Aussie Finch Forum

murray_cod wrote:At the moment I don't have brush as that is where the mice were holed up. I have boxes of different sizes and some wicker baskets.

On the subject of nesting material, how do people provide it? On the ground or up in some sort of contraption. Also, what size should the charcoal pieces be?

I just throw it on the floor,just a good handfull and when you notice it is just about gone replace it with more plus feathers to line their nests. As far as charcoal is concerned,you would be surprised how big the pieces are they can carry,i just smash it up with a hammer and they choose their own sizes. Craig

The size of the charcoal that I use is the same size as the pebbles which I put in my aquarium which I also add some pebbles as well. My grasses are usually thrown on the floor but I do place some up higher too. Give them some material and peace and quiet and hopefully they will go down again.

Thanks everyone, I will name the first born after you all.

It seems as the Painted's become more domesticated they don't seem to build that raft of bark,charcole or what ever that the wild birds
do.They seem to build in other areas rather than on the top of the brush as they used to.
The wild birds would build a large floating mass then build on top of that.
The reason I was told many years ago was that in the wild they built on top of the spiny Spinifex Grass. After rain the Spinifex Grass grows
very very rapidly and without the raft it would grow through the nest and impale the eggs or young. With the solid raft the nest simply rose
as the plant grew.
I still have a few pairs that build the raft yet others simply build in my grass cyliners that hang from the roof.

I have one of those old string shopping bags which I fill with grass, feathers, shredded hessian etc and hang in the aviary.
Mine only nest in brush and build their own nests, I supply charcol from very small to a size that I think that the birds can carry to the nest.
On a personal level I think the more natural colours of a painted are way better than in those where the red has been cultivated.

crocnshas wrote:The cock bird is definately on the right,over the last few years some breeders have been breeding the red/yellow fronts on painted cocks to virtually cover the whole front which imo puts your bird to shame,but in saying that the painteds in the wild are not much better than yours. Craig

I tend to disagree, the wild painteds are by far the best. Throw some of the over coloured ones out here and see how they go Craig.

desertbirds wrote:

crocnshas wrote:The cock bird is definately on the right,over the last few years some breeders have been breeding the red/yellow fronts on painted cocks to virtually cover the whole front which imo puts your bird to shame,but in saying that the painteds in the wild are not much better than yours. Craig

I tend to disagree, the wild painteds are by far the best. Throw some of the over coloured ones out here and see how they go Craig.

G'day DB,well you maybe right as other than blueface,i have yet to see a painted in the wild,so i go by pics. You know as well as i do that our domesticated painteds wouldn't last a day in the wild,but in saying that,some breeders have very much increased the size of the red on the front of their painteds,some like it some don't,I'll sit on the fence with this one. Craig

My pair are so quiet that I can sometimes catch them by hand. Would never survive in the wild. Too gentle and trusting.
LML

Thanks Greg/Pauline for the idea of the string shopping bags. I couldn't actually find any but I picked up a cheap nylon rope type hammock and cut it in 3 pieces and made small bags out of each, stuffing them with grass etc. The birds some to enjoy pulling it apart.

The only thing i found with those types of bags is,the birds had a ball pulling all the nesting material and feathers out and it all ends up on the floor anyway and anything larger than an orange/onion bag that allows the the birds to enter becomes a nesting site for the smaller waxbills and cubans and they will defend the the site so no other finch will get any material for their nests.It's is better to make a narrow box out of 12.5 x 12.5 weld mesh and hang that on the wall full of nesting material imo. Craig