Keeping the sun/heat out of an aviary

as per title really, what is the best way to keep the sun out of the avairy? I have looked at that silver insulation stuff from wickes but doesn't that retain heat? I looked at shade netting and those cheap blinds from IKEA. I think I need to cover the roof with something too and keep the air flowing. Not sure which method would be the best. Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you.

What's the construction of the aviary? Is it mesh sides with plastic covering them to keep the rain out? If so I assume you can lift the plastic out of the way to get ventilation through the mesh. I'd be looking at blocking the sunlight from a slight distance, if that makes sense - so that whatever is doing the blocking isn't close enough to also hold the heat in.

Need pics of the aviary set-up from the side the sun shines in....

Ahhhh, that would make sence and blocking from a distance. The avairy is sat on the patio with it's width runnning along the back of the house. The sun is coming in from the right as you look at it when stood on the lawn and the front as the sun moves around (between 2 and 5 pm) I will take a photo tomorrow.

The sun isn't a problem for Vince and the girls as they can acccess their run in the shade but Tilly doesn't have a run as I plan to let her free range the garden most of the time when we are out there (and have a fenced off area when we are in but not in the garden) I have been bringing her indoors between 2 and 5 so she doesn't cook)

If you raised the roof in the warm part of the year, say about 4 inches, would the little darlings be able to get out? Something like below between the aviary walls and the roof with the sides open with the mesh to keep out the bugs.

The roof is raised on struts, not quite 4 inches, the roof isn't flush with the avairy walls. I took a photo with my phone, not the best quality

Have you got one of those big parasol umbrellas that come with patio furniture? That might work stood on the front edge of the patio bit, depending on whether it goes tall enough to shield the sun and how often you need to move it along.

It looks pretty well ventilated as you only have solid plastic on one end and partway along the front.

Could you get a bed sheet and peg it to the mesh?

I thought about what had been mentioned and tried some of the things, Iremoved some of the corrugated roofing off the side, the top half and pinned a woven straw beach mat to the inside of the roof. I also hung some fleece up on the washing line which shaded some of the avairy. I sat in with Tilly and it was much cooler. I must remember to put the fleece on the washing line in the mornings if I go out for the day. the sun umberella would be a fab idea, I don't have one but was thinking of getting one for the kids in the paddling pool, that would work.

My plastic sheeting arrived this morning, I need to cover the front and two sides with it to keep rain out, but will do it so the whole peice can be rolled up out of the way on sunny days.

Thank you for your input, two or three heads is better than one!

The only other way you could do it is maybe buy a cheap gazebo and put that over the top of the aviery if you can or buy a large tarpaulin attach it to the wall of your house and find a way of bringing it over the top of the aviery.

We put this over our runs in the Summer to shade the buns.



and this is what we do when we want to shade the boarding shed on really hot and sunny days
and we put runs under it as well. You could do this and attach it to poles in the grass ( if you don't mind holes)
the steel poles the tarpaulin is attached to are from B&Q .

Thats really helpful, thank you. Your tarps look really professional and tidy We did have a gazebo set up all year round on the patio but DH thought it looked unsightly so I had to take it down

I've hung a huge white blanket over the washing line which offers shade when the sun comes around that side of the avairy and I'm gonna try and get a sun umberella today, the kids can use it too.

Vince the bunny wrote:I'm gonna try and get a sun umberella today, the kids can use it too.

I like the ways buns get first dibs on the sun umbrella

Sparky wrote:

Vince the bunny wrote:I'm gonna try and get a sun umberella today, the kids can use it too.

I like the ways buns get first dibs on the sun umbrella

I found the blankets in the attic that I wrap the hutches in during the winter, and made a homemade gazebo by pegging it onto my washing lines (i have 5 washing lines as I do soooooooooooo much laundry with 3 kids ) It worked really well and the kids got loads of shade too to play in. So the buns and the kids benefited and I didn't spend a penny! Keeping the shade away from the avairy definately has worked and I have increased air flow throught the avairy by removing one of the corrugated panels on the side.

Thanks for your suggestions