Diamonds redbrowed and double bar

[josh]

Hello , I am thinking of keeping red brows , diamonds and douilbe bar toghether in a avairy 6mx3x2 and problaly have 1pr diamond, 2 pr red and 3 pr double bar. Will these birds get along?I am worried the double bars might get picked on. Cheers

[mickw]

They should all be OK together......in fact they are a pretty traditional east coast finch mix...with an aviary that size you might consider 3 pair of each as the diamonds and Redheads are pretty hard to sex and your breeding chances will be enhanced if you allow young birds to select their mates......it'll be a bit busier in the aviary but if you provide plenty of nesting opportunities (eg brush etc) I reckon you'll give yourself a better chance.

Good luck

[GregH]

I kept these three species together when I was a kid without any problems however apart from the Double-bars they never bred. At the moment I have both Diamonds and Double bars in the same aviary and they do breed (not very much mind you) and as for red-brows they're just not easy to breed. In the wild, surrounding Tamwoth towards the ranges (Limbri, Dungowan, and towards Nundle) I've seen all three species nesting in close proximity to one another but I realise and aviary is an artificial situation and so much depends on the individual dispositions of the birds. The red-brows are the most retiring species so make sure there is plenty of cover but if the aviary is sufficently large there shouldn't be a problem.

[Jayburd]

*sigh* the three species you need a license for here in canberra...
yes they should be fine.

[BENSONSAN]

3 great species also the 3 species which are a pain to sex...there awesome tho! I got redbrows a double bars will get diamies one day.

[josh]

thanks for the advice,
sounds like a good idea to have more than 1 pr of the diamonds say 3 pr to avoid having 2 the same sex, but I was under the impression Diamond males can get agressive. Is this not true, or just very rare?

[COUNTRY CAPITAL]

Josh
that size aviary is great for that amount of pairs.less competition is always desirable to breeding pairs.
the doublebars would be 3rd in the pecking order but will do just fine.
as soon as the diamonds build a nest they will protect an area around it so try to place nesting brush as far apart as possible so the others can build as well.
the 3 varieties you have chosen are all quite difficult to sex so try to ensure pairs ..... make sure only one diamond carries grass/displays etc, the hen usually waits at the site they select to build.if you have a compatible pair established they will have more success breeding without competition from other diamonds.other breeds dont bother them so much.
The redbrows would love a growing bush or similar to build in but cut teatree is next best.they will also behave like true "firetails" when they have a nest site to look after but this is a good thing.
provide lots of seeding grasses and keep your fingers crossed.
hey gregh..... those little pockets of redbrows,doublebars,diamonds are still evident around tamworth, even the odd plumhead. the wild guys visit mine now and then which is good to see.as with most places zebras are the most common finches about at the moment but better than indian mynas.
country capital

[spanna]

Hello , I am thinking of keeping red brows , diamonds and douilbe bar toghether in a avairy 6mx3x2 and problaly have 1pr diamond, 2 pr red and 3 pr double bar. Will these birds get along?I am worried the double bars might get picked on. Cheers

gday josh.

only trouble with redbrows is they usually only nest in living brush. redbrows can be sexed fairly easily when you see a pair together, but daimonds are near impossible and double bars can be very difficult too. if i was in your situation (which i was not that long ago with these birds plus others) i'd go with 3 or 5 young, unrelated (or as close as you can get to unrelated) diamonds in an aviary, and once a couple pair up sell the excess. best to let them choose their own partner is all. 3 pairs of double bars will get along great though. and redbrows are usually fairly placid, though mine get a bit defensive of the green seeds in the morning

6x3 is a great size for an aviary though. plenty of room for them to get about. how much is undercover?

cheers,
spanna

[finchbreeder]

Just remember to put different coloured rings on each bird before releasing them into the avairy to make for easy distinguishing of the pairs. Good luck sounds like you have the right idea.
LML

[mickw]

Since we're all hinting at it.......Redheads, whilst being cheap and common, are not the best breeders.......their numbers in aviaries are clearly maintained by their abundance in the wild, not their relative breeding ease in captivity

Plenty are bred by good finchos, however, they have usually cracked the code .........you would best source your birds from a genuine breeder, their birds should be more settled........The keys to reheads IMHO are.....calm, aviary-bred birds is one, heaps of green feed is another, growing (spiney) plants is another.......and I reckon Casuarina seed ;) (or Allocasuarina for all us science nerds)

There's a heap more to it, not just these listed, they're just the ones worthy of emphasis....

And, agree with the others, once you've allowed your birds to select partners, maybe trim the numbers down to those individual pairs so they can get down to business without interference from non-breeding birds........the birds you've bred yourself should ultimately form the basis of your flock, with new blood introduced from time to time............at least you'll know where they came from and how old they are then