Advice please

Need some general finch keeping help? Ask your questions here.
User avatar
dazzab
...............................
...............................
Posts: 72
Joined: 25 Jun 2014, 08:53
Location: Shoalhaven Heads NSW

Hi Brett
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate that you didn’t see me as a whinger and offered some advice.
You make a lot of sense. Like most of us I would love a nice big mixed aviary, but yes I have a soft spot for painteds. Whenever I have kept them I have only had single pairs. Will 3 pairs in the same aviary be ok? Should I still divide my aviary into 2 sides? If I did then each section would be roughly 1.2 wide by 3.8 deep. I just like the idea of having somewhere to put extra birds when (or should I say if) I manage to breed some.
Not sure how to find a local breeder. I know one guy but I haven’t spoken to him for a few years. He has helped me out a lot, given me many cheap birds. He has a great setup but I probably couldn’t hassle him again as I was never successful enough to give birds back to him. I’m in the Shoalhaven and believe the next local sale is in Nowra next April.
You really have me thinking. Do something now, or wait till next year!!
Cheers mate
Daz
User avatar
BrettB
...............................
...............................
Posts: 470
Joined: 13 Jun 2012, 23:28
Location: Perth

Thanks for the compliment Daz.
Go back to your first post and I think you have your answer. You had success when you ran three pairs of a single species in the aviary.
Just replace the Zebras with Painteds, get back you mojo and then experiment a little from there.
Painteds are a great choice, placid, lots of personality and great color. I would rate them as almost as easy to keep as Zebra's.
They are also easy to sex, so you can keep your sex ratios equal.
They are happy in a colony, although you breeding results will not be as good as if bred in individual flights/pair (as with all finches)
Experienced finch breeders tell me three pair works better than two, who am I to argue.
Get young birds and let them chose their own partners (age old advice, but still just as valid)

I know its a pain in the bum, I know it doesn't lead to quick results
But it is worth it.

Short story, I bought 8 young Double Bars to get only 2 pair, the other 4 were spare cocks
You might think that is a dud deal, but I let them chose their own partners and bred 30 young over the next two years.
It is worth it

Cheers
Brett
"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are ." Anais Nin
User avatar
finchbreeder
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Posts: 11490
Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Wise advice from Brett - as usual.
Daz if you put a wanted add on here you may find that people come out of the woodwork to offer birds for sale. Or not. But worth a try.
LML
User avatar
dazzab
...............................
...............................
Posts: 72
Joined: 25 Jun 2014, 08:53
Location: Shoalhaven Heads NSW

Thanks guys
I’ll work out what I can do with the birds I have. I still have the one hen zebra left which is on a nest, with 5 other males.
Once the birds are gone I’ll get the aviary all set up for probably 3 pairs of painteds and put the feelers out for local breeders then.
I appreciate your input and help getting me back into enjoying birds again!
Daz
User avatar
finchbreeder
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Posts: 11490
Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

There is probably a local Pet shop that will offer you small change for the birds you have. Or advertise them on Gumtree.
LML
User avatar
dazzab
...............................
...............................
Posts: 72
Joined: 25 Jun 2014, 08:53
Location: Shoalhaven Heads NSW

If anyone is interested I thought I would post an update to this thread from nearly a year ago.
After weighing up my options and from the advice people gave me (thank you by the way), then running into the busy nature of life and the kids stepping up their commitments and activities, this is what I ended up doing.

I sold off the pairs of zebras I could. The leftovers stayed with me as no-one wanted to buy just spare cockbirds, and I left the aviary as is. I didn't get a chance to get my painteds and basically just kept the birds I was left with for the sake of having birds.

This was the boring and uninteresting option I know but it was just how it worked out at the time.

Over winter I got in an cleaned up the aviary a bit and realised it is still a reasonable aviary and I should do more with it, so I started looking around for some painteds. Unfortunately no-one local has any and I'm not that desperate to ship any so I have had to rethink again. One local guy offered for me to buy a couple of pairs of red face parrot finches when he has some ready, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. So that is probably my next best option. I can give my remaining zebs (4 males) to a pet shop and set my aviary up for the parrot finches when they become available.

Fingers crossed this works out and I can actually breed a couple of birds. I will post an update with what happens.
Daz
User avatar
finchbreeder
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Posts: 11490
Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Best of luck with whatever you do.
LML
Post Reply

Return to “Finch Discussion & Questions”