Constructing and Outdoor Flight
by Connie Pavlinac
Summer 2003
I was inspired about a year ago, to put up an outdoor flight for my parrots, after seeing photos of some very simple flights that were constructed for a small parrot rescue & sanctuary. After contacting the individual who put up the flights, I obtained all the necessary information I needed to get started on my new project. An outdoor flight has greatly enriched my parrots’ lives and I have seen a tremendous improvement in their overall behaviors in that they are less bored in their cages and seem to be more relaxed and content after spending several hours outdoors. Acquiring Materials
The frame for the flight I constructed is a 10’ x 20’ powder coated steel, Costco Carport portable carport. The main frame poles are 2” in diameter. I researched several different brands of carport frames and found some that were a little less expensive than the Costco carport but the pole diameter was often 1.75” or less which is not advisable to use. The weight of the wire needs the sturdy 2” frame to sustain it.
I used 2x3”, 12.5 gauge galvanized, livestock “no climb” wire for the flight. This wire can be purchased from local feed stores or Home Depots. It takes about 125 feet of wire to wrap the entire flight and make a door. You’ll want the wire to be 72” high. While this wire works adequately for me now, I would use a welded avian wire if I were to construct a new flight because it is a safer and more durable wire. I recommend 10.5 – 12.5 gauge wire, 1” x 3” openings, for the larger parrots and 12.5 – 14.5 gauge, 1” x 2” openings for the medium parrots. You’ll want to have a durable pair of wire cutters to make several cuts in the wire.
You will need to purchase stainless steel hose clamps, 2” – 2 ½” size, approximately 45 – 50 of them. You’ll also need stainless steel hog rings along with the tool that closes the rings. You can buy the hog rings by the pound at most feed or hardware stores, although I bought mine by the box. I used about 2 boxes of them.
The door can be a pre-fab panel which can be purchased at a Home Depot or you can make one using wire and 2” pvc pipe as the frame. You’ll need to purchase pvc elbow & T joints and a door latch if you make the door yourself.
I wanted to provide shade for my birds during the warm weather so I purchased 6 white fiberglass panels (the type used for greenhouses etc) to install on areas of the roof where the flight would have the most exposure from the sun. You could use other material as long as it doesn’t weigh a great deal.
It is important to clean the wire thoroughly before letting your birds out into the flight. You can clean the individual panels you cut or you can clean it as you construct each stage. I chose to clean the roof wire first, prior to setting it atop the side poles, by scrubbing it thoroughly with a vinegar & water solution using a sturdy long handles brush. I scrubbed the rest of the wire after each stage of assembly and then pressure washed all the wire after the flight was constructed. I pressure wash it every couple of months to keep the wire as free from foreign gunk as possible!
Assembling the flight
The first step is to assemble the frame of the roof. You’ll be adding cutting (2) 20’ sections of wire to place on each side of the roof. You’ll also need to cut (2) 10 sections for the end panels of the roof. These will need to be cut in triangle shapes to fit snugly in the arched shape. Once the frame is assembled, lay it in the area you plan to set up your flight, and use it to mark the spot where each side pole will be secured in the ground as you will be digging 8 holes for the side poles and 1 for the door support. The door should go towards the end of one of the sides. The opening for the door should be about 30” – 32”. (Note: I changed the door after the flight was built and did not do this ahead of time like I should have.)
Next, secure the wire to the top and end of the frame with the stainless steel hose clamps, every 30” or so. Some areas I clamped every 22” – 24”. At this time you’ll want to add panels to the roof if you choose to add them. I secured the panels by drilling holes in the frame for the outside panels and inserting bolts/washers through the panel to the frame. I also drilled holes strategically throughout the other panels and secured them using precut wire & washers, to the roof wire. In addition, because we tend to have windy weather, I placed 2 bungies from the top of the roof frame to the bottom, on each panel, just for added protection against high wind.
The second step in assembling the flight is to dig 1’ holes for the side poles. Because the side poles are 7’ tall, burying them into the ground 1’ will make them 6’ tall, which makes the wire fit perfectly. Secure each side pole into the holes and fill the holes with dirt. You’ll also want to put an addition 7’ steel, aluminum or pvc pipe in the area you want your door to go. You can also fill in the holes with concrete if you prefer a more permanent structure. I have had no problems with any type movement of the flight by burying the poles in dirt due to the weight of the roof with the wire and added roof panels. If you choose to use concrete, be sure to let the concrete set completely before moving on to the next step.
Third step is to lift the roof onto the side poles. My husband & I did this ourselves but it was rather challenging. It can be done with 2 people but I recommend 3-4 people.
Next, begin wrapping the wire around the frame, starting at one end of the flight. You’ll need to have the side wire line up with the roof wire as you wrap around the flight. One person secures the top to the bottom using hog rings every 6” – 8” as the other person wraps the wire. You’ll use hose clamps to secure the wire to the frame and part of the roof.
Finally, install or build your door. I recommend making the door to open into the flight to make it less opportune for a bird to fly out.
I made a barrier around the bottom of the flight using concrete blocks, to keep critters from digging in or birds from digging out. You can also dig down along the outside perimeter of the flight and add a 2-3’ wire skirt to help keep animals out.
Be creative with the interior of the flight and add swings, LOTS of perches at varying heights and locations and strategically place toys near perches for easy reach. I also placed an older Manzanita tree stand along with some bird safe foliage inside the flight in addition to decorating the flight on the outside with plastic/artificial shrubs. There are several water dishes throughout the flight but I do not provide food, except for fruit/veggie kabobs as I don’t want to encourage critters to enter the flight to clean up the dropped food. My birds also enjoy being showered in the flight and look forward to their outings each day.