BREEDING GOULDIAN
FINCHES
Probably no other exotic finch has received
more attention than the Gouldian Finch. Its shear beauty dictates
that finch lovers around the world
would praise it and write about it. While there are many books
available and most if not all of those contain valuable information,
there is no doubt disagreement among Gouldian breeders as to
which methods are best for success with this species. Large numbers
are bred in captivity, particularly in Australia,
where the National Parks and Wildlife Department of the state
of South Australia had permit returns in the late 1990s that
showed more than 13,000 Gouldian Finches were being kept by aviculturists.
It goes without saying that what works for some will not work
for others. So in some respects it seems redundant for me to
write about my methods of breeding Goulds, but again what works
for me might work for you, then who know?
I have bred Goulds since 1972, and during
that time I have had many experiences
both good and bad. Still I try new methods, new nests, new cages,
a variety of new ways to improve, hell, we all do! One truth
is, not all Gould bred well, but those that do, can breed very
well, almost out-producing any finch. My first year ever, I produced
24 young from a single pair in a small cage. In all these years,
I am sorry to say I have never been able to repeat that amount
of success. Just to indicate how peculiar these birds can be.
My second year with nine pair of birds set up for breeding I
produced only 18 young. A dismal year, to say the least.
My Method of Breeding
Gouldians
I no longer breed Gouldians but when I did,
I breed all of my Goulds in individual cages and make no serious
attempt at fostering the eggs or young. Over the years have developed
a preference for encouraging them to raise their own young and
concurrently I have no interest in fostering. There is no doubt
that my decision to do so results in fewer young being produced
on an annual basis, but that's my choice. If you are into numbers
and $ then there is little choice but to foster under society
finches. This requires constant vigil and meticulous record keeping
to insure optimum success.
My cages are
24 inches wide, 20 inches tall and 16 - 18 inches deep. Each cage has only two
perches (my choice), one seed dish, one container for grit and
egg shell, another container for nesting food.
The
nest box is always place on the outside of the cage front and
the nest box entrance is just above the perch level. I make my
own nest boxes. The size is 4"
wide X 5" deep X 6-7 " tall. I use basically two
types of wooden nest boxes. The design is nothing very special,
but it is one that I like and have remained loyal to over the
years. There are of course many other designs I have seen in
use, all with excellent results, but these are two that I like.
Both nest boxes are roughly the same size each with different
entrance openings. The height is 8 inches, the with and depth
is 6 inches. Both boxes have either a lid or a back that is removable
for easy inspection and cleaning. There is no perch on either
nest box. One box has a small entrance
hole which is crescent moon shape. The other
box has a very large opening. This box is often used to entice
new birds to inspect the nest and begin nest building activities.
This does not offer as much privacy as Gouldians generally prefer,
but it is enticing to them to explore. Each
nest boxes is place on the outside of the cage with two metal
hooks. Each cage has a nest box entrance hole cut out, with
a flap that can be lifted when the box is in place, and secured
when the box is removed, to prevent birds from escaping. These
wooden nest boxes can be inspected by lifting the hinged top
or by sliding the back of the nest upwards and removing it. I
usually begin the nest building by placing some Bermuda grass
in the box and addition in the cage for the birds to use in completely
their nest construction. Goulds love to play with nesting material
and this can stimulate breeding and strengthen pair bonds. I
would NOT provide additional nesting material once there
are eggs or babies in the nest. Sometimes this can excite the
parents to such as extent that they may abandon the young and
try to nest again. I would minimize any changes or additions
to the cage once they have built a nest and begun a clutch of
eggs. While most Goulds are tolerant of nest inspection and complacent
birds, there is no reason to disturb them an more than necessary
during this period.
THE NESTING CYCLE
The nesting cycle of Goulds is much the same
for any Australian finch. The average clutch is 4-5 eggs but
larger clutches are not uncommon. The eggs are laid every day
and often incubation begins when the first egg is laid. After
about 5-7 days of incubation the color of the eggs will change,
particularly if they are fertile. Freshly laid eggs are white,
5-6 day old fertile eggs are rosy pink, infertile eggs are yellow-white.
