Bottom of Balcony Aviary

[Harpytacines]

Hi, I'm in the process of converting my glass covered balcony into an aviary for max. 4-5 small birds and was wondering what's the best idea for a floor covering lining. I really want to use natural grass, but I guess that will take longer maintenance, or some lining I can easily remove and wash in the machine, or just throw away. The space is 14 feet long and 6 feet wide. No way the lining will ever be tossed outside of the balcony since the only outlet for it to come out is a small water drain that can be covered. Thank you!

 

[Flboy]

Hi, and welcome!
A photo of what ur working with would be great!

 

[SailBoat]

What method is used to control temperature?
Remember that having a place for them to get out of the Sun is important.
Sometimes the age old use of News Paper just works well, as it shows the need for cleaning /removal.

 

[Harpytacines]

Hi, and welcome!
A photo of what ur working with would be great!

Hi

 

[Harpytacines]

I will obviously clear the balcony of all stuff. The only thing it will contain are bird toys, perches, cages, depending on the advice.

Concern 1:

I live in Canada, where temperature ranges during the winter between -5 to - 20 on average. The balcony is enclosed, but the heater does not reach there, and it's floor is cement, with a very tiny hole for water drain, which I can't really use as it's prohibited (well, if it rains they would not know, so hopefully I can wash and use the drain at least once every 3 months, but I'll, of course, still replace whatever is under there. I don't mind spending on wood pine as I like a natural look (how long before you change them?).

Concern 2:

How do I make it warmer? Since it is enclosed...are there any chargeable portable heaters I can buy that will last 24/7, or I'm better off finding a heater that blows off hot air like a portable air conditioner (if that exists) wherein there is a hose that I can attach to the window between my living room and balcony? I will also remove those curtains, allowing some light to come (no direct sunlight; in the summer; it does get very hot in my apartment). I can't obviously open the outside windows during the winter, but during the summer, there is a screen option I can put to have fresh air coming in. Also, if I do manage to put a heater, won't that cause the window to become very moist, and will that create a problem for the health of the birds?

My goal is to acquire every species of Lovebird (all hand fed; there are 9, but I'll probably just end up with 6 or 7 since some are really hard to find or possibly endangered). I don't want babies. I can also convert the dining room before the balcony into their cage areas to give more room for the planned aviary, and each bird will be housed separately. I want to have a very natural look to the aviary...rather put a lot of wooden stuff they can destroy, rather than cloth-based stuff. I hope all of them get along and opinions if that space is big enough for them (14 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 10ft in height) to have them all semi-supervised while there.

They will also have access to my living/dining room, but I won't be flying all 6 or 7 of them when they have their one on one time with me....

 

[fiddlejen]

You will want easy-to-clean, and also slightly-soft for the floor. I would suggest a linoleum remnant for the space, or something similar designed for outside use. (I cannot think of any such thing, but i feel might exist.)

 

[SailBoat]

You have more than several major problems to over come to use this space Year Around!, let alone part of a year. The first being the vast span of temperature as you will need both heating and cooling. But, before you begin spending any money on this space, you need to find out what is allowable under the rules of your complex!! The belief of I will just do what I want is a quick way to being asked to leave and be faced with a very large fine for repair of that space.

Once you have in your hands the document that defines what is allowable. You need to read it with understanding! Depending on the document, that may require an Attorney.

Note, those tiny drain slots are for drainage of water that becomes trapped behind the brick. Your using them as a drain system for cleaning that room will quickly cause them to become blocked and the action of freezing during the Winter can cause the brick to be pushed out! Repair of that type of damage can quickly reach into the ten's of thousands of Canadian Dollars.

Your dream of converting this space into a Bird Room can become a nightmare very quickly.

 

[HeatherG]

You have more than several major problems to over come to use this space Year Around!, let alone part of a year. The first being the vast span of temperature as you will need both heating and cooling. But, before you begin spending any money on this space, you need to find out what is allowable under the rules of your complex!! The belief of I will just do what I want is a quick way to being asked to leave and be faced with a very large fine for repair of that space.

Once you have in your hands the document that defines what is allowable. You need to read it with understanding! Depending on the document, that may require an Attorney.

Note, those tiny drain slots are for drainage of water that becomes trapped behind the brick. Your using them as a drain system for cleaning that room will quickly cause them to become blocked and the action of freezing during the Winter can cause the brick to be pushed out! Repair of that type of damage can quickly reach into the ten's of thousands of Canadian Dollars.

Your dream of converting this space into a Bird Room can become a nightmare very quickly.

One way to potentially avoid problems might be to build a box cage that would fit into the aviary space. Maybe you could use Plexiglass panels bolted together to cover this during the winter?