# Aviary



## Cocktielfreak (Apr 29, 2009)

i am looking to build a small aviary not to big which can host up to 10-20 birds can some1 please provide me with a website which includes the materials and how to build the aviary..=]


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

I'm not sure how to make one, but I know its difficult to find bird safe wire at least here it is its all galvanized and that can't be used. 

But for that many birds your going to need a pretty decent sized one, To cut down on fights and give them enough room to fly around, and give room for toys, perches, etc.


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## fitfreak (Apr 16, 2009)

I personally feel like the galvanised wire issue is a bit of a myth (to an extent of course). Every breeder I know uses galvanised mesh specifically made for bird aviaries. All they do is cut any excess bits of zinc off and rinse thoroughly with vinegar. I think that there are risks involved but with proper preperation they can be managed without any harm to your birds.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

> Neutralizing Zinc with Vinegar
> Facts & Fiction
> 
> It has been said that the dangers of Zinc can be eliminated or neutralized from
> ...





> Galvanizing is a process of dipping a metal product into molten zinc.
> Galvanizing is used as a economical method of protecting steel from rusting,
> therefore increasing the durability of a product.
> The wire used for aviaries and large breeder cages is generally galvanized wire.
> ...





> *How this applies to bird owners:* #1 cage wire, used for breeder cages, aviaries, etc, is galvanize wire.
> *Washing with vinegar will not remove the zinc, only the powder.*
> Birds are still exposed to the zinc, in no way is it neutralized.
> If you were to remove the zinc by soaking or sandblasting, the wire will rust very quickly.
> ...


http://www.chopperstoys.com/CatalogArticlesVinegar.html

that is just one site i've found the same thing saying You CAN NOT neutralize zinc your only removing the powdery film NOT the zinc its self . I have read it on many others as well 

I'll stick to not using it at all, it''s not worth the chance of loosing my birds 


I know breeders have said " i've used it for X amount of years and nothing has happened" 

yet they don't get their birds tested after they die TO make sure it had nothing to do with the Galavinzed wire So how can they say it had nothing to do with the wire?

I feel the same with Grit - they say " none of my birds have ever died from crop impaction from grit" - yet when you ask "did you have a necropsy done on your bird" they always say "NO" 

so again how can they be so sure it had nothing to do with it, IF they don't know why the bird died to start with?


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/panel_form_aviary_construction.php The one in these instructions is 6 feet X 3 feet. There is no need for a safety door if you are building it indoors. That would be a minimum size to house as many birds as you are talking about. The Poly coating on the wire I suggested on your last request makes it safe. I searched for weeks to find the easiest and least expensive way to build an aviary on my own. There are 3'X6' panels available prefab but they are $133 per panel and you need 7 of them to build the same size aviary as on finchinfo.com That would be if you had no floor.


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## Tarra (Dec 6, 2008)

I don't have a clue about building them but I know you can buy them and I've seen some really nice looking ones online.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

These are absolutly the cheapest I have found commercially available. They are stainless wire and you still need to assemble it. There are special pliers to use the cage clips that are used to hold it all together. http://www.sierrawireandsteel.com/index_aviaries.html#cutandclip


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

sweetrsue said:


> These are absolutly the cheapest I have found commercially available. They are stainless wire and you still need to assemble it. There are special pliers to use the cage clips that are used to hold it all together. http://www.sierrawireandsteel.com/index_aviaries.html#cutandclip




I ran acorss that site a while back. got to reading it and those are Galavinzed some before welding some after welding the "GAW" means Galvanized after welding


Even the wire mesh that a lot of people use the metal under the coating is Galavnized metal 

I looked into a lot of different ways to make a aviary when we were going to build one for the budgies, and decided it wasn't worth it. If i couldn't get Stainless steel or 100% bird safe metal that has never been galvanized I wasn't going to do it at all So we didn't make one at all. 

and evenutaly came across a nice sized indoor/outdoor aviary for the budgies for $50.00 still brand new - Found it online for around $500


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

They include this information on their website. You can't get any more up front than this:
*Please note:*
Galvanized metals contain zinc and are considered toxic. Galvanizing is a process to coat wire or metal to prevent it from rusting. The ingestion of small amounts of zinc by certain birds (psittacines) and small animals (carnivorous mammals) may, under certain circumstances, lead to a condition known as zinc toxicosis. When building aviaries or cages, thoroughly wash them with vinegar or a mild acidic solution and brush mesh to remove all loose zinc particles. Ensure that no particles are left on the floor of the completed installation. If you have birds in a large aviary with lots of branches or items to occupy them, they are much less likely to chew on the cage wire. Galvanized after welded wire has less pooling and flakes less. Many thousands of tons of zinc coated wire mesh have been used for over three decades without significant problems but users can minimize any risks involved by following the above precautions.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

and that brings it right back to you can NOT neutralize the zinc ONLY "wash" off the extra powder you are NOT getting the zinc off


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

When metal says it is galvanized it worries me aswell. Spikes cage has lots of perches but he still likes to climb the bars, Spikes cage is powdercoated though with non toxic paint.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

That's why I used the poly coated wire. It's eliminates the possibility of my birds ingesting zinc. Makes you wonder why the put zinc in birdy vitamins.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

sweetrsue said:


> That's why I used the poly coated wire. It's eliminates the possibility of my birds ingesting zinc. Makes you wonder why the put zinc in birdy vitamins.


Iam sure it is in vitamins as they need a small amount in their diet but too much is never a good thing. I tried to look up zinc and parrots and all it came up with was warnings about too much zinc. I did find this article http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/zinc.asp saying that zinc helps with immune function ect. This is in people but I wonder if it might help do the same things for birds aswell


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I never have seen any real scientific studies showing the REAL info on zinc and birds. I know birds can be harmed by stuff that is fine for us.


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