The process of building a bank of fostering cages is basically the same as previously outlined in the breeding cage section. Be aware however that as these structures become larger, you may be faced with a trojan horse. In other words, once inside your birdroom it's there to stay. The size I'm illustrating here as an example if for 12 cages and being approximately 1.80 m. by 1.80 by 0.40 deep (6'x 6'x 16") it is still manageble in size. The larger the unit, of course, the more cost effective the project will be.

Start by cutting all your 3 sheets of 12 mm (1/2") plywood in strips. To maximize the use of you lumber I recommend a cage depth of 40 cm. (about 16"). That means that the plywood will be cut lenthwise in thirds. Establish the overall width of the structure and cross cut the strips to that length. You'll need 5 horizontal pieces, all the same length. Next you will cross-cut the end gables to the right height, about 1.80 m. for 12 cages. Measure and mark the position of the shelves on the inside of each gable, place some carpenter's glue at each end of each shelf and secure it to the gable with some 1" finishing nails. Fasten all 5 shelves to one gable first and then repeat the procedure for the other gable. Cut the intermediate vertical pieces to length, locate and mark their position on the shelves and glue and nail. You should now have a structure such as illustrated in the sketch below. Use 2 sheets of 6 mm (1/4") fir plywood G1S for the back. Cut to size and glue and nail to the structure. Insure that the box is square by aligning a plywood factory corner to the structure. To complete the structure use the same methods outlined in the instructions on how to build breeding box cages.

One useful feature in this design is the placement of the next boxes on the front of the cages. To achieve that you need to fasten vertical strips of plywood to the front of the cages as in the elevation drawing. Round holes, drilled in the plywood, provide the finches with access to the nests.

PLYWOOD STRUCTURE

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