FINCHforum

So with college and a job occurring in the next few months and I won’t have the full time so I’m dropping down to only 5 pairs of birds which will be

A pair of society’s
A pair of Java’s
A pair of stars
A pair of zebras
And then another pair of a species I will get after

Sadly all my other are selling its hard to do this however it’s whats needed to be done

Fraza

Yeah, it is rather difficult... I'm in the same boat, and sold over half my birds a few months ago. I decided to keep my family of society finches since they're my highest-quality birds, and ended up selling all of my Javas and gouldians, as well as my infertile society and her mate. Even taking a loss on the gouldians (female should not be bred), I managed to break even in regards to original buying cost.


If you don't already have a buyer, good photos can make all of the difference. I got around 10 offers within a week of posting, and was able to sell all of the birds to the same person; they have several aviaries, and said they would keep all of my birds together.

Since you have a lot of birds, you probably don't need photos of all of them; just concentrate on one or two of your nicest birds of each species that you're selling.
I brought each of my birds into my bathroom one at a time to take photos. I dimmed the lights, put a white board behind them, and sat them on a branch before taking a few photos (usually around 5 per bird) with flash. My birds didn't seem to mind the flash any more than regular photos, although I would not recommend using it for red-eyed birds, as their eyes are more sensitive. Flash also makes colored birds like gouldians look weird, so non-flash may work better for them, although those photos will need to be taken in bright light or they will come out blurry.
Don't keep the birds out for more than 5-10 minutes, and put them back soon if they start panting or otherwise freaking out. Don't post photos of panting birds or birds with closed eyes or droopy wings, as the buyer may think they are ill. (Obviously don't sell ill birds, but stressed ones can look like ill ones, and many birds become stressed while you are taking photos.)
Take the photos into Photoshop or another photo editor and correct red eyes (unless the bird's eyes really are red) and adjust contrast and color balance to match the photo with the bird's true coloration under normal light.

Do you know exactly which birds you're going to keep; what are your priorities? My priorities were keeping pairs together, high genetic quality/fertility (so no on the gouldian pair and infertile society), and cleanliness (no for the Javas, since they threw stuff everywhere).


I wish you luck with college and the job!

Icearstorm Yh I am keeping my opal Java’s because they are rare and are strong birds, surviving through winter without fault, then my society’s trio (coco), my pair of stars, a blackbreast zebra and a large British zebra. And then one other what I haven’t decided yet

And I’ll put an example picture of what I’ve been doing, that would be a good idea taking them to the bathroom as it’s all white and good lighting but it would take a while and at the moment I have 16 Java’s as my parent ones have had a big clutch each

Ones like this I’ve been uploading for sale https://i.imgur.com/pQoFnJD.jpg would that catch your eye or do you think it would be better with a white background

Fraza

A solid-colored background would make the bird stand out more, although that photo is good enough to clearly see what the Java looks like. The zebra behind seems a bit washed out, possibly due to uneven lighting (looks like part of it is in sun and part in shade, which the camera isn't the best at photographing).

What is the format of the site you're listening the birds on? If it is one like Craigslist where you put up a bunch of photos and select one to be seen first, it's fine if you only have one or two really nice photos. So long as you have a photo that can get a potential buyer to click on your ad, the rest of them can be like the one you posted. It's also a good idea to end with a high-quality photo of one of your better birds, as a good last impression can help.

Icearstorm I just use my mobile phone and use the HDR setting on the camera and to be honest your point is true it would stand out more

Fraza

College already! Time flies! Guess I have to stop calling you "kiddo".

Still looking to re-home them?

FinchLover&Breeder

He's nowhere near you, if you're looking to purchase them.

Babs yep haha it feels too early for me too lol

@FinchLover&Breeder yep I’ve got someone buying a heck and java this Sunday



It’s hard to get rid of them I’m hoping I find someone who’s just starting an aviary and buys the lot

And now I’m only keeping a pair of society a pair of stars and a. Pair of javas

I hope the person who is buying the Java has another Java at home, as they have to have another of their kind or will become depressed. Some pet shops in Florida will only sell pairs in Javas. If he only has this one, convince him to buy two.

wildbird yeah I’m selling all mine in pairs anyway I will have one spare but I have someone coming and looking to buy all of them Friday so hopefully !!