# aviary floor material



## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

We have outgrown the "loft" my husband built last Spring for our 3 pigeons because, despite how nice he made it, it was hard to get to the nests to change out the eggs! You could not see into them or reach them very easily and it was hard to clean because the nest boxes were placed at a 90 degree angle to the reach-in doors.

It will not go to waste but will soon serve as the "nest box area", with revised forward facing boxes, and will sit inside a new walk-in flight pen/aviary about 12x15...and 6 feet tall. This raises two questions...the first may seem stupid but...

(1) what keeps the birds from flying out the door when you walk in or are you just real careful? (These are all prisoners so far, due to hawk problems which is why we are building them a flight pen) and 

(2) despite my reading, I am not certain the best floor material. It needs to support us walking on it. My husband rhought about a deck with small cracks between the boards for seeds/poop to fall through...but then I read about metal grates or particle board floors. 

(The flight pen will be about 18 inches off the ground, extended off the end of a concrete pad where the loft sits. Since there may not be enough room to rake under it, maybe a solid floor that can be raked and swept and hosed off makes more sense? 

I want to get it right this time as, though my husband is a wonderful cabinet maker by hobby, he can get impatient with less "artistic" projects!

Thanks for your thoughts.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi kippermom,

We have renovated and rebuilt to to growth of our populations. Let me answer some of your questions, if I can.

(1) what keeps the birds from flying out the door when you walk in or are you just real careful? (These are all prisoners so far, due to hawk problems which is why we are building them a flight pen) and 

Most coops that I have seen have built a small hallway or entrance way to the actual coop. Upon entering the coop thru the outside door, there is another door that is usually just a frame with hardware cloth or chicken wire, that is the entrance to where the pigeons actually are. It is the barrier between the outdoors and keeps them from flying out. Some people also use this area for supplies, and such, if it is big enough. I have seen the main door in the middle of the coop and on the end. If it is in the middle of the coop, the entrance way usually has two doors on either side. One door opens directly to the breeder coop and the other to youngsters.

We have a wrap around aviary now, that keeps our birds from going outside upon entrance to the coop. We leave the coop door open usually, weather permitting as the actual barrier to them and outdoors is the aviary door.


(2) despite my reading, I am not certain the best floor material. It needs to support us walking on it. My husband rhought about a deck with small cracks between the boards for seeds/poop to fall through...but then I read about metal grates or particle board floors. 

I have a plywood floor inside the coop that works for us, it is raised off the ground more then a foot. It has good supportive beams under it, and we don't worry about falling thru, even with my husband inside (he is heavy)You can also use a heavier grade plywood.

I know that others recommend the grated floors and will give you information on that. It really depends on your concerns and weather where you live. I don't worry about seeds on the floor because my birds have a dining room with wire floor where seeds drop thru. Our plywood floor dries quickly when any water or rain gets on it, due to the Florida sun.

(The flight pen will be about 18 inches off the ground, extended off the end of a concrete pad where the loft sits. Since there may not be enough room to rake under it, maybe a solid floor that can be raked and swept and hosed off makes more sense? 

That also depends on your existing ground/flooring and a matter of what you like. We have our aviary off the ground, and it has a walkway (to support us), as well as screened area, where the birds can walk too. We have only had to cut grass and/or weeds back there, that is all. There seems to be no real accumulation of poop there, I guess that depends on how many birds you have and what type of ground the aviary sits on. 

I want to get it right this time as, though my husband is a wonderful cabinet maker by hobby, he can get impatient with less "artistic" projects!

I understand completely, as I have one of those, he was very impatient at times, but we manage to figure out every issue that we were faced with. Our coop is not perfect, but we are happy with it now, it even made it thru several hurricanes.

Others will be along with their ideas and share their thoughts.


----------



## piney_creek (Jun 5, 2006)

My floors are decking boards on treated floor joists that are off the ground, I enter through the fly pen ( which is 12'wx12'Lx6'tall ) then into the loft and have no problem what so ever with the birds trying to fly out.

