Aussie Finch Forum

I have two pairs, one in each aviary with a number of other finches, can you have more than one pair in a mixed aviary or is it a big No No.I was hoping that when and if they breed I could build up the numbers in each aviary.

Cheers Greg.

depends on aviary size...but I have had numerous pairs together

"In captivity, I have kept red-cheeked cordon bleus in colonies of up to six pairs in large planted aviaries. Whilst they have produced youngsters in reasonable numbers, best results are achieved when one pair is kept either on their own in a small breeding cage or flight, or in a mixed collection of other small seed-eaters"
Russel Kingston, "The Finch......a Breeder's Companion", p.457.

Over the years I've tried 1,2,3 & 6 pairs of Cordons together. 1 pair per aviary consistently produces more young per pair. 2 pairs were a disaster each time - more fighting & bickering than breeding. 3 pairs and 6 pairs were ok IF all young pairs were put in before fully mature, the aviary was not crowded and plenty of livefood was constantly available. Even then, although total numbers bred were pretty good they were nowhere near as high per pair as single pair per aviary. A mate has 5 pairs in an extremely large & lightly stocked aviary with consistently impressive numbers bred each year. In conventional sized aviaries you'll nearly always do best with 1 pair.

Thanks for the advice, I'll stay at one pr per aviary. Good reason to build another aviary
Cheers Greg.