Diamond Firetails and masked Finches

[Jayburd]

I'd like to pick everyone's brains about Diamonds and masked finches... any and all hints, tips, and general info welcome!
By the way any sort of masked finch ;)
Thanks!

[COUNTRY CAPITAL]

Gday Jay,
we need more keen youngun's like you......but how are you going to remember all this stuff????
Anyway.....i have breeding colonies of both masked and diamonds and they are both ideal aviary subjects(though in the ACT i would sway to diamonds as they will handle the cold better).
i keep mine in outdoor planted aviaries and they love foraging through the flight for food and nesting sites.
masked in particular love building nests low down in tussock grass but this season the rain has caused problems for them.in warm weather they go ok but wet weather plus temperatures under 20c will combine to give real problems.
Face the aviary away from wind as much as possible and they will prove hardy.
the more space the better but these 2 varieties mix quite well,diamonds will chase other diamonds much more than other species and masked are innoffensive most of the time(mind you i keep mine as individual colonies).
Another point i feel essential is feeding......greens and seeding grasses are needed to get consistent breeding results and generally healthy birds.a couple of pots with silverbeet or seeding guinea grass is better than nothing but the more the merrier. my flights resemble jungles at present and they couldnt be happier.....
Hope this helps a bit Jay......your experience that you already have combined with your enthusiasm should lead to success and i can recommend both masked and diamonds to you as rewarding birds with a character that will soon grow on you.
good luck with the new aviary.
Country capital.

[finchbreeder]

I bet Jay has a computor file that takes up half the hard drive, labeled "finch stuff" and copies and pastes half the forum into it as well as all the newsletters. And that is his late night reading.
LML

[COUNTRY CAPITAL]

Of course finchbreeder where would we be without good ol' putas....minus the AFF for one!

We need more "Russell Kingstons" in this world so keep it up Jay.....maybe one day you will write a book to rival the great man....

All i can add is try to be "well-rounded" in learning as much as you can about everything or you may become "Nerdy" like some of us.....
cc

[jluna]

haven't bred masks, but had a fair bit of success with diamonds - mine used/preferred cylinders of bird mesh attached to the aviary roof, i stuffed a handful of dried grass in each to get them started. they need LOTS of material for their nests, as they end up being quite large structures. i never fed live food but had fully planted aviaries with lots of seeding grass and natural insect supply.

[Jayburd]

thanks guys

though in the ACT i would sway to diamonds as they will handle the cold better

yeah we get them wild around here quite a bit...

but how are you going to remember all this stuff????

I bet Jay has a computor file that takes up half the hard drive, labeled "finch stuff" and copies and pastes half the forum into it as well as all the newsletters. And that is his late night reading.

what finchbreeder said my personal bedroom computer has a file about 9-10 gigabytes, labeled all finch stuff, not to mention all my parrot, softbill stuff etc. but yes I write down all I learn, and my diaries grow fatter every day

[flap]

Ask Spanna, he has both.

[Jayburd]

good idea was actually just about to send him a PM

[spanna]

I am a willing fountain of (probably unreliable) knowledge

replied to your email mate, hope it's useful.

[Jayburd]

thanks about to read it