Aussie Finch Forum

Hi everyone new to forum,
Just found my plumhead hen dead on the floor in the arvo after work but did not check in the morning with missing head feathers and swollen and bleeding eyes. No other injuries. Cock bird is fine and pair have been showing some breeding signs.
Had pair in a mixed aviary of double bars/red brows/ gouldians /painted/ Black throated/stars.
Fairly confident it wasnt the other species as all have gotten on fine, but gouldians are sitting on eggs and cock bird has been seen chasing off other species close to nest box.
Double bars have also been a little narky towards other species approaching roost nests.
Aviary is 4x4 mtr x 2.5 mtr h also secure from rats and mice and mouse proof wire floor to ceiling. Newly built 4 month old aviary.
Found her also far from gouldian nest site towards front of aviary.
Any members experiences with this species in mixed aviary would be appreciated and does this species suffer from cock bird aggression they have been fairly solid pair only had them 2 months and fairly placid towards each other.

She looks to be going through a server moult and i can't see any blood. It could be a night fright that has caused it from an external source, cats,rats or owls.
The other birds seem fairly compatible but i would keep an eye on the black throats.
Welcome to the Forum. Craig

Swollen and bleeding eyes can mean a cracked skull, usually caused by panic flying during the night and hitting the wire. They crack their skull and develop a massive blood clot in the brain and die.

Have a low wattage LED night light and set a cat trap in your back yard. The LED light will provide enough light for the birds to see and hopefully not fly head first into the wire. Cat trap to remove unwanted guests killing your birds at night.

You can also put some soft plants at the ends of the aviary to act as a barrier before the wire. The birds will hopefully land in the branches before hitting the wire.

I have found Plumheads to be an extremely quiet,non aggressive bird.Rarely do they even quarrel between themselves,even when in a small colony.As stated,probably night fright or some other reason for hitting something in the aviary.They are a great little bird and probably too underated because of their [to some] drab appearance.One of my favourites,grab another mate for him and good luck.

Thanks everyone
Yes I was very upset with her death as the plumheads were my favourite birds.
Seems very plausible now the night fright theory considering I found her towards the front of aviary.
Her bleeding eye was on the other side I didnt want to offend anyone with the photo quite graphic . I was unaware of a server moult and will research that. The black throats are probably the most docile of the bunch oddly enough I didn’t realise Gouldian males could be so aggressive usually bully black throats.
I sent a pic of my aviary if any other theories come mind but will add brush and low watt night lights to hopefully eliminate anymore fatalities.

You need heaps more plants in there now. Add branches or anything along the sides and front wire and hang a small light in the middle under the sheltered part.

beautiful aviary btw

Personal opinion, I wouldn't clutter it up any more. Your aviary is not over crowded and the more obstacles at the front the more chance of birds
roosting outside at night or hitting them in fright.
Your Plumhead may have died by night fright or natural causes. The visual damage is very likely caused by other finches picking at the dead body.
This happens often. Very attractive aviary and will look great as the plants grow.

I might be wrong, but, do you have 7 pairs of birds and 7 nests? If so this is a problem. Every hen must have a choice, or they will fight. So an avairy with 7 pairs requires 8 or more nests. Otherwise a very nice set up.
LML