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Outdoor Flight Cage Ideas

Marisela65

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Good afternoon all, I hope all is well. I am a new bird owner and am looking forward to enriching both my IRN and cockatiel's life. I was looking for ideas to build an outdoor aviary. If not an aviary, like a screened in batting cage to let them fly to their hearts' content (of course supervised). All suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 

expressmailtome

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Welcome! There are many options, but some more information would be helpful. Are you hoping for both species to use it at the same time? Are you hoping for something that can be used year-round? What type of climate do you live in? Are you hoping for a "walk-in" style aviary?
 

Marisela65

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Welcome! There are many options, but some more information would be helpful. Are you hoping for both species to use it at the same time? Are you hoping for something that can be used year-round? What type of climate do you live in? Are you hoping for a "walk-in" style aviary?
Hi. Not sure if I would take both out at same time as the IRN likes to try to bite the cockatiel. But that's a different topic. Yes would like to use in my backyard year round if I can, but not a deal breaker. I live in South Florida. Yes, would love a walk-in option.

Appreciate your time.
Have a great day.
 

Sparkles99

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I don’t have any ideas, unfortunately. Very few members have outdoor aviary space. Many who do have small birds. Have you considered asking a parrot rescue what they used?
 

expressmailtome

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@Fuzzy has posted some threads that you can look at.
 

Shezbug

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If I only had smaller birds to fly (and I was planning on supervised time outside only) then I’d honestly just look at some of the camping gazebos or parking carports that are all meshed in. They’re moveable (great for following sun or finding shade as needed) which has many bonuses- yard space still there and available for other uses (nighttime or bbq parties/gatherings), can be used for more than just birds (outdoor meals without flies or mozzies), can be taken with you anywhere you want to go and take birds.
 

TheBirds

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Funny you posted this, as I've recently been hunting for the same thing! My birds are even smaller than yours though, which seems to make it even harder (due to bar spacing and gaps).*

Unfortunately I couldn't work out a cost-effective way to supply them with anything big enough for them to fly in that would also be able to withstand our harsh seasons and/or keep from rusting -- without having to drag it in and out of the house all the time which kinda defeats the purpose, in a way.

The conclusion I drew when looking for a solution to this same problem was, it's probably easier and cheaper in the long run to buy something designed for parrots ... if not EXACTLY what you want, then at least something that can be re-designed or repurposed slightly. I've been down many "DIY Outdoor Aviary Idea" rabbit holes already, can you tell?! If you DO come up with something novel please keep us posted, as I'd be interested to see it.

We've just begun considering replacing a portion of our deck with a sunroom (!!!?) as I'm also passionate about keeping lots of tropical plants, in which case, we'd be able to look at installing a free-standing aviary of some design. I'm hopeful that if we keep the sunroom small enough, we can make it happen within our budget. I realize that's not possible for most people, and probably won't be for us either, TBH. But we're going so far as to get a quote to so we can be certain about ruling it out.
 

Fuzzy

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Yes, I have an aviary for my Amazons and Pionus. It is hard wood and 1" x 1" stainless steel mesh. It's built so that the sitting room French windows open out into it which saves having to put the birds in a carrier to get to it. It's nice to leave the French windows open during the summer:

Dragons 1.jpg

Then I got the decking replaced with hard wood:

Bobbie and Ollie aviary 2.jpg

Hope that helps!
 

TheBirds

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Wow @Fuzzy that is quite something! Is that your sunroom/solarium next to the outdoor aviary? Was there a reason you decided to construct something entirely separate outside vs. comandeer space in the sunroom?

Not judging, just genuinely curious (as that's sort of my grand plan, and it would be nice to know if/why you ruled it out yourself).
 

Fuzzy

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Wow @Fuzzy that is quite something! Is that your sunroom/solarium next to the outdoor aviary? Was there a reason you decided to construct something entirely separate outside vs. comandeer space in the sunroom?

