

Edited October 18, 200915 yr by splat