breeding problems with my Gouldians

[DMAN]

Hello

If any one could assist me with some advice, I have a small breeding setup in my garage with 8 pairs of Gouldian Finches they have been laying eggs for the last couple of months but none of the eggs have been hatching. i have a 4 foot full spectrum and a uv light set up on a timer set to come on at 6am and off at 8pm. they get 3 different types of seed as well as egg shell every day, shell grit every day, greens 2 times a week, pink mineral block every day. i have tried them with boiled egg mashed up but they have never been interested in it. I started with one pair of Gouldians about 8 months ago which by the end of the month had grown into about 20 of them they are just such an amazing little bird and i find it very relaxing sitting and watching them for hours. if anyone could offer any assistance if would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Dan.

[djb78]

Hi dman, so you have some gouldians breeding but not laying fertile eggs. This could be due to not copulating properly, age and readiness to breed. These are but a few reasons as to what can produce infertile eggs.
Copulation - as gouldians tend to mate in nests the question would be how many nests are available and what size/type are you using
Age- young and old birds can have a higher infertility compared to birds in their prime on average about 2-4 years of age, so do you know how old they are.
Readiness to breed- some gouldians come in to season at different rates so some hens may be laying dud eggs.
Dman a little bit more info would he appreciated as to size of aviery/ cabinets are you breeding in, are you breeding in a colony or singely ,nests what type are you are giving them and amount of them as well and what type of nesting materials used. Ws have some really good gouldian breeders on here as well as good finch breeders also so hopefully you can get the answers your needing.

[DMAN]

Hi djb78

Thanks for the reply,

Yes they are laying eggs but they are not fertile or they are not sitting on the eggs with any consistency. in saying that i have one pair of BH PB GB that have laid eggs and they haven't left the nest for about a week. they only come out to feed at separate time and then they are straight back into the nest.

Breeding Boxes- I have 2 different size breeding cages and an extra large indoor cage. the bottom 4 large breeding cage size are 600mmW-600mmD-500mmH with 2 wooden nesting boxes on the side 250mm-150mm-150mm with a single pair in each. The four smaller breeding boxes are 400mmW-350mmD-400mmH with a single wooden breeding box on the side size 250mm-150mm-150mm with a single pair in each.

Age- I am not sure of the age of my Gouldians, i know a couple of them are young but they are at least a year old. The rest i am not sure

I use swamp grass in the nest boxes. Some i twist into a ring and put into the nest box and then i attach another lot to the cage wall.

I was reading other posts on here last night and found the information about the darkening of the female beaks, which i was unaware of after checking my females this morning four of the have charcoal to black beaks two others are half black and the other two are there normal colour.

I have attached a couple of pictures i hope this will help.

photo.JPG

photo(2).JPG

[finchbreeder]

I feed green feed daily once the birds start laying.
LML

[ColouredFeathers]

Hi Dman
ITsounds like to me that the hens are ready but the cocks are not
ready to breed ,what i do in that case is block the hole of the nest box
with tape or paper so the hen can not go in for about a week or longer
this is to get the cock into breeading condition some time it works and some time
it does not , this works for me
cheers flavio

[gouldianpaul]

Hi Dan,

Are the birds first year birds....this sometimes happens when first timers try to start breeding.

My Uncle who has a similar set up to yours has had the same problem this year....birds breed in cabinets with no access to direct sunlight...his are also first year birds.

I think you are doing the right thing with the full spectrum lighting.....but don't underestimate the value of a couple of hours (minimum) of direct sunlight....but if that is not an option for you then you need to work around it.....Flavio's suggestion has worked for me in the past....once you are sure the eggs are infertile.

Another thought could be compatibility....just because the hen is laying eggs it doesn't always mean she is compatible with the cock bird in her cage....egg laying clearly indicates she is ready to breed, but maybe not with the cock you have provided her....

You will find that trial and error (and a heap of patience) will help you sought out your problem....best of luck...I hope they start producing chicks for you soon..cheers, Paul

[DMAN]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll try your suggestions.

I would love to get them out into the sun logistically it's not possible.

Only two of them are young, but they are at least a year old. Trial and error it is.

Question how long should I leave a couple paired if they are laying eggs but they are not hatching???

I will post my results.

And thanks again for all the suggestions.

Dan

[BluJay]

Nice set up, DMan. I am only learning the way to raise birds here, namely Gouldians, however, back home, when I started, I had indoor aviary, as well. Did the lighting a little differantly, but first year, was a nothing, other than the canaries. Second year, had gouldian babies left and right. Here is a photo of what I did, only I setup a 70 foot long wall this way.






I believe what they are saying here. Good luck, and hope you get babies!

[DMAN]

Hello Everyone

Just wanted to let you all know that i have finally got 4 baby gouldians the are doing well and all have a healthy set of lungs on the as we can hear them inside the house.

The funny thing is that they are in my larger aviary, not my breeding Cabernet's. i have a 1200mmW x 1800mmH x 900mmD small aviary that i have the odd ones out or birds that i want to rest in. i got some plastic nest boxes back at the start of the breeding session and thought id put one in just to see if the gouldians would use it and low and behold 4 healthy babies. the aviary is in the same spot as the breeding cabernets and has all the same environmental factors. so i am wondering if it was the plastic nest box which allows more light in or is it the extra room, i have 5 gouldians in the aviary.

is aviary breeding more successful than Cabernet breeding or is it the extra light in the nest box or does it just come down to the individual bird and dumb luck.

regard s

Dan

[Diane]

Congratulations.
Ive tried the cabinet breeding and it didnt work for me either but others seems to have great success with it. My birds breed best in the bigger aviary.