new thoughts

[finchbreeder]

We all know the frustration of wanting more/bigger/different avairys. Was just trying to figure out how I could add another avairy myself, and re-arrange my setup. ;) You are getting it right if each time you set up you get a little better set up and results. So youth is on your side Jay.
LML

[craig]

Research (planning) and the actual execution of the practice are two entirely different things, as myself personally is finding out.

I myself look at some of the more exotic finches and drool with anticipation, all I have to do is save some dollars then go out the back and build the facilities required. Just sounds so easy, whats stopping me is wanting to be successfull with each species I keep and "plan" to have minimal setbacks/disappointments as possible.

I'll give you an idea of what my personal plan is with keeping birds are in a nutshell.

Year 1. Bought my house, came with an aviary threw some zebs in there. They bred. Yippee
Bought a pair of gouldians because they are a really nice looking bird.
They lasted nearly 12 months, no breeding and the cold got to em. (Was told not to keep em by a pet store as they all die during winter.)

Last year

Did a heap of research and planned appropriately, got rid of the zebras and restocked on gouldians,
missed out on the breeding season.

This year

They are breeding, woo! And learning heaps about it, and some things cant be explained online or in a book, as they are your birds and they act different to everyone elses. Built an extra aviary so once this breeding season finishes they can be separated into single sex flights. Built cabinets for next years breeding.

Next year

Improve on my results from last year with fledglings, more accurate record keeping. And if things go well I'll have a large aviary or aviary block setup so i can expand on getting some parrot finches. Will also look at trying cordons to see what the demands are like with the introduction of having to feed live food. Also probably have a play with some setups for supplying my own live food. Breeding my own gents and/or mealworms.

Year After

If all goes well, ill say id be looking at improving my breeding with cordons, maybe look at another species with live food demands and another seed eater (depending on how I build aviaries) Maybe have a play with more mutations of the gouldians. Try out blues maybe.

Year After that.

Who knows ? expand on the range of birds i have, build more aviaries, buy a larger block of land

I feel once I am happy with live food feeding and providing the right environment for my birds and having the facilities I need to be able to provide them with this environment, especially if things go wrong. I will start moving to more exotic birds, I would love to keep crimsons and the likes of other expensive birds, and I could go and build an aviary out the back round some up and see how they go. But I know I am throwing myself in the deep end and probably running the birds at risk and not giving them the best environment that I could be capable of giving.

After that then, look at keeping exotic birds together, as I'm sure my house will be surrounded by mesh aviaries and will have the infrastructure available to be a bit trial and error.

Important thing is.

One step at a time.

[Jayburd]

I do like Craig's plan.
However, youth is and is not on my side. I may have a good 70 years of finch breeding to go, but also by the time I can move into my own place, and afford to build aviaries, which I'm going on for 7 or so years now, looking at the rate of decline of species such as
A) Blue Caps
B) Napoleon Weavers
C) Silverbills
various parrot finches, etc. etc. etc.
will not be around. Or, like the blue caps, where I am sure dedicated people like Southy will have and breed them still, blue caps are (for me), at their max price. $300 is a lot, and if they get rarer, it goes $, $$, $$$, $$$$.
So in SOME ways, I admit that I'm in a rush to get there. But, also, I think I am ready to have a crack at some of the birds I listed, including Pytilias, Grenadiers. I'm sure If i had stocked my aviaries a lot more sparsely, then I would have had a lot of breeding success previously.
actually, if the damn mice hadn't made me remove the nest, and the parents hadn't tossed the eggs when moved, I would probably have gouldian and ruddy young colouring up now

[finchbreeder]

Have to agree with Jay and Orix, mice are the bain of all finchbreeders, above and beyond everything, accept maybe unpredictable weather. Craig, your steady and cautious planning should result in breat success. Good luck. Know how you feel in worrying about the future of scarce finches Jay. But there are times when we must have faith in those who have them and are doing their best to breed them. And let them know that you are here to take the batton of breeding them into the future. Patience is hard at your age, but you can achieve all your dreams with patience and the refusal to give in. So good luck, and like others have said, one step at a time. So start with a pair each of the 2 you want the most this year. Then work out what they will pay for with their fledglings. Good luck to Craig and Jay and all who strive to breed and preserve our finches.
LML

[Jayburd]

So start with a pair each of the 2 you want the most this year. Then work out what they will pay for with their fledglings.

but the young will be related so harder to sell...
Those would be the Grenadiers and Blue Caps, at the moment. BUT, cordons first, so I guess grenadiers and cordons

[jusdeb]

Yep 2 pair of each , sell as unrelated breeding pair more $$$$ than sibling pair ....I think this is where the idea of having fewer species and more unrelated breeding stock comes into it , you can pair of the young for easier sale.

[Jayburd]

so does that make it 4 grenadiers and 4 cordons then?
or a trio of grenadiers and 4 cordons?

[E Orix]

The status of alot of more expensive birds may be limited but there are now more and more giving them the exta time and effort.
There are far more Blue Caps available now even if a small number are breeding the majority.
There are far more Napoleons around now, even more so after the last breeding season which was good for a number of breeders.
All other Weavers and Whydahs are reasonable except the Red Shouldered Whydah. What helps them is they are longlived.
The birds in trouble are what I call middle rung species($ wise) Auroras(normal) Melbas,maybe the Nuns and quite a number more.
People presume they are common because of the price but some are in real danger.When the shortage is discovered their prices sky rocket.
Rufous Backs a few years ago I struggled to sell the for $30 now $200+ ,Silverbills are the same,no one wanted them but now.
these are not the only ones and yoiu can put a number of our local species in as well.
With due respect,serious bird breeders shouldn't sell good rare stock to an inexperience breeder. Sadly a dealer may have some caste offs which should never had been put on the market but left to an easy retirement .

[Jayburd]

I have no doubts about the increasing number. However, we are still sending them to different countries, and It'll be a long time before either the napoleons or either of the whydahs go down in price.
I agree with that. However, it may take a good eye to distinguish. I am not an experienced breeder, but I do consider myself an experienced Keeper. I have kept a lot of birds, many successfully, and would still have a large collection apart from mice problems, which won't be an issue in the new place. we are doing everything to make sure they don't arrive here.
Keeping, I think, is the better part of aviculture, because it's the keeping and the management that make the birds desire to breed.
I fully admit that the way I kept birds before now was not the best, i fact, when I was 8 it was crappy, for want of a better word.
Therefore, I think I am ready.
Not only can I keep them, I have endless backup. you guys, my finch club (some of which keep the weavers/auroras), and also my books.

[iaos]

Jay, in the lastest ABK Marcus Pollard mentions that he keeps a pair of Yellow-Winged Pytilias together with a pair blue caps in a 3 x 1 m flight