Questions about gouldians and especially molting

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fitos100
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Posts: 30
Joined: 16 Mar 2021, 01:14
Location: Cyprus

Good Evening.
For a few years now, I have been dealing with gouldians but I have some questions that I hope to fill with your help. Basically their life cycle that I am trying to apply is the following: (I'm from Cyprus nort hemisphere and according to the weather here:)

From January to mid-May is the breeding season.
From mid-May to early August is the molt season
From August to mid-October is the maintenance period
From mid-October to mid-November is the Austerity diet
From mid-November to January is the breeding diet.

The birds come out in a large cage in May for summer and re-enter in a landscaped warehouse in late October.
During the breeding season I separate the males from the females into two large cages. Then I choose the birds that will mate.
All of the above is followed by a proper diet, vitamins, and whatever else needed.

My questions are:

During the breeding season the birds that will not mate should follow different diet?

If I prepare some birds with food as reserves for mating, but in the process I do not put them to mate, then will they have a problem?

How do I understand, when the birds will finish the breeding season and start molting?

Will this happen on its own or will I create the conditions myself? (I do not actually see the molt procedure and this confuses me)

How do I understand the signs of molting in the cages with birds that didn't mate? And when I should expect it?

How do I understand the signs of molting in couples? And when should I expect it
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finchbreeder
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Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Moulting should be easy to recognise. As the birds wil loose all their feathers, but over a period of time. So that they are in a constant state of scruff for a while as a few feathers fall out and regrow, then the next few do the same thing and so on over the entife body. Do your birds have access to natural sunlight?
LML
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fitos100
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Location: Cyprus

Actually most of the lights are artificial. Only some natural light from the door but the glass is very thick restricted the sunlight
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finchbreeder
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Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

In that case do you give them vitmain D? as they would normally get this from sunlight, and it is essential (to moulting birds particularly). As are fresh greens (seeding grasses are very good).
LML
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fitos100
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Joined: 16 Mar 2021, 01:14
Location: Cyprus

I give them vitamins and fresh greens. Also when my breeding season is done, and the the weather is hoter, I move them in the outside aviary.
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finchbreeder
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Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Then they are getting natural Vitamin D from the sun for part of the year. So all should be good.
If you move them all outside after you finish breeding them then they should just naturally go into the moult.
LML
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BrettB
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Joined: 13 Jun 2012, 23:28
Location: Perth

Hello Fitos,
I see that not many people have tackled this question, probably as most reside in the Southern hemisphere.
In Australia the Gouldians moult from about Oct to Dec. They generally finish a couple of weeks prior to Xmas.
I start breeding in February and continue till about May, if you let them they will continue breeding much later.
I do not use an austerity period as such, but increase the green and soaked seed after the moult to prepare the birds for breeding
You can usually tell they are in breeding condition by beak color, males red and hens dark.
I presume the northern hemisphere would be 6 months later (earlier), but have no direct experience
Perhaps one of the UK, european or Americans could chip in

Cheers
Brett
"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are ." Anais Nin
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