Aussie Finch Forum

I have just discovered the death of the hen Cordon and would like to consider buying two pairs of RC Cordons for my aviary. This would mean three males and two hens in an aviary 3mx1.5x2.1. Any suggestions on the suitability? Some articles I read say never put two pairs in the same aviary while others say they have up to 10 pairs in an aviary?

If thats all thats in there and plenty of cover...can't see a problem...if you have any other birds in there it would be a bit crowded...

The reason people say not to have 2 pairs is that 2 pairs will bicker a lot, but with 3 pairs or more you will find that the bickering is "spread out" more amongst the birds, so there is less stress. With spare cockbirds the hens may get more attention than they want, which may stress them, but I have never had cordons in colonies, so can't comment on them in particular.

I've only every kept RCCBs as one pair in a mixed aviary. I'm not confident they'd work real well with multiple pairs in an aviary your size. Why not try some other species with them? Ruddies or OBS maybe?

Hi JohnP,

I'd stay stick with one pair, too, especially in that size of aviary.

I have bred an excess of hens this year and would happily give you one if you could be bothered driving to Gundaroo.

mm.

In my opinion you will breed more with one pair per aviary.In my big flight there are many pairs and they are constantly squabbling.
Sparing in flight right to the roof at times. The saving grace is they don't harm each other just bluff mainly but still you end up with one dominant pair.

i'd stick to one pair in an aviary that size. i have tried 3 pairs in similar sized aviaries with only fair results. these pairs were later placed as single pairs and numbers fledged improved. another rule i stick to with any colony breeding is to have excess hens .
regards

With Cordons I've had single pairs, 2pairs, 3 pairs & 6 pairs to an aviary. Single pairs always resulted in larger clutches & more of them per pair.
Even when colonies are all put in as young birds & allowed to mature together, colonies still resulted in bickering and interference during courtship & mating. Extra male would be an added disturbance for them I'm sure. When kept as single pairs & given consistent quantities of small livefood (termites/maggots) Cordons can be among the most productive breeders out of any finches in a mixed collection. Anything other than single pairs & consistent livefood supply will compromise breeding output.