By inspecting the nest at the end of the first week you can determine
the fertility of the clutch and even remove any eggs that are
infertile at that time. A small pen-light flash light is useful
in doing this. Don't be alarmed at inspecting the nest. Don't
do it too often but it should be done at at least once on or
about the 7th day. Using a small spoon remove I remove infertile
eggs, although it is not necessary to do so. However there are
a few unspoken rules to consider. For example if the clutch contains
5 eggs are only one is fertile, I personally would not remove
all 4 infertile ones. Why? The absence of so many eggs could
give the parents some concern and result in abandoning the nest.
The eggs hatch in 15-16 days, one at a time, but it seems before
you know it all have hatched. You'll know right away if they
are going to be fed, as they parent feed him almost immediately
and the food is visible along the neck of the babies. I make
certain at this time they have unlimited amounts of spray millet,
nesting food and fresh greens once a day. The young grow quickly
and before you know it they are already getting quill on their
wings. Often times this is a critical period for new parent Goulds.
I cannot explain why, but frequently new parent seem to tire
of their young and abandoning the young or worse, throwing them
out of the nest is not uncommon. What do you do? Frankly there
is not much you can do, except return them to the nest if that
is an option, or search for a pair of suitable foster parents.
Fortunately, most will raise the young successfully, but the
former does happen and you need to be aware of it and prepared.
It seems that young inexperience birds are more likely to behave
this way, however I have even had good breeding birds to occasionally
tire and do this. Its unpredictable and a frustrating lesson
in Gould behavior. I rarely let the parent raise more than 4
young at a time. Many pairs will hatch 5 or 6 young per clutch
and many would succeed in raising all of them but I have come
to the conclusion over the years that 4 young per nest is just
fine and I will often try and find a suitable foster parent for
the 5th and 6th chicks. Often times if these are allowed to remain
in a large nest of young, they will lag behind in development
and not thrive anyway, so fostering them early is my choice.
My first choice is to foster them to another pair of Goulds with
smaller clutches and young of the same age. If this is not available,
then I search for either
a pair of Societies with only one or two young of the same
age, or even a pair of Zebras. Zebras can and do raise Goulds
very well, but are often less suitable for fostering than Societies
because of their general nervous habits. Regardless, I
have used some of my cage bred Zebras and Societies many times
for this and had success.
Young Goulds definitely take a slightly longer
time to develop and fledge compared to many other birds. But
this is not a problem. They also require a longer weaning period
before they are self sufficient from the adults. Again, this
should not be a problem but one must be aware of it and not make
any attempt to remove them prematurely from the parents or foster
parents. I am never in a hurry to remove the young. Often times
the parents begin a second clutch and the first clutch is still
in the breeding cage. It is at this time that I remove them.
CARE OF YOUNG
GOULDS
What potential touchy subject. Everyone has
their own tried and proven ideas about raising young Goulds to
maturity. Sometimes indeed that is easier said than done. It
seems that some people invariably experience a notable lost of
young birds during this period. I'm not certain I can shed any
sure-fire method to curtail losses, but I do have a couple of
idea that seem to work for me.
Young Goulds need plenty of space and you
can easily accumulate lots of youngster during a breeding season.
I always try to give them adequate living space in holding cages,
never placing to many birds per cage. The size of the cage is
less important to me than the number of birds per cage and the
more space you can offer them the better your chances of minimizing
losses that occur during times of stress from juvenile to adult.
Many people report that the first molt from juvenile plumage
to adult plumage is a stressful period and I agree. Providing
lots of flight room will reduce the stress on birds during this
period. Most of my holding cages are about 2 feet square and
I usually house only 6 or 7 birds in such a cage. I would even
recommend smaller number if you have the cage space. But that
number seems comfortable for most Goulds. I also provide an iodine
supplement in the water during this period and adequate water
soluble vitamins regularly but not necessarily every day to these
young birds. Naturally they receive the best diet I can offer
which does not differ from the diet I offer the adults. Sometimes
I provide extra heat to young birds if they appear to need it.
There is not doubt that Goulds like to be warm and thrive in
hot climates, even though they can adapt to many temperature,
since Louisiana has naturally a warm climate, I do my best to
maintain as even a temperature as possible. However I have also
learned that overheating has its problems too. So a good temperature
range from the 60°s and up to 80°s is about the norm.
Our summers are very hot and many times during these months the
temperature will climb daily into the 90°s and perhaps higher.
During these times I ventilate the rooms continuously to minimize
the extreme heat. The birds seem to thrive. Prolonged and sudden
high temperatures can bring about a sudden molt in all Goulds
and this should be avoided if possible.
MY SEED DIET FOR
GOULDS
