Aussie Finch Forum

Thanks for the replies everyone. They have been getting greens, soaked seed, occasionally cucumber,carrot or apple, as the stars have been nesting. also had mealworms in there for weeks but really not sure if anyone is eating them.
However right now I am not sure where things are at any more. This morning, last thing I saw was the OB hen going back into the nest. Just got home a little while ago, but OBs are out eating and moving about, and the double bars are going in and out of the OB nest!!!! the OBs and DBs had been squabbling over the nest a few days back but it did look like the OBs had claimed it as theirs. Now not sure if they abandoned the nest, or employed nannies.... Does anyone have any insights.
This morning I was all excited, now thinking that things are not looking great any more... I literally shouldn't have counted my chicks...

How much bush, baskets, boxes ect. do you have for nesting sites, and how spead out are they. Each pair will defend about 1 m around their nest, so if all the nesting sites are with in this territory there in for it. Try to keep as many nest sites as possible spread through out the aviaries to minimise competition for sites.

Thanks VR1. We had two baskets and had two nesting boxes plus 3 hanging baskets of the gardening variety but the distance between them isn't a lot. We added two more baskets the other day to try and avoid squabbling, but both lots of birds have picked one nest that they want... The stars originally started nesting in one hanging basket then started to build nests in some potted grasses.
No one is using the nest boxes so we took one out yesterday and left one. In hindsight the nests are too close together, will spread them out more next time...

I usually put nest boxes either back to back or side to back, it seems to give them the illusion of privacy.
I have wire shelving and they hold two boxes, Ive found that as long as the openings arent facing the same way the birds dont seem to mind. I sometimes do multi storey too.

YH gouldians in box marked 2 nest entrance on the left, no landing perch on that one it was a small branch but they keep pulling it out, and Emblema in the basket, nothing in the forward facing box.
RH gouldian pair and four chicks in the right hand side box, nest material holder underneath is where the emblema raised their last four babies.
nothing in any of these, the wire one is just a new addition yesterday, used be a cage for a light in reptile cage.
The next two pics are the OB nest, three babies in there
nothing in these nests although the ruddies have made a nest in the basket There was eggs in the box facing right but they didnt hatch out. Basket has nest made by ruddies...again There is also another two nest boxes in the aviary both face forward and another two baskets where the ruddies have been busy yet again, still no eggs from them though
So that means 12 boxes, 5 baskets and a new wire basket for 3 pair gouldians, one pair ruddies, one pair OB one pair Emblema.....bit of overkill maybe, but they certainly have choices.

Thanks for the photos Di, that is great. Will look at having nests face away from each other next time around (we have them all facing fwd). Also we haven't yet hung any brush, which would also no doubt make a huge difference.
Anyway I am now totally confused re what is going on with OB nest. This morning, Mrs OB was sitting on the eggs. now they are both out, as are the DB, so no one is sitting on eggs. I give up, will just sit it out for two weeks and see if we get some fluffy chicks at some point, or scrambled eggs instead...
The stars in the meantime are still stuffing around with their nests. totally clueless.

Those pics were taken today, yesterday you wouldnt have been able to see quite as much, I had a big cleanout day and took away most of the brush

They need little L plates dont worry flab they will get the hang of it although the Dbars might be annoying them , anyhoo just keep watching them and see if it settles down.
Maybe just arranging the nests will do it , might be something simple like giving everyone different space.