Double Bar Finches 2 Issues

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JamesOshaughnessy

Dear AFF Bloggers,

I have two issues with my Double Bar Finches,

To set my current environment. I purchased 4 Double Bar Finches thinking that I had purchased 2 males and 2 females. I 'housed' them in a largish cage providing a selection of nests for them. Over a period of 2 months, namely early spring, there was negative interaction between all 4 four of them. After much investigation I found out that what I actually had purchased was 1 male and 3 females. Due to this negative interaction two of the females started to exhibit scruffy discoulored feathers around their necks. What I did was to buy another cage and to put the two not so good looking female Double Bars into the new cage leaving the healthy male and female get on with their 'family planning'.

Issue 1:
Although the male and female Double Bars are getting along quite well the female keeps on laying different sized eggs. She does not nest on them for long and give up. What could be the problem?

Issue 2:
The two female Double Bar Finches' feathers around both of their necks scruffiness has not improved. How can I rectify this?

I clean both cages twice a week making sure that both cages are clean including nests, refreshing seed and water.

Any advice is certainly welcome.

Kindest regards,

James. :crazy:
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jusdeb
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I had a similar thing happen to a small flock of 6 . They were in cabinets and not getting as much sun as they needed , put them in a suspended aviary and in 3 weeks they had gone back to normal feather .
Mine lost feathers around the face mostly and a little on the neck .

Are yours plucking each other or themselves ?

Are they moulting and having a hard time getting through it ?

Maybe some photos will shed some light on the problem , Im sure one of the experts here will have a better clue than me anyhoo good luck with them .
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
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JamesOshaughnessy

Dear jusdeb,

Thank you for your advice. I shall take your recommendations one step at a time. I have moved the table they are on closer to the window so that they get more sunlight. I will wait a few weeks to see if that will help them. I tried to take a few photos of my finches that has this problem with the plumage but they are very skittish hence I can't get any good photos to post at this time. I will keep on trying.

Kindest regards,

James. :idea:
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Pete Sara
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Joined: 09 Nov 2008, 19:44
Location: Byford WA
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unfortunatly moving the cage closer to the window will only let more light in , but the window it self will not let in the appropriate amount of uv to help improve the birds feahter condition, like us humans they need a reasonable dose of vitamin D to help with feathers and bones etc.

Do they have access to cuttle bone ? as it helps with eggs shells and bones (the calcium within it), not a good thing from my point of view regard cleaning nest all the time , persoanlly would not touch them. Are you placing enough nesting material in for there nest building.....

Double Bars like to alloprean, they could be over doing it and removing to many feathers, so many answers to your questions you just need to work out which one is the answer.... pe
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dano_68
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Joined: 20 Jul 2010, 22:29
Location: Brisbane, QLD

It wouldn't hurt to treat them for lice/mites. There are also plenty of moulting aids and vitamin supplements that would also help them. Also, DB's are not real good in small cages, they are more of an aviary bird.
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