Gouldian Finch - Nesting box

Nesting Box

I have chosen a standard nesting box as apposed to basket type nest. I have been advised best for breeding Gouldians

Dimensions

Height - 13cm
Width - 13cm
Length - 21cm

Placement

On some advice I will attempting to breed in a smallish cage. I going to position the box two thirds of the way up from the bottom and face the box away from front so they can not see me approach during feeding etc. I have been told Gouldians are particularly private brooders.

Nesting Material

I have been advised that Gouldians are very lazy in building nests. Thus they need the nesting box to be filled with dry grass. I have successfully in the past achieved results by placing a hollowed out ball of dried grass with a entry aligned with the entry of the box.

I would really like feedback from successful Gouldian Finch breeders. I would like this blog to be a collaboration.

Cage Maintenance

I have decided to do some maintenance and paint some cages prior to the warmer months in preparation to breeding season. I have fully cleaned out and sprayed painted black. It has really improved the appearance of the cage.

Illawarra Bird Sale

I attended the local bird sale on the weekend and along with the Nowra bird sale a few months ago. Although I haven't been in the market for new birds I just have to attend because their is simply nothing like it for my interest in keeping birds. Its great place to see birds you don't get see every day such as Macaws, Amazons and Black Cockatoo's.

I do a lot of research into bird pricing both online and in pet shops and like most sales prices ranged from very cheap to a little pricey. I just updated some water dishes and feeders.

Galah's - Destructive to timber

Cockatoo's are very destructive to timber in an aviary something that had not experienced until I got my pair of Galah's. 

It started with structural wood, shelves, perches, nesting boxes and feeding containers. Some of my other species chew a little but nothing to the degree of my Galah's. 

I now combat it by keeping a lot of branches in the aviary giving them plenty of fodder to chew on. I put a large paper bark branch in and they chewed all the bark from the branch in a day.

I also thought being nearly twice the size of my next largest bird they would have a greater appetite but they eat little more than my Green cheeked Conure or Indian Ringnecks even though I provide them with more food.  

Gouldian Finches - Females

I have noted in recent times it has been very difficult to get females of several species. I have had terrible luck with my Gouldian finch females with one escaping and my replacement female passing away unexpectedly.

I have not found females for sale out side of pairs and finally relented and purchased another pair.

I will introduce my spare male in soon and hopefully it will have no affect on breeding and nesting having two males.

Predators

Keeping birds attracts predators. I have ongoing issues with cat, a fox took one of my neighbors chickens and for couple of days last week we had a hawk terrorizing the aviaries.

Fortunately the dogs provide a deterrent for this and most other predators. My biggest worry was the birds being scared literally to death and my chooks that spend some days free ranging in my yard. 

6/2 We have more visits by our hawk over a few days. One of dogs had an operation recently and thus couldn't be outside running about as much. He has since recovered so we are now making sure the dogs are out in the yard when we are not home. Hopefully this will scare the hawk off. He is after our chooks I'm pretty sure and they always go off when the hawk is about.

  

King Parrot

I get many different species parrot around my yard.

Rainbow Lorikeet
Crimson Rosella
Galah
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Eastern Rosella
Corella
Black Cockatoo

Although to date I had never seen King Parrots in my back yard. A juvenile pair I think but one allowed me very close before it took off in the same direction as the other.

Tommy

"Tommy" as he has been become known is my Indian Ringeck runt. After the last of his brothers and sisters left the nest its was clear that he need at least another few weeks in the box.

He was actually the first to exit the box (not sure if he was pushed out) but I returned him and did not come out again until after all the others had left. Once he was on his own I was taking him and the box inside at night and comp feeding him with hand rearing formula morning and night. He never really took to the formula but one night witnessed him exit the box and try to get "Boe" to feed him. Boe being an unrelated male Indian ringneck I thought would have nothing to do with this actually looked as if he may feed Tommy but after providing some apple to feed Tommy with got more protective of his new food source.

I now leave Tommy out in the aviary. I take him out of the nesting box every morning and return him every night. He has slowly been climbing the aviary sides and is now sitting on perches. "Nippet" his father feeds him regularly but have not seen "Nelly" doing the same.

Galah's Breeding

The Galah's have started to gnaw around the entrance of there  breeding box which I thought maybe a sign that they will start to breed however no eggs are present yet. I expect them to need to settle in aviary so I'll hopefully get chicks next year.

I have found Galah's to be in general very destructive to any timbre in aviary. Chewing anything wood.

No Green Cheeked Conure chicks this year

After early breeding signs it look like one of my most reliable pairs aren't going to breed. After breaking their first egg and the second ended up in the water dish, there has not been any more eggs.

 The female has now started to malt a little and I do not expect a female that has lost condition to have a clutch. The one thing that I liked to do that I have not this year with the Conures is partially cover the breeding box with branch. Can't say for sure if this had anything to do with this years failure but I will certainly do it next year.