gouldians go slow

[finchbreeder]

Hope those of you in the earthquake area did not have any avairy problems.
LML

[garyh]

Hi Beirni,sorry to hear things are not going well at the moment,but i wouldnt rule out the earthquake theory i had 3 hens leave their chicks that night well befor they were due to,lost all 3 nests didnt help being minus 1 degree,just when you think you have it all worked out up pops something else,good luck with your birds garyh.

[gouldianpaul]

Hi Gary,

I'm with you...during the past 2-3 weeks we have had some terrible weather in Vic...the earthquake the other night and about a month ago we had 50ml in 1 day...these 2 events have cost me about 6 nests....but I can't complain as I have managed to get just over 60 young on the perch...let's hope they come through their first moult ok.

I believe the return to a "normal" winter with plenty of rain and high humidity has created an unstable environment for our birds...my experience (and that of many of those I have spoken to) is that the majority of the dead chicks have been at 1-2 days old....I believe the higher than normal level of humidity has affected these chicks...once they have reached 7-10 days old I have pretty much ended up with all birds fledging and being independent...I think i have only lost 3 birds that were older than 7 week old.

Cheers
Paul

[ColouredFeathers]

Me to gary lost 3 nest 12 young in earthquake.
cheers flavio

[grasswren]

I have bred around 20 young so far and havent lost any yet even thou we have had real crappy weather in the last 3 weeks My aviary is a open aviary with a bit of cover at 1 end and the gouldians are doing very well. All my birds came from finch breeders that bred birds in open type conditions these birds are acclimatised to those conditions and have no problems with temperature drops , draughts or wet conditions etc. It seems to condition the young from day 1. Also my gouldians feed on live food maggots etc when young are present in nests I dont know if this is a possitive factor or not but I am happy with my gouldian results so far this year. There are still young in nests today .

[berniep]

Thanks Gary, Paul and Flav, the tossing of 1 - 2 day old chicks is common, however what has really stunned me is the parents abandoning chicks ready to leave nest, defies nature !!! hopefully we may see some better weather changes for next year. Birds i am referring to are only young, so maybe more experience will help. for the record I have successfully 32 young on the perches ( no blues ) Must admit it's b----y cold !!!

[gouldianpaul]

Hi Grasswren,

Congratsulations on having such hardy Gouldians....But please be mindful of the insights less experienced breeders may take from your comments....your statement that your gouldians suffer no illeffects from temperature drops, draughts or wet conditions may lead inexperienced breeders to believe this is normal for Gouldians....whilst each person is responsible for they way they manage their own birds posts on the AFF can be taken lieterally by some AFF members.

For me a strong gouldian is one that reproduces 2-3 nests per year, is parent reared and is in an outdoor avairy that is NOT temperature controlled.....but for you breeders who are happy for your gouldians to be breed in draughty, wet and cold conditions...congratulations...your birds are stronger than me....I wouldn't survive 1 night out in the cold with just my undie's on...but apparently your 1 or 2 day gouldians do

Cheers
Paul

[Craig52]

Hi Grasswren,

Congratsulations on having such hardy Gouldians....But please be mindful of the insights less experienced breeders may take from your comments....your statement that your gouldians suffer no illeffects from temperature drops, draughts or wet conditions may lead inexperienced breeders to believe this is normal for Gouldians....whilst each person is responsible for they way they manage their own birds posts on the AFF can be taken lieterally by some AFF members.

For me a strong gouldian is one that reproduces 2-3 nests per year, is parent reared and is in an outdoor avairy that is NOT temperature controlled.....but for you breeders who are happy for your gouldians to be breed in draughty, wet and cold conditions...congratulations...your birds are stronger than me....I wouldn't survive 1 night out in the cold with just my undie's on...but apparently your 1 or 2 day gouldians do

Cheers
Paul

Craig

[BOF33]

The trouble I have found with most information posted on this forum is there always seems to be a crucial piece of the puzzle missing from people offering advice or responding to a topic. It isn't until you begin your own trial and error that you soon discover that missing piece of information. This discovery usually results in lost birds. I agree with Paul and others regarding misinformation.

[grasswren]

Re: gouldians go slow
by gouldianpaul on 22 Jun 2012, 16:31

Hi Grasswren,

Congratsulations on having such hardy Gouldians....But please be mindful of the insights less experienced breeders may take from your comments....your statement that your gouldians suffer no illeffects from temperature drops, draughts or wet conditions may lead inexperienced breeders to believe this is normal for Gouldians....whilst each person is responsible for they way they manage their own birds posts on the AFF can be taken lieterally by some AFF members.

For me a strong gouldian is one that reproduces 2-3 nests per year, is parent reared and is in an outdoor avairy that is NOT temperature controlled.....but for you breeders who are happy for your gouldians to be breed in draughty, wet and cold conditions...congratulations...your birds are stronger than me....I wouldn't survive 1 night out in the cold with just my undie's on...but apparently your 1 or 2 day gouldians do

Cheers
Paul

gouldianpaul
...............................
Hi GOULDIANPAUL

My aviary is 32ft long 12ft wide 7ft high the only covered end is a area 8ft by 8 ft protecting the birds from the south and west winds etc it has a couple of orange trees growing in it and a few orchids at ground level with a salt bush midway I only have 4pair of breeding gouldians with other finches as I said I have not lost any young from the weather this season and it has been bloody cold over night. As I stated i believe in obtaining young birds especially finches that are bred in the same type of climate and conditions as i have here. I rarely buy finches from bird deallers I have never used temperature control. I reckon this helps to acclimatise the young birds when born

cheers
Bob
Location: melbourne