Alternative nesting materials

[Jayburd]

awesome finchbreeder!
Thanks CC I'll also try and find out if my grandparents are farm-sitting anytime soon and see if there's any around.... for memory not till ater christmas though.

[spoton]

I have found that Barley Hay (bought to feed my horses) is accepted by my Goulds, Fire Finches and the flying rats (aka zebras).

The fire finches hunt for small soft pieces to line the nest before stuffing it with anything white!!!!

[E Orix]

Before we had access to swamp grass I would buy a sq bale of grass hay.I was living in the city then but all that is, is cut long grass.
If you can just cut it lay it out on a tarp and turn it.The sun will dry it within days.Don't forget to gather it up at night though.
DO NOT use any synthetic material,the reason is that it is made from many many tiny strands.These tangle around toes,the strands
are so small you can't see them. They are still strong though and cut the circulation off the toe etc and it will drop off.
Some tangle the birds and the result is dire.
Sadly the white jute rope is now hard to get,we would cut it up in about 120mm lengths then pour boiling water over the cut pieces and
they would unravel.This also worked for the old pieces of Hessian Bag.
These days I still use the good old Coconut Fibre which is used by cup and dome nesters to line their nests.
Actually one specie of Weaver usually builds its total nest from it.
Going by the amount of water around I will be using alot of meadow hay this season as my normal harvesting area is still under nearly 2 meters of water

[Tiaris]

Teased stringy eucalyptus bark (various species) is another good nesting material for many finches. Ruddies, Painteds & most cup-nesters & softbills love it. You can cut it to any length you like.

[Jayburd]

Thanks for the ideas guys
Orix I still have some of the coconut fibre from your place, the jacarinis show interest when I put it in and by the next days it's vanished....

[MadHatter]

You can also get fair sized bags of "Pet Hay" at most pet shops and produce stores which are ideal for those of us with smaller numbers of birds to cater for. Much more economical than swampgrass alone. I find many will build the bulk of the nest out of the hay and use the swamp grass for softer lining.