Just wondering if this Hot Melbourne/Victorian weather is affecting everyone elses Gouldian program?
Have lost a heap of young hatchlings over the recent weeks as well as maybe alot of fried or boiled eggs with this heat.
I guess it will change soon and things will settle down. Have looked at pulling boxes out until it cools down.
Any thoughts?
Breeding Show Zebra Finches, Blue Gouldians, Pied Orange Breast.
Hi AMCA 26, I'm quite the opposite, my birds seem to be loving the hot humid weather, lots of young although the clutch size this year compared to same time last year is smaller, av. last year 4.3 per clutch - this year 2.4. That is also less eggs laid and very close to same fertility rate. The mist sprays have also been working double time.
Brian
Sorry to hear of your loses due to the heat. So far from 5 pairs I have 24 chicks on the perch. The others are on eggs at the moment but I havent checked to see if the eggs have been fried in recent days.
I did prepare for the summer by adding extra shade cloth and chip board baffles which have created extra shade where required.
My Goulds have access to live food 24/7 which they are seen to frequent several times a day.
I have a good fertililty rate Rip 64. Example, 3pr Black Head Blues 19 eggs 18 fertile lost all over late last week with the heat. Some still had food in the crop. Alot of fertile eggs but just too hot. Clutch sizes range from 5 - 8. I have taken some boxes out tonight just need to check on some over the next few days as they had 1 or so eggs so will wait and then take the rest of the boxes out and wait for a couple of weeks and start again and look at changing some birds around. I have kept alot of 1st year birds so most of them have done nothing yet.
Thats no good either Craig.
Breeding Show Zebra Finches, Blue Gouldians, Pied Orange Breast.
AMCA26 wrote:I have a good fertililty rate Rip 64. Example, 3pr Black Head Blues 19 eggs 18 fertile lost all over late last week with the heat. Some still had food in the crop. Alot of fertile eggs but just too hot. Clutch sizes range from 5 - 8. I have taken some boxes out tonight just need to check on some over the next few days as they had 1 or so eggs so will wait and then take the rest of the boxes out and wait for a couple of weeks and start again and look at changing some birds around. I have kept alot of 1st year birds so most of them have done nothing yet.
Thats no good either Craig.
AMCA,you may aswell leave the boxes in,by the time they have rebuilt their nests and laid eggs and the young hatch i'm sure the weather will have changed and you will get them though.Changing birds around at this stage might not be the best thing to do. Craig
Over/Up here on the WA west coast we have mostly been mid thirtys up to low fourtys for a couple of months now. But the humidity has been 40-50% very Bali like. Most birds not doing a lot, but those that are raising successfully.
LML
Craig
. 3 pairs not even gone down.