For people looking for more attractive ways of keeping their birds, I suggest trying this geodesic structure. I keep pheasants in mine. What will you keep in yours?
Starplates are a geodesic building system offered by Stromberg's a U.S. poultry supply company. They will ship this system to Canada, which is where I am. They are one of my favorite choices for aviary construction, as they are sturdy, economical, and look impressive. A Starplate structure is said to be able to withstand ten thousand pounds of downward pressure, which is good when building aviaries near large trees. Construction with this system is fast and fairly simple provided you take your time and measure properly. In fact, a couple of people with the right tools, and a bit of imagination, can create a beautiful sturdy aviary in a day or two.
Depending on your local climate Starplate aviaries can be used for everything from smaller soft bills, to chickens, to ornamental pheasants. A Starplate aviary even will make a excellent home for reptiles such as iguanas, or smaller monitors, in warmer climates. Hard bill birds such as parrots will require additional features for safety and security that I will not be covering.
What you get with the Starplate Building System is a set of 11 Starplate connectors. The connectors are good quality metal plates and their price plus shipping is reasonable. What you will need to get is 25 2X2s, 2X3s, or 2X4s, depending on the size of structure you are planning on building. The sizes of these pieces of lumber can be up to 9' in length using this system. Anything larger is not recommended with Starplates. For aviaries larger is better. For my Starplate aviaries I have used 8' 2X4s. In addition to the lumber you will need to purchase 50 each of nuts, bolts, and washers according to the size of the structure you are going to build. You will need some additional pieces of lumber for construction of doors or if you want to add additional horizontal support struts.
The structure will need to be covered completely with a wire mesh, not plastic or fabric. For larger birds such as pheasants you can use 2" stucco wire which is inexpensive. For medium sized birds you can use poultry wire, for smaller birds, such as finches, or for reptiles you will need to use a hardware cloth or good quality poultry wire. Make sure it is galvanized or PVC coated to prevent rusting over time. To attach the wire mesh to the structure you will need either U nails or the appropriate size of good quality staples.
You will need a drill, saw, wire cutters, and a fencing tool. A sturdy ladder is very important. You can put Starplates together using a 6' ladder but a 10' or 12' one would be much better. It would also be a good idea to have a large spool of wire on hand for securing problem areas on your aviaries' wire mesh. With the proper tools putting together the initial structure is fairly fast and easy.
Site Selection
You will want to select a site on your property that is flat and large enough for the structure. This site can be near trees and in fact I suggest this, rather than it out in the open if at all possible. This will give shade to your aviary on extremely hot days, heat being a major cause of bird deaths in captivity.
The most crucial stage of construction is drilling the holes to attach the connectors to the lumber. If the holes are off then the structure will be off and difficult to put together. Take extra time with drilling, measure three times and drill once. Drill all the 50 holes, one in each end, before you progress and then insert the bolts into the holes so that construction can go quickly. First construct your base and put it into place.
Plan where you want the door. If you live in a snowy climate and want to keep birds in this enclosure year long, make sure the door opens out, towards you, so you can move the snow away. At this point you can choose various anchoring options before proceeding with the rest of the construction. Next you will construct the sides and base of the roof. When you reach the roof it is better to have a couple of additional people on hand. One person can construct and entire Starplate structure, however, we have found that 2 people will have a bit of difficulty when it comes to the roof and that 3 or 4 people make the construction of the roof go much easier.
Although Starplate Aviaries are beautiful structures on their own the are enhanced by the addition of live plants, rocks, garden sculptures, logs, stumps, and branches. Any major ornamental pieces you are going to put inside of the aviary should be put in place before you attach the wire mesh.
If you intend on putting live plants inside of the aviary make sure they are safe for the animals that you are putting into the aviary or will withstand being in an aviary with live animals. Some species of birds can be very rough on live plants in an aviary. I will note that most of the safe plant lists floating around The Internet are intended for reptiles, or mammals, and not for birds.
Placement of the any decorations you put in the aviary should allow for ease of movement for both you and your animals while still being esthetically pleasing. Make sure your plans include space for an appropriate shelter for your animals, ideally with the door facing away from the wind. There are many options included with The Starplate instruction for openings and doors or you can attach a door frame to the structure with 2X4s. Then make a door out of 2X2s and wire mesh. The door should open outward if you live in an area with heavy snowfalls. I selected to build a different structure to accommodate a rectangular door.
Attaching The Wire Mesh
You may use stucco wire, hardware cloth, or a good quality poultry wire mesh for this. Whatever wire mesh you use make sure it is flexible and sturdy. I found it easier to put the wire mesh over the roof section first. You must make sure that you have lengths that will fit properly before you nail or staple the wire mesh in place. Taking staples or U nails out can be a real pain, and could effect the look of your completed aviary. When doing the roof, run the first piece over the top, so that it covers three of the triangle on one side of the roof. You will over lap when you do the other half of the roof, as there are five triangles, and the way the wire fits around them, it covers three at a time.
It is a good idea to have two people for this step as one can pull the wire mesh tight while the other nails it in place. The wire should easily hug the Starplate structure if you plan it out in advance and take your time. Most rolls of wire mesh will not be wide enough to go from top to bottom so you will need to overlap the sections. If done properly it does not drastically effect the finished appearance of your aviary, and if you plant around your aviary properly your will not notice these overlaps. You will need to wire these overlap sections together securely to prevent possible escape. Any places at ground level that are less secure can be fixed by placing rocks along the base. After the wire mesh is in place and the door attached, and the shelter is complete, double check all areas for security and then you are ready to introduce the animals into the aviary.
Another use for these structures is as a cat section.
i have visited a lot of aviaries and I always feel sorry for the birds. I'm sure they are better than cages in the house though. And for chickens they must be a good choice if they have to be penned. Well written article. Best wishes, Ruby
#3 by Mark Gordon Brown, Sep 7, 2008
In the unit that uses 8 ft lenghts of wood, you have 110 sq feet of floor space inside. By adding logs, branches, and levels you can increase this. For birds like chickens they only need to be penned when you first get them, when they are young, or at night - for their own protection from predators. The shape is better than square cages, because there are no interior corners. All in all a much better unit for birds who must be contained.
Some breeds of birds are very rare in the wild, but safely kept by aviaculturists. Also some birds must be kept in pens due to zoning laws.
#4 by B Nelson, Sep 7, 2008
I like that these are well planted and have things of interest for the birds.
#5 by grace, Dec 17, 2008
hi there....my husband is building an outdoor aviary of 16 feet high and it has an igloo shape.can anybody recommend me a web site to get info about cohabiting species, tips on how to care for the birds.....etc...many thanks in advance
