Breeding Zebra Finches in Qatar

[musabss]

Hi,
I plan on getting a few pairs of zebra finches (5 Pairs). Currently I have 2 Zebra Finch pairs (individually housed), one of whom have successfully started laying their fist clutch, while i am expecting the second to start laying in a few weeks.
Later, I plan on getting Gouldian Finch, Star Finch and Crimson Finch from the money I make from selling the zebra finch.

Now my question are as followed:
Q1) Which is better, a colony or individual housing?
Q2) If colony, what is the best size for my scenario?
Q3) Should I use a box or nest cup? (Currently, I have Coconut nests, but I don't want to use it as it doesn't have access to clean the nest or candle the eggs.
Q4) If I choose to go for a colony, later can I add Gouldian Finch, Star Finch and Crimson Finch into the colony, and use the same nest type already being used?

[finchbreeder]

Zebras will do fine in either individual pairs or a colony.
An ideal avairy is at least a 2mtr cube. But as they will breed you will also want a couple of cages at least a metre long to house the young prior to selling.
Zebs are not cup nesters - they will nest in almost any enclosed recepticle. If you make your own boxes with a slide up door, remember to have the opening at the other end, so they can leave without being stressed too much.
All finches can be mixed, but you will get best results from keeping individual species seperately.
Box type nests work for most finches. However if you are able to have larger planted avairies and supply plenty of grasses, you will find some prefer to make their own nests in the shrubbery. These may even do better than the others, due to the insects that will come to the shrubbery.

[musabss]

Thanks for your detailed response, in terms of box nests, what should be the dimensions, L/H/W? and the size of the opening? Is there a specific design that is better, that you can share, so I can just replicate that.

At the moment I can not provide a planted aviary because, 1) I don't have such space available. 2) The weather is extremely hot here these days, maybe I will make one at my roof in better weather and shift them there for the season.

Can you provide any good source where I can study about mutations and how they work?

[finchbreeder]

Re the nest boxes, they are very flexible, but I would not go under a 5" square box, or over an 8" square box.
The 1st because smaller is too hot and squishy when full of chicks, the 2nd because they just keep stuffing more nesting materials in.
Squares and rectangles are all good, do put ventilation holes in the sides near the top but.
Planted avairies are not necessary for the Zebs, but are a good idea when you expand into the fancier finches.
So no problem for now - it is possible to do on a limited scale by having pots with seeding grasses in the avairy and rotating them in and out for cleaning, and to allow them to recover from the finches attentions.
https://birdkeeper.com.au/collections/frontpage
The Zebra finch book sold on this site is the one I have and refer to.
There used to be a great website too - but it has vanished.