Not judging, just genuinely curious (as that's sort of my grand plan, and it would be nice to know if/why you ruled it out yourself).
Thank you. :) I don't know if a sunroom is the same as a conservatory? Anyway that's what is next to the outdoor aviary. The birds have taken over the conservatory/sunroom too which is useful in the winter when it's too cold to go outdoors. The reason for the outdoor aviary is so that the birds can get proper UV light - UV-B and UV-C can't pass through glass; plus rain (which JoeJoe loves!) and just fresh air. The conservatory also has extreme temperature variations - really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. I can regulate it somewhat by opening it's French windows for which I made a flyscreen so the birds are safe. :)
 

TheBirds

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Thank you. :) I don't know if a sunroom is the same as a conservatory? Anyway that's what is next to the outdoor aviary. The birds have taken over the conservatory/sunroom too which is useful in the winter when it's too cold to go outdoors. The reason for the outdoor aviary is so that the birds can get proper UV light - UV-B and UV-C can't pass through glass; plus rain (which JoeJoe loves!) and just fresh air. The conservatory also has extreme temperature variations - really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. I can regulate it somewhat by opening it's French windows for which I made a flyscreen so the birds are safe. :)
Sorry yes, conservatory. I forgot that was the term in the UK; my uncle has one (so I should have remembered)! Thanks for the explanation and for sharing those photos; I really enjoy looking at what you've built. Does the deck just get hosed off? How long can/do you leave your birds out there for? (So many questions....)
 

Fuzzy

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Yes I just hose off any poops - it's so easy! I prefer to be in so I can keep an eye on them when in the aviary, although I have left my now deceased Amazon Ollie out there for longer periods as he loved being in there. They usually go in there whilst I'm preparing breakfast and maybe in the afternoons too. However some birds just won't like going outdoors - it can be scary for a bird who is used to a ceiling and for there to be such a huge expanse of space and to see wild birds flying high in the sky. Kobe, my Pionus, won't go out there. Another thing to be wary of are predators like cats, or birds of prey who can reach in with their feet. It's never happened to us but something to be aware of which is why I like to be around.
 

Zilga

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Yes I just hose off any poops - it's so easy! I prefer to be in so I can keep an eye on them when in the aviary, although I have left my now deceased Amazon Ollie out there for longer periods as he loved being in there. They usually go in there whilst I'm preparing breakfast and maybe in the afternoons too. However some birds just won't like going outdoors - it can be scary for a bird who is used to a ceiling and for there to be such a huge expanse of space and to see wild birds flying high in the sky. Kobe, my Pionus, won't go out there. Another thing to be wary of are predators like cats, or birds of prey who can reach in with their feet. It's never happened to us but something to be aware of which is why I like to be around.
Thanks for posting it! What you have set up is exactly what we'd like to do when we rebuild our deck - it looks amazing!
 

TheBirds

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We just brought home our newest feathered family member today, who is signifcantly larger than our Linnie, so the search resumes for an outdoor aviary solution! I stumbled on these tonight:


.. they're brackets to assemble a geodesic dome with. $180 for the set, roughly $50 in lumber (depending upon the height/size you're going for), and then your choice of screen material on the outside. I'm not sure the best way to integrate a door, though.

Thoughts?
 
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birdbuster

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We just brought home our newest feathered family member today, who is signifcantly larger than our Linnie, so the search resumes for an outdoor aviary solution! I stumbled on these tonight:


.. they're brackets to assemble a geodesic dome with. $180 for the set, roughly $50 in lumber (depending upon the height/size you're going for), and then your choice of screen material on the outside. I'm not sure the best way to integrate a door, though.

Thoughts?
Framing and building a door isn't the most difficult thing to do in terms of lumber and construction- I think if you made it tall enough it would be quite easy. Not sure how you could make a secure airlock entry.
 

TheBirds

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Framing and building a door isn't the most difficult thing to do in terms of lumber and construction- I think if you made it tall enough it would be quite easy. Not sure how you could make a secure airlock entry.
Hmm. It would be very hard if not impossible to make a secure airlock entry, I think, given its shape. If you could hang the door section and have it swing in from the top (like a doggie door), I wonder if that would make it more difficult for a bird to escape. They'd essentially almost need to be on the floor/ground to have a chance at getting through as they'd need to fly up through the open door.

:think1:
 

birdbuster

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Hmm. It would be very hard if not impossible to make a secure airlock entry, I think, given its shape. If you could hang the door section and have it swing in from the top (like a doggie door), I wonder if that would make it more difficult for a bird to escape. They'd essentially almost need to be on the floor/ground to have a chance at getting through as they'd need to fly up through the open door.

:think1:
I would be worried about it swinging shut and into the aviary and hitting the birds...
 
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