I am planning on what materials I need to build the aviary with. I never built anything before nor have I ever planned on making something so this is really new for me.

I want the size of the aviary to be the same size as the one we have now. What is a good cage wire that doesn't cost too much money or isn't poisonous? What is someone good to use for the roof? Right now, i have the roof flat, but I would like to have it like a triangle. (Don't know what it's called)

I have searched online for how to make an aviary but it was very hard for me to understand it.

It seems like most people use hardware cloth for the wiring. It's galvanized, which means zinc-coated, and some people say you shouldn't use it because of toxicity issues. But I looked into the issue before I built my aviary, and found sources saying that they haven't had any problems with it. BUT you have to scrub it in advance with vinegar using a wire brush to get rid of loose zinc powder. I ended up using hardware cloth for my aviary and the zinc dust on it was nasty before I washed it. Ordinary hardware cloth is the cheapest and easiest wire to find, and half-inch spacing is good for cockatiels. However my birds don't live in the aviary all the time so they aren't constantly exposed to it.

This thread has some useful info from long-time users: http://board.birdchannel.com/Topic196870.aspx

The alternatives to hardware cloth are after-welded wire (aka galvanized after weld) which looks similar to hardware cloth. It's more expensive than regular hardware cloth but is said to have less zinc on it.

Other options are stainless steel wire, which is super expensive and hard to find. And wire that's powder coated or vinyl coated. NOT the flimsy vinyl coated wire they sell at Home Depot, but a vinyl coating that's similar to powder coating. Someone on the NCS board recommended this: http://www.twpinc.com/wire-mesh/TWPCAT_ ... 10W48T-GRN It's good stuff, and it's $260 for a roll that's 100 feet long and 48 inches wide. I don't know whether shipping is extra. The price fluctuates up and down on Amazon and right now the price seems kind of high, but at the moment a same-sized roll of regular hardware cloth is $100 less with free shipping. Amazon has shorter rolls if you don't need that much, but it looks like the poly coated roll is only available in that one size. You might be able to find smaller sizes from other vendors.

Do you know what kind of wire the old aviary has? It's most likely plain old galvanized chicken wire, the same kind of wire that regular hardware cloth is made of.

An ordinary roof in the shape of an inverted V is called a gable roof. I didn't know that until today. From http://www.freeroofadvice.com/learning_ ... hapes.html :



The Shed Roof shape would also work well with an aviary.

If you have any specific questions about the aviary-building sites you're looking at, you can post the link and the questions and we'll try to help.

THANK YOU!!

The wire I am using is chicken wire, I bet it is galvanized. I have used it for almost 3 years without a problem but if I end up getting a zinc coated wire, I will do you said before letting them be exposed to it.

Also, what other alternatives can I use instead of wood? I needs to be something that won't get spores but it needs to be able for me to make holes in it. Is there any other possibility? If not, I'll have to research how to make it waterproof.

Also, if I am going to use a cement floor, how will I connect the wood to it ?

I don't know any other materials other than wood. I have a feeling that this suggestion would be difficult later on should you decide to replace the wood, but I have a feeling if my dad was helping me build one, he would make indents in the wet cement for the wood to go into.

You could use metal poles and "tie" the aviary wire to it, similar to what they do with chain-link fencing. If you have heavy-duty bits and blades it's possible to cut metal poles to the length you want and drill holes in them. I've drilled holes in metal myself using ordinary drill bits but the metal was fairly soft and thin. You could ask your grandfather if he has the equipment to cut metal.

There's probably more than one way to attach the aviary frame to the cement floor. One way would be to leave "post hole" openings in the floor and sink the end of the posts in that. Another way is to build the aviary on top of the floor without attaching it at first, then bolt the frame to the floor. Here's an article on anchoring things to concrete: http://www.confast.com/articles/how-con ... -work.aspx Your grandfather might know more about this than I do.

I get the impression that some people don't attach the aviary to the floor at all and just leave it sitting there. Aviaries are heavy so it would be hard to knock it over, but this doesn't feel safe to me.

If you wanted part of the aviary to be enclosed or sheltered, you might be able to use sheet metal or heavy-duty plastic. For example Home Depot has roof panels meant for carports and stuff like that: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Mat ... 5yc1vZaq4r

If you go to a store like Home Depot or Lowes and just walk around looking at everything they have, it might give you more ideas. I did that several times while I was building my aviary and wasn't sure how to handle some particular aspect.

Sealing wood so it won't rot is easy, but I'm not sure what would be bird-safe. I can look into it if you'd like--I've sealed a few decks and raised garden beds.

Yes, finding something bird-safe is the hard part. There are lots of products out there for waterproofing a wooden deck or whatever but I don't think I'd want my birds chewing on it.

Here are some diagrams showing ways to bolt stuff to a concrete floor. It's a little more heavy-duty than an aviary lol. The advantage of bolting over sinking the posts into concrete is that the bolts would probably make it easier to take it apart and replace something if you had to.

Looking forward to seeing the finished
aviary... good luck, with your project.