Best combination of mixed finches for breeding

[murray_cod]

Thanks to everyone for your responses, appreciate your time.

With respect to pairing up birds, I reckon I am pretty good with the double-bars, though the Diamonds are a bit more difficult. What I was meaning is someone once told me we shouldn't assume that 1 male and 1 female will always make a breeding pair, a bit like ourselves each individual will be compatible with some birds but not others. I was wondering whether I should leave the species together in flocks and then try and indentify the individual breeding pairs before separating. The only birds that have bred so far are the Red-Faced Parrots and I only have one pair of them. The only reason I was really thinking of utilising the separate flights for now was having seen the Parrots pull apart a Painted nest I was concerned about some species dominating the aviary.

[finches247]

Can't see how a single pair will take up more room than a colony.
All I can do is repeat, single pairs will give the best breeding results.[/quote]

Sorry I am meaning If you only have 2 aviaries and you have 3 pairs of that particular species so makes hard to run as single pairs.

[jluna]

if i had my way, i would run your birds as a big group for a season until pairs are obvious (legring all of them!) and then split into three grroups with a pair of each in each aviary. i agree that single pairs will do better, but they'll also like having others of their kind close by in terms of sound recognition, warning calls etc.

[Tiaris]

Most species breed better as single pairs because they are less stressed by the constant competition which a colony creates in the strict confines which an aviary creates. If I had only 2 breeding aviaries and 3 pairs of a species I'd keep the best 2 pairs as a single pair in each aviary & be very surprised if breeding results didn't improve. I know that many enjoy the sight of a group of pairs of a species in the one enclosure but apart from this there is rarely any benefit to the breeding prospects or quality of life of the birds so housed. If they are in the same backyard they'll still be able hear each other's calls.