Click here to see more pictures from the flight aviary.
Here's the indoor big-bird facility. It's the third floor of the house, about 850 square feet. It has its own kitchenette, independent heat and A/C, and room for everyone to stretch their wings. There's even a human lounge for sitting and watching the birds.
Now that I'm retired, I eat a lot of my meals in that chair in the back corner, and do a lot of my reading there as well. (This is the only air-conditioned part of the house) I can look out those windows over woods and pastures, with no other houses in sight, or I can just look at the birds inside...is this luxury, or what??
Playtime, and everyone is out on their stands. You can't see the amazons in this picture, They're in this room, but behind the camera.
Click here to see more pictures from the flight aviary.
The aviary is built as follows: I started with treated 4x4s, 14 feet long. Sank them 4 feet deep at 8 foot spaces on center. Attached untreated 8 foot 2x4 stringers at the top and bottom of the 4x4s. Inserted a 10 foot 2x4 upright between each pair of 4x4s. across the top, I ran a 12 foot 4x4 across the width of the cage every 4 feet (a 12 foot 2x4 will bend under its own weight very quickly). That completed the frame.
   The wire is standard hardware cloth, 1/2" mesh, galvanized, 4'x25' rolls. I first attached the wire to the frame with staples, then used short deck screws with washers. It's important to put the mesh INSIDE the frame, so the birds can't chew it away. Also after installing the wire, wash it down with a vinegar solution. This removes any zinc residue, and neutralizes the coating.
   The door on ours is an "airlock" arrangement, 2 doors in a 4x4 foot chamber, to prevent accidental escapes. We planted bamboo and willows, along with some ornamental grasses. I recommend plantings of something tall and shrubby OUTSIDE the cage to provide shade, windbreak, and privacy. It's desirable to have food and water containers under some sort of cover so that droppings from wild birds can't fall in. Perches can be attached to the framing, or to large limbs planted in the bottom.
   About security: I left the floor dirt and grass, because the birds are never in ours at night or when we're gone. If you plan to keep the birds in yours overnight or when you're away, you'll want a concrete pad under it and a padlock on the door. We have no mosquito issues here in daylight. If you have, or if birds will be out at night, a layer of insect screening should be added outside the frame of the aviary. If you might have predators trying to get at the birds, you can add another layer of hardware cloth outside the insect screen to keep it from being torn.
AVIARIES
In this corner, we have a space for larger groups of  transient birds of any size. The cages will each hold a half dozen conures or ringnecks, or a couple amazons, or a big macaw. There are 8 cages in this area.
Here are a gang of macaws enjoying summer weather in the big outdoor flight aviary. It's 50' long, 12' wide, and 10' high.
A couple of the girls hanging out on the big playgym at one end of the flight
Here are Sammy and Gracie mugging for the camera on the playgym in the living room.
HOME
Below is the room where the family pets live...guess what I do in my spare time.