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More on how I built my birdroom!!

Here is my brand new birdroom, It was constructed in the summer of 2005.
The shed measures 8'x8' externally and is made from tongue and grooved softwood.

Prices for sheds vary, I was quoted as high as £640 for this size shed, the quality of which was probably to a higher standard. I believe that if you regularly treat wood with a good quality oil based preserver you shed will last years.

This shed cost £340 from a company called "Shedrite" who are based in Wolverhampton (probably the cheapest in the Midlands).

The first job was to treat all the timbers with a good oil based wood preserver (I used Cuprinol Fence and Shed Preserver - Dark Oak). I gave it three coats which has really soaked into the timbers. I intend to give the shed a further coat of preserver once a year.

 

As you can see in the photo, I have raised the shed 4" off the ground and set it on five 4"x4" timber fence posts. I have done this to avoid the shed getting wet underneath and to allow better airflow which, in the long term, will help preserve the timbers. I will cover the gap under the shed with 1/2"x1/2" aviary mesh to stop any vermin from getting underneath and getting into the shed.

As the shed floor is only 13mm thick I decided to reinforce it with high quality 3/4" plywood sheets, these were screwed to the floor and through into the 4" posts that the shed is sitting on.

The next job was to cover the floor with a vinyl floor covering, this really helps to keep the birdroom floor clean as it's easy to wipe up water, and makes sweeping the floor almost...... enjoyable!!!

The next stage was to insulate.

To do this, I stapled catering foil to all four walls AND the ceiling. The next step was to cover the foil with 1" thick polystyrene sheets to really add to the sheds insulation. Then 9mm plywood was used to line the shed walls......a quick wallop of white vinyl silk emulsion and the boring work was over....it was then time to build the cages.
 

Building My Cages

When planning my birdroom I decided that I would build my own cages.

I did contemplate buying cages ready made but as the internal measurements of my shed are 92"x92", I would have to have them custom built (as standard 4ft double breeders would not fit side by side). This would have been too expensive.

I think I have made the right choice in building 6 double breeders on the main wall of my shed. I could have built a bank of 9 smaller cages but I don't  believe in compromising cage size for the sake of it.

I believe that the more space you give your birds, the more likely they will breed for you. I know that some breeders use smaller cages but I have chosen to give my birds more room.


My double breeders measure 46"x18"x18", I have used 5/8" spaced punch bar cage fronts purchased from Brian Hyland these were very reasonably priced and are of first class standard.

 

Each double breeder has 2 x 1" deep litter drawers. If I had the chance to rebuild my cages, I would have probably gone for deeper ones. Java Sparrows are very messy feeders and I have found that one downside to my 1" litter drawers, is that seed gets down the outside of the drawers and can make the removal of them difficult....but I'll have to live with them for a while.

My double breeders can all be split by dividing boards into 12 single breeders.

I do not use the single breeders for my Java's, but I have used them for short-term stock cages. I have also used them as single breeders for some of my Bengalese Finches.

Bengalese are smaller than Java Sparrows and will breed successfully in smaller cages.

In this photo you can see, in the middle of the cage, the dividing runners I have installed. I have used plastic runners as they are easy to keep clean and do not swell when wet.

On top of the cage you can see a bundle of Willow branches, I get them from my local garden centre for £1.75 which is usually for about 15 x 3ft lengths. I used to get my perches from Cannock Chase which is about 2 miles from where I live, but I have found that buying them from the garden centre a lot easier.

I have in the past used the twist-on perches and 12mm dowel. I now prefer to use natural branches as they vary in thickness which allows the birds to exercise their feet.

As mentioned on my birdroom page, when I was looking for ideas to incorporate in my new shed, I came across this simple, but great, perch block on Rob Salem's web site www.javafinch.com .

When the perches need changing you simply undo the side screw, slot anther branch in and re-tighten the screw....simple.

Click here to go to Rob's site for instructions to make the perch blocks.
 

My Single Breeders

This picture shows my 3 single breeding cages which are positioned opposite my main bank of double breeders.

They have all the same features as my main double breeders, plastic runners, 1" litter trays, punch bar fronts etc...

These cages measure 23" x 24" x 18" ....not a standard size but they are quite spacious.

These can be opened up into a larger triple breeder or stock cage.

You can just see in this picture, to the left of the heater, a couple of food containers, I purposely left an area for storage, something my last birdoom didn't have. (Click Here for a better view).

They are underneath the large flight cage and don't receive much natural light.

I plan to get lights in these cages as I have been unsuccessful with Java's in them......no problems breeding Bengalese though. As you can see, I have 3 nest boxes on the cage fronts.....the Bengalese don't seem to mind the darker cages.
 

You can see in this photo, the cages may only be 23" wide but they are 2ft deep.....adequate for a single breeder!!!

(The birds shown in this photo are a pair of Fawn and White Bengalese who are rearing a clutch of 5 chicks).

Internal Flight Cage

Here is my internal flight, this seemed to take forever to construct as it was a "make it up as you go along" project.

It measures 92"x24"x36" and is used to house young birds.

When I was building this flight cage I didn't want to use dividers to split the cage up, mainly because I have nowhere to store the large dividers that I would need.

But I still needed to have a method of reducing the size of the cage so I'd be able to "trap" the birds at one end and make it easier to catch them up.

I decided to build  2 internal doors that close-in on each end.

It works quite well!!!

The only mistake I have made is that the smaller doors, in which I can put my arm in to catch the birds, are too big. On a couple of occasions I've had a couple of birds escape into the birdroom.
 

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You can see in this photo that I have a stack of three perches (there is another stack at the other end) and a bank of roosting boxes.

I put the roosting boxes in for the Bengalese as they like to use them at night.

 

I use a small poultry type drinker in this cage as my usual drinkers will not fit through the 1/2" x 1/2" mesh on the front of this cage.

 

There are a couple of alterations I would like to make to this cage...I will keep you updated when I have