I have 2 walk-in aviaries on concrete, and one large walk-in on dirt. I thought I'd share what I've found to be the benefits and drawbacks.
Concrete Floor:
pros:
- very easy to clean
- difficult for rodents to get in (though, they can gnaw through concrete so if you have a bad rodent problem, this won't stop them)
- provides birds with surface to wear beaks and claws down on - I've more than once witnessed birds scraping their beaks on the ground to grind them down a little.
cons:
- poor drainage unless you design it correctly
- if using concrete pavers (as I do), it allows for some drainage, but spilt seed and droppings can also fall down and create a bit of a nasty mess
- If you're slack on cleaning the aviary as I used to be (no longer), the spilt seed can build up and become home to pests like roaches. Gross!
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Dirt Floor:
pros:
- provides a natural environment for the birds to forage in
- grass grows if you toss bird seed down and water the ground
- you can grow plants in it, providing cover for shy species like finches / doves / quails - this can be imperative for breeding purposes
- provides natural grit that rarely needs replacing for non-psittacine species.
cons:
- parasites like worms (eggs) live in soil so you'd have to worm regularly to get rid of these (but hey, you should be doing that anyway, right?
)
- predators can get in easily
- toxic plants may take root, but if you're vigilant you won't get that problem.
A note on dirt floors - when building the aviary, sink wire mesh (approx 1cm or half inch mesh spacing - larger and mice will squeeze through) about 30cm down around the perimeter of the aviary. This will stop things digging in (or out) of the aviary. Alternatively if you don't plan to plant deep-rooted plants, lay down a base of wire mesh (connected at the framework of the aviary), then dump soil over the top, which will stop anything getting in (depending where you are - Australia doesn't have many burrowing animals in the suburbs, but places like Europe or the US will have moles and so on).
For mine, I got away with not putting wire mesh down beneath the soil because 3 sides of the aviary's 'plot' was surrounded by concrete - the fourth has some wire going beneath the earth. I still sometimes get mice in, but I just dump poison down the holes (making sure it's well down beneath where the birds can reach - I usually like to dig the hole out with a stick and put plenty of poison under, then LOTS of dirt back on top, and 3 med-large rocks in a triangle to mark where I've previously put poison so I know not to dig there (usually about 30cm deep) - also stops birds having a dig there. Kills the mice, and does it without risking traps for the birds.
I also have my entire frame resting on bessa blocks to stop the wood rotting on the damp floor. Make sure when you wire the underneath of the aviary, the mesh connects up over the top of these, so the holes don't permit animals to get in or out.
A benefit of dirt floors - bird-grass! Automatically grows if you toss some bird seed (or spilt seed) and water if for a few days. In Au. summer it's plenty hot enough for it to sprout by 2 days and the birds will eat all of it as greens. This is a reason why the dirt-floor aviary is my favourite - takes a lot of the hard work out of feeding them a good diet!
naturally growing bird-grass
Can see the concrete pavers beneath the steel aviary (budgies). Poor drainage, but solid foundation and easily cleaned.
Dirt floor - you can see the grass growing in the middle.
