Breeder said Wait

[Matt]

Personally, I think you could get in a clutch before the worst of winter and then another early september. Newcastle temps are fairly mild. There are two main reasons why people don't breed goulds through winter. To protect their hens from eggbinding and to save the heartache of losing chicks on cold nights. Provided you keep the greens up to them and provide plenty of egg shells and cuttlebone, eggbinding shouldn't present a problem for any healthy hen in good condition and unless they aren't protected from the weather very well, I wouldn't consider Newcastle in June to be cold enough to kill chicks in the nest.

[matcho]

I agree Matt,

Good diet and protection from drafts is the main concern. I'm lucky, my avairy faces north, has a large wall behind which retains heat and has removable perspex covers.ie; it is fully enclosed/dry. Cod liver/wheat germ oil in the seed helps a fair bit ( in my case) with the eggbinding issue. My birds breed through winter and are finished by Sept. I pull the boxes out then to give them a bit of a rest and to let them get throught the moult. Strange isin't it how they tend to breed in the cooler months down here? Could it be that the wet season up north has finished and now all of the feed (seeding grasses etc) are now available and they have just carried this trait over with them? Could it also have something to do with lengthing or shortening of daylight hours? I am sure that there are a thousand and one questions that could be asked, but hey, that would take all of the fun out of this hobby/obssession.

[jusdeb]

It raises a good question ..... have aviary birds lost their instincts to breed at certain times ?

[nathan morley]

Gouldians breed in winter naturally inq the wild so it's fine to breed them in the winter

[flap]

Gouldians breed in winter naturally inq the wild so it's fine to breed them in the winter

I am a novice and I haven't looked into their habits in the wild, but that would be in the northern part of australia where the climate is very different from southernmost parts. So although it might be ok in their natural environment, most of us breed them in colder climates where egg binding and chick survival might be more of a problem in the winter.

[jusdeb]

If you look at this page there is a map of where they originate . Long way from the colder winters we have down here ..

http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Erythrura-gouldiae" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Natural breeding season January to April ...I dont think they do breed in the wild in Winter according to site mentioned .