Is overcrowding somewhat of a myth?

[davlee]

One of my aviaries is 4.5m x 0.8m.
This summer I trialled leaving nesting material & boxes in place as not many fledged most of last year.

As of December last I considered I was fully stocked with 14 finches in all. Since then I have had many young fledge and now have 23 with more Gouldians and RFPF close to leaving the nest.

All seem quite happy and unstressed with this number. I know I have to bring the numbers down but have been surprised at the lack of issues with such a large number of finches. I am guessing that if they were stressed breeding would stop, which it certainly hasn't. Others are nest building now

Due to having a small yard, another aviary is out of the question and is the reason I can only have a 0.8m width. Once the current young have fledged, I will be removing nesting until I can reduce numbers.

Dave

[Tiaris]

If you are happy with 9 young from 7 pairs in that time then that's great.
The notion of overcrowding an aviary is certainly not a myth when looking not only to optimise breeding outcomes but importantly to also minimising serious health and compatibility issues.
If you can find a way to remove independent young from the aviary at least, you are likely to experience better breeding outcomes with fewer problems going forward.

Good luck.

[finchbreeder]

Experience is the best teacher re which birds are more sensitive to crowds. The number of young you are happy breeding is also a personal thing. However. People are a perfect example that slums make great breeding grounds, and have high infant mortality. So. This teaches us that it is cleanliness - cleaning out droppings and replacing perches regularly - that are perhaps most critical in our finch keeping.
LML

[davlee]

Cleanliness is an interesting point.
Due to 80cm width, I have pull out trays in the hard floor section. These make regular cleaning so easy & quick.
Dave