Temperature for Gouldians

[Tiaris]

I am very strongly of the opinion that allowing Gouldians to experience a very wide temperature range adds to the toughness & resilience of the birds so kept and bred. Of course this is entirely within reason & I realise that Bob lives in England & Aussie style outdoor aviary breeding for Gouldians all year round may be highly impractical if not cruel (although I do know a bloke in Belgium who does it very successfully in outdoor aviaries & has an especially long order list for his weather-tough strain of Gouldians). I found what Desertbirds said to be very interesting re: woosifying the wild birds & its effect.

[finchbreeder]

I found what Desertbirds said to be very interesting re: woosifying the wild birds & its effect.
Hmm. Well mine have a nice big tree over their avairys and auto retic to make sure that the water is flushed twice daily in summer. Apart from that the avairys are tin and wire with some plastic over the top to stop predators. Apart from that they just cope with the weather as it is. And it does not seem to be a problem. They get winds from every direction at some time or other and have to figure out for themselves where to perch to keep out of the breezes. I do however live in a pleasant climate overall.
LML

[BrettB]

Interesting topic.

I think we need to be clear and not confuse the temperatures that Gouldians are able to endure with those that are "ideal".
It is also important not to compare thermostatically controlled internal temperatures that never vary, and that birds have no capacity to escape from, with external fluctuating temperatures which the birds can minimise by adjusting their behaviour. eg sitting in the sun/shade, finding the warmest/coolest part of the aviary, etc.

Having said that, I see no point in finding the lowest temperature that Gouldians can breed at or breeding a strain that can tolerate lower temperatures.
From my perspective it seems the only benefit is to reduce your heating bills.
If you are going to the trouble of heating your bird room, you may as well no it properly.

I found what Desertbirds said to be very interesting re: woosifying the wild birds & its effect.

What is the view on the mechanism for this. Are we just breeding a population of birds more tolerant to life in the southern half of Australia, or can the birds "acclimatise" to their surrounds if it is done gradually. It could even be something completely different, like the advantages of increased exercise.

Cheers
Brett

[Tiaris]

I think it is ideal to have aviary-bred Gouldians as resilient as possible within reason. In Australian aviculture, Gouldians bred in temperature controlled conditions do not adapt to typical outdoor aviary conditions at all well. It is totally unrealistic to say that the ideal temperature for Gouldians is an arbitrarily selected very small range within the quite marked temperature range experienced in their wild regions, and to then aim to keep and breed captive birds within this tight band then not expect built-in weakness in the birds so produced.

[Craig52]

Spot on Tiaris,but we have to remember that our gouldians in our aviaries are now totally domesticated and wouldn't have any idea what their wild cousins experience in the wild.Having no under down like other birds,they can handle the heat but really can't handle extremes of cold day after day in England Craig

[thewaxbill]

Interesting topic.

I think we need to be clear and not confuse the temperatures that Gouldians are able to endure with those that are "ideal".


Cheers
Brett

Thats what i was getting at really in my original post, in the U.K it seems many breeders subject their birds to temperatures which they can tolerate but are certainly not ideal.
Regards Bob

[fishdance]

Interesting discussion. As this species is being kept far from its natural habitat and conditions in very artificial environments,
I think the trend you mention is quite natural and in the UK gouldians best interests to be bred for colder conditions. Eventually this will be easier for bird keepers and animals theselves. It's not as though these would ever be released back into Australian habitats. It's also interesting as most of the older UK bird literature usually describes gouldians as delicate and for expert keepers.

I'm of the opinion that birds will not breed if they are unhappy with living conditions. Why not breed for more tolerance to your local conditions? That's what we are inadvertently doing in southern parts of Australia.

[thewaxbill]

Sorry but i don't agree with that,from many years of experience i have found the vast majority of birds will do their upmost to breed despite the conditions provided for them by their keepers.
Regards Bob

[E Orix]

Sadly many bird breeders suffer from a thing called generalisation.
They accept what is written and try to copy it,on the face of it that seems the thing to do BUT more thought is always required.
Are the climatic conditions the same, not just temperature,but when and how much it rains,length of daylight and when.
Here where I live we will experience temperatures down to and at times below freezing yet the Gouldians and other birds thrive.
WHY because those temperatures fall because of Frost and the Frost is followed by a fine Sunny day. At my place all have an area that they can tuck away out of any air movement(drafts/wind),as soon as the sun shine reaches their aviary all are out getting a warmth recharge.
When I lived in Melbourne I had problems yet the temperatures rarely went as low as here,down there it got cold but the sun at times(many)
didn't appear.Instead we would get two or three days of no sun and maybe drizzly rain,the birds couldn't recharge their bodies with warmth so they
needed assistance.
Please don't think that by saying you can keep birds in low temperatures you are doing anyone any favours especially the birds.
The aviary/room set up dosen't need to be a palace,the birds don't really need that,they need layout thought and conditions that will assist them
to survive and get into top condition to moult then breed.
Birds that are bred inside under unnatural conditions are not soft if you have a set process of releasing them.Don't rush; take steps before
letting them go in a big aviary. All they need is a chance for acclimation.
It is not rocket science,we experience it when we travel to hot areas near the equator,for a couple of days we struggle until our body adapts then when we return after a couple of weeks once again we feel the cold badly for a couple of days until our body adapts again.
Gouldians need that extra thought and management but that is one of the challenges.

[desertbirds]

Would it be fair to say exposing Gouldians to very low day time temperatures would induuce stress and stress related illness.
Regards Bob
P.S During the winter months what is the average day time temperature in the Northern Territories.

Bob , i believe very low day time temps wtih little sunshine will stress the birds. A few days here and there is fine but i can imagine this is not the case where you live.
Northern Territory is a big place 1500 k`s between Darwin and AliceSprings, i`m at the southern end in Alice and winter day time temps would be around 16 deg, further North around Darwin it would be closer to 28 deg for winter days. Case is quoting temps from Wyndum , that area of Australia is regarded as one of the hottest places in the country ,away from the coast and further Inland it does get a lot colder overnight,Gouldians had a far greater range than they currently have, the days are glorious during winter though and thats the also the "dry season" with little to no rainfall.
Over the years some people have bred hardier strains of Gouldians and the birds are able to cope with lower temps.Im not advocating all birds to be left outside during winter in England . A small problem exists where people purchase birds bred in controlled environments and expect the birds to cope outside of those parameters. As an example ,i would be very careful purchasing birds from an area where night time temps dont drop below 10 deg and bringing them here at the start of winter.At the other end of the scale (for me) purchasing birds from southern states and bought here towards the end of winter Aug-Sept can trigger a breeding freny of sorts.