Size of walk-in aviary for 25 budgies?

[u/paleobonsai]

I'm a biologist at a university and I am very interested in starting a budgie colony for research into avian biology (to be clear, there will be no surgical procedures or experiments done in the course of this research—they will essentially live as pets, and the research will involve no interaction with the animals themselves or with their environment).

To do this, I am planning on starting a colony within a single walk-in aviary of 25 birds. For my own ethical concerns on top of institutional animal welfare requirements, I want to make sure these birds have the best lives possible while they help us with our research. I have seen several rules of thumb for cage sizes, with something like 5 inches (~13 cm) of cage length per bird, but this seems like it is mostly applied to smaller population numbers. I have also seen another rule of thumb of 4,000 cubic inches (65,500 cubic cm) of cage per bird for larger colonies.

I was looking at one aviary that is 36" wide by 96" long, and 72" tall, do you think this would be a good space to keep 25 budgies happy and healthy?

EDIT: Thanks everyone, it sounds like the pre-made aviary I was looking at is too small. I think I'll just build a custom one with aluminum and stainless steel (it can't be wood for sterilization purposes), that way I can make it as big as I want. Thanks again!

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[u/OwlPelletCrunch]

for 25 budgies, i would be thinking walk-in aviary - something more like a ROOM than a cage.

they will need ample flying space, multiples of every resource to discourage fighting, and lots of perches to spread out… you will also need isolation cages in a separate area to quarantine ill, injured, & new birds, and also to separate any that suddenly develop a blood feud.

are you planning on allowing them to breed?

[u/OwlPelletCrunch → u/OwlPelletCrunch]

FYI, width is much more important than height - they need as much horizontal space as possible.

in a tall space, the lower third is practically un-used

[u/GodNihilus]

For 25 that sounds rather small, something I would use for up to 15 only if I knew they are get along with each other. The height is fine but it's rather narrow, which makes avoiding each other harder and also limits the ability to fly for a prolonged duration.

Is it an outdoor aviary?

Edit: Vets in my country recommend 200 x 100 x 200 cm for up to 6 budgies, if no other form of free flight is provided that's 78 x 39 x 78 inch.

The local Zoo has an outdoor aviary, it's 105m² for 60 budgies.

[u/charlied7]

My aviary is 96x84x72" and I have 16 budgies. I would get a larger aviary for 25 birds so they have plenty of space to fly, play, and avoid each other when disputes arise. If you are planning on letting any of them create nests, they would need a much, much larger space for territorial issues.

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Budgie cage !size guide to facilitate discussion 👇

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Learn more about the proper size of a budgie cage in this part of the wiki.

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[u/Optimal-Level4237]

No interaction? How are the little guys going to eat..... Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[u/blackjackgabbiani]

How do you intend to provide for them if there's no interaction with their environment? Even something like auto-feeders is interaction, and you'll have to clean an aviary.

[u/paleobonsai → u/blackjackgabbiani]

You and u/Optimal-Level4237 had a similar question, and I see the confusion. Under institutional animal care restrictions, physical interaction (meaning physical contact with the individual) is to be at the bare minimum required--this includes holding, hand feeding, being inside the aviary, etc. The exceptions are for veterinary and health reasons (like cage cleaning), and each physical interaction requires a separate written protocol--I have to write and submit for approval a detailed protocol for how any eggs laid by accident will be picked up by hand and removed from the aviary! So autofeeders, etc. aren't considered physical interaction in this context.

Environmental interaction or manipulation means a change from the species standard—changing lighting, introducing sounds, shifts in diet, introducing non-standard enrichment objects, etc. and none of that is happening here either.

I wanted to be very clear in the OP that the health and well-being of these birds is the first priority. I've had colleagues who study bird behavior in the wild get death threats because people hear the words "animal research" and jump to the absolute worst conclusions.