PINEY


----------



## Cricket (Sep 1, 2005)

I have a plywood floor with a plastic sheeting material sold in Home Depot or Lowes for lining showere stall walls. I use sand, or pine shavings, or cedariffic cat litter on the floor. It is easy to poop scoop and or clear completely and mop. I have not encountered any problems with the floor thus far!!! I do not currently have an entryway, but plan on one for my future loft. My pigeons have never tried to fly out the door when I enter... Good luck to you in the construction of your new loft!!! Have fun with it!


----------



## powerspigeons (Dec 31, 2006)

My friend has wire floors, 2x4's are on 12" center's. He used 1/2 hardware cloth (square wire- sold at most hardware stores) This is pretty inexpensive, you basically walk on the edges of the 2X4's. Just use alot of heavy duty staples ,and you should be fine. Metal expanded floors are great , but hard to cut and very costly. If you use plywood ,make sure you install it on a slight angle so rain water will not collect on the surface. Linseed oil that is thinned with terpintine is a great wood preserver. All the old timmer's used this before pressure treated lumber. Some people believe that you should not use pressure treated lumber around the bird's.


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

powerspigeons said:


> My friend has wire floors, 2x4's are on 12" center's. He used 1/2 hardware cloth (square wire- sold at most hardware stores) This is pretty inexpensive, you basically walk on the edges of the 2X4's. Just use alot of heavy duty staples ,and you should be fine. Metal expanded floors are great , but hard to cut and very costly. If you use plywood ,make sure you install it on a slight angle so rain water will not collect on the surface. Linseed oil that is thinned with terpintine is a great wood preserver. All the old timmer's used this before pressure treated lumber. Some people believe that you should not use pressure treated lumber around the bird's.


That's about the way ours is except our aviary is not a "walk in" but rather a "crawl in".......LOL. I have no problem getting out in the aviary and catching birds. Ours are out of 2 x 2's, but of course you wouldn't want those if you're going to walk in the aviary.
By the way........Powerspigeon...........I wondered if we had "officially" welcomed you to the site. You've posted a few times recently.........If not, let me be the first to say Welcome to Pigeon Talk..............hope you stick around............


----------



## powerspigeons (Dec 31, 2006)

Dear LoveBird's
Thank' Alot - As you know , Im not that far from you. Im 45 minute's east of DC. I like your website and enjoy your love of the sport. My friend sent bird's down your way a couple year's ago , and He thought you guy's were top class people to deal with. So , thank you for helping out the sport. I have loved the bird's since I was a little kid. My uncle raced bird's and gave me a white one when I was 4 year's old. I have had the birds since then, except when I went into the Air Force for 4 years. My friend kept my bird's for me until returned home. I visited the birds when I was on leave. I have raised bird's for 35 years , and now my 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter are my new loft manager's. Good people and a great sport!!


----------



## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

powerspigeons said:


> Dear LoveBird's
> Thank' Alot - As you know , Im not that far from you. Im 45 minute's east of DC. I like your website and enjoy your love of the sport. My friend sent bird's down your way a couple year's ago , and He thought you guy's were top class people to deal with. So , thank you for helping out the sport. I have loved the bird's since I was a little kid. My uncle raced bird's and gave me a white one when I was 4 year's old. I have had the birds since then, except when I went into the Air Force for 4 years. My friend kept my bird's for me until returned home. I visited the birds when I was on leave. I have raised bird's for 35 years , and now my 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter are my new loft manager's. Good people and a great sport!!



I suppose your talking about the small futurity race we tried to have. That was quite a deal...........we tried to have a good race but that is a lot of work. I so admire these folks that run them. Especially when there are so many members involved. The ones that get pulled off without a hitch?........my hat's off to them. It takes SPECIAL people that can get along and cooperate with each other..........it was our first and our last..... Anyway, again glad to have you. PS: I'm not sure who you are but it doesn't matter........it's great that your kids are involved. This is something that will follow them the rest of their life.......


----------

