new year new aviary...what to put in it?

[elferoz777]

HI guys,

Looking to fill my new aviary early next year and cannot decide what to chuck in.

I do want to focus on one species and preferably colony breed.

What would you chuck in a 3 X 2 X 1.8 high aviary if you had a choice and why?

Thanks for the suggestions and have an awesome new years eve..I am stuck with the boss and little fellah who is now fast asleep


El Feroz

[natamambo]

Redbrows. Breed best in colonies and one of the most under-appreciated finches in our collection, especially when in a larger group. Lots of brush, good cake / egg & biscuit mix and a supply of live food via a compost bin. Ideally an open roofed section. Nectar mix is taken too, they drink from my honeyeater drinkers. All good advice from he who knows the theory but has never got them to breed - probably because I can't choose and never have enough space to dedicate to a colony of one species so mine are always lone pairs in a flight with other species . I did have a pair go down this year but the honeyeaters took over that section of the brush and the redbrows gave up on that nest.

In a flight that size you could have 3-4 pairs OK and the interaction between the birds in the colony is great to watch. They are very peaceful, never interfere with each other, are beautiful looking birds and very affordable.

[finchbreeder]

Any of the manikens would be a good idea. Almost all great birds that are under apprecieated. And QFS is trying to do something about that so might be able to help you with supplies, depending on transport to where you are.
LML

[Finchy]

What a wonderful problem! For me it would be Gouldians = flying jewels.

(Nat, you have used compost as a live food supply? I've been wondering about doing that and asked a question about it half way through this thread: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=13342&p=124580&hil ... st#p124580. ...)

[Myzomela]

Hi Finchy,

Compost heaps went out of favour some time ago because many of them became sources of disease, not just livefood. Fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections CAN all flourish if compost heaps are not managed properly.
They were common in the past because the only livefood we could culture were mealworms +/_ maggots. These days there are lots of livefoods available.
Many softbill breeders still use them but just be aware they can create problems, especially in finch aviaries.

You will no doubt get comments for and against compost heaps. The decision is yours.

Elferoz- what about a colony of masked finches or white-eared masks if you want something a little rarer? Again, an underappreciated group of birds which work well in a colony.

[firetail555]

Hey El

I agree with Myzo. Compost heaps are bad news. They are a breeding ground for disease and problems. Most finches do best in a dry environment in the aviary and compost heaps are wet, fermenting smelly messes.

I once saw a colony of red faced parrot finches and they looked ace together. Also a colony of orangebreasts would look terrific. I would like to see you have single pairs though, you are more likely to be successful with all pairs. I have found that in colonies, not all pairs breed as they are being dominated by other birds. In a colony, they all like to breed in similar areas in the aviary and they tend to compete more for the prime nesting sites and food. If you select single pairs of birds that nest at different heights, for example, the competition is reduced. Say a pair of painted firetails which breed low, a pair of parrot finches which breed in the mid areas and a pair of singers or longtails or blackthroats which breed up high.

david

[elferoz777]

Thanks David..

I actually have thought about that combination.

Was thinking if I had different pairs that breed at all different levels plus some that only use boxes (like gouldians) then there would be less competition for real estate and I could safely house more birds.