How to Build Everything You Need For Your Birds [Paperback]

Don LaRosa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1973

This is a construction manual intended for both budding novices and experienced bird breeders alike. Comprehensively written and professionally illustrated, the book is loaded with construction details, diagrams and pictures, material lists, insulating and finishing techniques and tips, environmental concerns, simple step by step instructions and, essentially, everything you need to know about building everything you need for your birds.

Every plan and construction detail is compiled from years of hands on experience by the author in the raising and breeding of birds ranging from finches, canaries and larger softbills to most of the hardbills including (but not limited to) parakeets, budgies, and cockatiels, on up to amazons, cockatoos, macaws, and so on. There are projects ranging from simple houses, cages, breeding and nesting quarters to small, medium, large and grand scale aviaries, all designed and detailed with both the beginning hobbyist and serious fancier, alike, in mind.

Because many of the aviary designs are based on modular construction, they contain the flexibility to start small and expand or start big and go even bigger. The material & costs have been considered carefully, and the information contained in the book will allow anyone to calculate exactly what is needed before starting actual construction. This makes it possible for the builder to contact material suppliers in his/her local area, obtain prices, and, if necessary, scale back the design to meet the current budget (and make plans to expand in the future). The designs require inexpensive, non-specialized, easy to obtain materials assembled in a straight-forward manner with the minimum tools, and give you strong, durable housing that you can be tailor-made for a specific breed of bird or modified as needed. Included also are construction plans for feeders, waterers, nesting humidifiers, hospital quarters, shipping and carrying cages, electrical wiring, plumbing and ventilation plans for the aviary, plus a host of other ideas, construction tips and general information seldom found in other bird publications.

Copyrighted and published by the author in 1973, the book has sold over 20,000 copies worldwide through the years. Although the materials were reviewed and updated in 1996 to ensure up-to-date information, the content has remained the same. While the book was written for aviculturists, permission was granted in 1990 to an instructor at University of California Berkeley to use excerpts from the book in a class on general construction.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dominic "Don" LaRosa is a retired manufacturing engineer residing in Grants Pass, Oregon. A Navy veteran, he obtained a teaching degree on the GI bill and taught 8th graders in Fresno, California for one year before deciding to accept a position as an engineer. He spent about 30 years in the manufacturing engineering field in Southern California, working on such diverse products as copy machines for Xerox, speakers for JBL, and microwave antennas for Operation Desert Storm. At the time he wrote "How to Build Everything...", he was self-employed as a free-lance engineer and a full-time breeder of exotic birds that he sold to breeders all over the country.

As a breeder and owner of many types of exotic birds for years he designed and built his own aviary after failing to find any information available. After being deluged with requests from other aviculturists, and encouraged by other breeders, he wrote the book to fulfill a need for information on how to construct housing for exotic birds. Since he was working as a freelance technical illustrator at the time, he had the equipment needed to draft all the illustrations and composed and wrote the accompanying information. Discouraged by the beaurocracy of the publishing world, he applied for a copyright in 1973 and began self-publishing. The sales of the book were turned over to his mother who sold the book to wholesalers until 1996 when she suffered a stroke at the age of 91. Although she still loves to discuss her sales and customers she has permanently retired from publishing. When Don retired from engineering in 1991 he bought a 500 acre ranch in Southern Oregon, maintaining and irrigating pasture that was leased for 200+ cattle until ranch injuries (an occupational hazard) forced the sale of the ranch in 1996. Unable to completely retire from working, Don is landscaping the three acres of rural Grants Pass hillside that surround his home, restoring a 1952 International Fire Truck in his machine shop, and has a part-time antique business.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

The manual itself comprises several categories of avicultural equipment which might be considered the basic "essentials" required in the practice of good aviculture: housing, nesting, feeding and important miscellaneous equipment. The section on housing comprises the first, and, by far, the largest category. And rightly so, since it is usually the adequate and proper confining of his pets that is of utmost concern to the aviculturalist and, by virtue of the many variables to be considered in designing a dwelling-type structure, there is an abundance of material to be offered the reader.

Power tools are not considered a prerequisite for building most of the projects described in this book, although the experienced craftsman or impatient beginner who has access to these tools will find them a great asset. The only tools to consider essential for most of our needs are a hammer, hand saw, hand drill, an assortment of wood drill bits, several sizes of hole-saws that can be attached to the drill (for cutting nest box entrance holes), screw driver, medium-sized crescent wrench, pair of wire cutters, square, measuring tape and pencil.

...Needless to say, the best tools will give the poorest service and results unless they are handled properly. The beginner might profit immensely by picking out one of the more simple projects to start with in order to test his ability to make precise measurements and use his tools correctly. This is particularly important where power tools are to be used for the first time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 55 pages
• Publisher: Larosa Pubns; 2nd Rev edition (November 15, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967262208
• ISBN-13: 978-0967262208
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for the average suburban hobbyist, August 6, 2003

By 

Erik "Honest Dylan Fan" (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Build Everything You Need For Your Birds (Paperback)

Potential purchasers of this booklet should be aware that the author is very serious about his birds. What he considers a "quite small" aviary, "for the aviculturist who has only restricted land area for his hobby", measures 11 by 16 feet. A "fairly large" one is 38 by 24 feet, complete with concrete foundation, plumbing, heating, electric lights, and 12 foot ceilings.
If, like me, you are looking for ideas for a small backyard aviary for a few canaries, you should look elsewhere. This publication contains plans for only 6 aviaries. Four are far too large for the average suburban lot, unless you are willing to knock down your house first, and the other two are so rudimentary that plans are hardly necessary.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Build Everythinh You need for your Birds, May 6, 2002

By 

"whtmgcwitch" (Cherry Valley, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Build Everything You Need For Your Birds (Paperback)

For a long time I looked for something easy to understand that gave me different styles for building an aviary for my birds. This is the first book I have found that even I can understand and follow.
It has different and innovative designs for just about any yard type. The instructions are easy to understand as are the illustrations. It even includes things I wouldn't have even thought of, much less considered.
I am very pleased with this book, as is my husband..and we are in the process of building our first aviary from one of the plans in the book. I and my birds will be delighted when it is completed.
If you are considering building an aviary, I highly recommend this book.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional plans, better than what I expected., February 21, 2003

By 

"cooliochix" (Oakdale, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Build Everything You Need For Your Birds (Paperback)

I needed a means by which to build aviaries for my birds. I have built one out of the book, and it is great. I'm most impressed with the bird "hospital" cage.. It works exactly as described. My first impression when I received the book was not that great. The drawings were clear, directions clear, but I guess on some level I expected something more than what looked like a college study packet from Kinko's. The designs in this book and the subsequent modifications I've made to them to fit my needs have been outstanding. One needs only a modicum of building expertise, a knucklehead can put the designes together. Highly recommended... again, this is coming from someone who has actually built items off the plans in the book. It's not a glitzy book, but doggon functional.