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Is putting 4 nest boxes for 4 pairs of gouldians in an aviary 4ft x 6ft x 6ft a recipe for disaster or should we take pair out to breed in smaller cages and leave nest boxes out of the large aviary?

Do gouldians breed well together or do they like to be in seperate cages?

There are many great posts on gouldian breeding here.
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12850

Some keep them together and colony breed and some cage breed and then let the birds rest and molt separated by sex in male and female flight cages.
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14944

Some follow an austerity diet and some don't.
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=15212

I breed mine separate pairs individual breeder cages.
This is because I want to control which birds breed together for specific color chicks.
Also because of limited space, this allows me to control if and when they breed.
I also keep non-breeding birds separated by sex.

Another post on diet and breeding:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... =austerity

tovis wrote:Is putting 4 nest boxes for 4 pairs of gouldians in an aviary 4ft x 6ft x 6ft a recipe for disaster or should we take pair out to breed in smaller cages and leave nest boxes out of the large aviary?

I would put more nest boxes then pairs in your aviary. It also helps to put all the boxes at the same height so they don't fight over the highest one. I do really well with the boxes with entrance holes rather then half open, it's easier for the nesting pair to defend their nest from intruders.
Good luck

tovis wrote:Do gouldians breed well together or do they like to be in seperate cages?

They usually do fine all together. There are times when you may just have a problem bird, though that happens with any species though.

Is it normal for the birds to nip at one another once in a while? As long as the don't attack or chase one another.

I found some fake grass at Hobby Lobby, the stuff is great. Some of the birds use that to sleep in instead of perches. I'll have to get some more.

tovis wrote:Is it normal for the birds to nip at one another once in a while? As long as the don't attack or chase one another.

Perfectly normal, they are working out their "pecking" order, who's dominate and who's not.