Broke ground today :) - BirdBoard.Com - Parrot Message Board & Pet Bird Owner Forums

MiloMacaw · #1 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 03:28 AM

My boyfriend taunted me that while I was making all of these plans to build the aviary, I would never get around to it. So I had to show him, I broke ground today ;)

I knocked the chainlink fence down and rolled it up, but retained the 4 foot guide posts down the concrete run. I also purchased large 10 foot long 3 foot thick pine.. logs for lack of a better wood. seven of them, two each to lay the bottom on each side, and one to be cut in half for the ends, then two to be sunk into concrete to used as fence posts. The aviary will be 20 feet long by 5 feet deep. I found the wire we will be using and ordered it. It's not stainless steel like I wanted, but it's non galvanized 3/5 of an inch thick kennel wire used for dogs. (not chainlink) it's bird safe and heavy so thats all that matters!

The plan is this:
6 of the twenty feet is covered by the overhang with posts supporting it. Those posts are treated so they will be wrapped in thick sisal to prevent chewing. The wire will be attached to the shed, attached to the overhand, then stretched out (bolting to the overhang's supports) attached to the three guide poles along the rest of the run, wrapped around the new posts that will be sunk at the end of the run, and then back up the other side. there will be 2 feet extra of wire left at the bottom, which will then be folded INTO the run, with the pine logs being attached ontop of the folded wire and railroad-tie attached to the concrete run. That will make sure no one can get in or out at the bottom! We will be attaching rafters (havent bought yet) from the roof of the overhand to the end posts to guide the wire for the roof. That will complete the flight part!

Then, we will knock out a door sized hole in the shed and build a frame and install a door. Then we will install a dog door at the top of the door to allow the birds to ome in and out of the shed. The dog door will be Guilletine style, with the "control" (the wire that allows you to open and close the door) hanging beside the main door into the shed. that allows us to close the doggy door without opening the shed door, meaning we can lock the birds in the flight before opening the shed door so no one flys out past us.

The shed will be plastered with plywood to prevent any chewing on the exposed particle board inside. The exposed light bulbs will be caged, and we will use pine 2 X 4s for perches inside. Outside in the run, we will be using limber from bird safe trees.

Projected finish time is the beginning of march, estimated budget of $500.

Wish us luck!

MiloMacaw · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiloMacaw

I also purchased large 10 foot long 3 foot thick pine.. logs for lack of a better wood.

haha I just read that and realized what I said. The logs are NOT 3 feet thick, I had it in the back of my head that I was going to put a railroad tie every three feet.

The logs are 20' X 6''. I'll take some pictures of the work site this weekend. We should get some more done this weekend but we won't be able to start the major construction, like knocking down the shed wall, until it gets warmer.