Gouldians and drafts

[TimidFinch]

For whatever reason, one of my zebras has turned into an a-hole and is chasing my gouldians away from the draft-proof end of my shelter, forcing them to roost elsewhere, and the shelter I have up the other end is completely ignored. There are no nesting sites, no food, nothing to protect or fight for where the draft proof area is, and my aviary is decently sized (1.5m w by 3m l), so I'm not sure what else to do, bar removing him (sort of attached, named and everything). But I guess my question is: do drafts actually kill gouldians? Will they be okay sleeping in the open-air area of my aviary where it seems to be constantly breezy?

I always thought it was a little stupid worrying about drafts to a certain extent, given they didn't evolve in areas with manmade roofs and walls, but I understand gouldians are from way up north, where windchill isn't probably an issue like it can be down here.

I've done some google searches, but can't find a consensus. Some say drafts are the gouldian grim reaper, but others say those bred down south are more hardy.

I had thought about adding a lot of nest boxes, but would they use them just to roost in? (I don't breed them, only have males).

[matcho]

Timidfinch,

The bottom line with gouldians they do not like drafts. Maybe ok in the warmer summer months where a draft is a cooler breeze. Come winter it is an entirely different thing because gouldians are one of a very few birds who do not have down ..ie fluffy feathers that keep them warm under their outside feathers. If you are going to keep goulds outside during the colder months in the Melbourne I will give you this advice. 1. Aviary face north. 2. Try and have a wall behind your aviary so the south winds can't blow through but over. 3. Make sure it is covered.with roosting/nesting areas against the southern wall. 4. If you can try and cover the aviary open spaces with blinds/perspex which keep the drafts out and heat in overnight, my only open facing area is to the north, gets the morning sun all year.

The worst part is that the buggers tend to breed during our southern winter months and the cool weather/drafts cause all sorts of problems with chicks in the nest/egg binding etc, etc

No good putting in boxes for overnight roosting because they don't do it. Hens and cocks sit on eggs and chicks until about day 10. Pretty sure hens sit during the night and cocks during the day.

Hope this helps.

Ken.

[TimidFinch]

Thank you for the insightful response.

My aviary does face north, though the winds tend to bounce around like pinballs and end up as a breeze blowing through the front. I have boarded areas with plexiglass, too, but I just can't seem to keep the air still, which is why I carried out a reno of sorts and added a walled off shelter that is covered on all sides, but they refuse to use it. I put their food in there, which encouraged them to go inside and eat, but for some reason, it's unworthy of a roost.

Would supplemental heat work? The infrared type? I have no intension of breeding so maybe it's worth coddling them, as they are stunning and I would hate to lose them over the winter. I mean, it's February and even I've had the heater on a few nights this week

I might even keep them inside over winter. Luckily, they don't get scared and flap around when I'm up close. I've had quite a few different species of finches over the years, and the gouldians I have now are by far the least timid. Every now and then they even land on my shoulder when I'm inside the aviary (it's in a high traffic area, so I think they're used to people being around, though the zebras remain skittish).

I hope they appreciate the lengths we go to

[finchbreeder]

Are you saying the food is in the area the Zeb is claiming as strictly his? If so this could be the problem. If not and he is just a pest, you could get a small cage and try turning him into a pet, with just one companion.
LML

[Craig52]

Agree with FB, remove him as he has become the dominant bird of the aviary. You didn't say how many zebs are in the aviary, and it doesn't matter whether you have just males or not there is always going to be a pecking order.
Sounds like you have made pets of your birds, so you are very attached to all of them but you need to make a hard decision of just keeping zebs or just gouldians imo. Craig

[TimidFinch]

Ok, he's out. Little bugger was attacking the other zebras as well this morning. Need I say he eats and sleeps by himself generally, so maybe he'll enjoy his own cage.

I don't know if anyone here has kept African cichlids, but this ordeal is unearthing some horrible memories.

Anyway, hopefully the gouldians will be able to roost in the sheltered area tonight.

[Craig52]

Yes i have kept them and yes one specie per tank very similar to birds. Beware though,now he has gone another will step up to the mark. Craig

[TimidFinch]

Beware though,now he has gone another will step up to the mark. Craig

I hope not. The other three seem to be quite friendly. I haven't seen them have a go at each other or the gouldians. It's a shame though, because the zebra I took out was the best looking. Very striking and bold, unlike the rest which look like sparrows from a few feet away. I may even reintroduce him after a couple of weeks and see how he goes.

Zebra finches are described as good community members everywhere you look, so I'm a little surprised, especially since they're not rearing young and I have multiple food/ water dishes

[finchbreeder]

Birds are surprisingly like people. Most are very nice. But you will always find one A---- in each comunity. And - forgive me gents - it is quite often a bloke with too much tesesterone.
LML