FINCHforum

I have a number of finches in a very large outdoor aviary in Florida, large enough for many varieties of finch to live in harmony. However, it still gets too chilly from November - March and so I must bring them indoors. For the last couple years I made do with a few wire cages in a back room... but my population has doubled this year (thanks to a few too many impulse purchases at the bird show) and finches make a god-awful mess if a wire cage is your only barrier. So I think it's time I built a proper indoor containment area for the winter.

I've made a design for a couple 6'x6'x3' full-spectrum lit enclosures that will use a combination of wire mesh to keep everyone in and a layer of vinyl screen to keep all the seed husks, feathers, and whatever else those little poopslingers can muster inside the enclosure. I also plan to make separator insert so I can make up to three partitions per enclosure, should separation become necessary. And that's the thing... how will all these guys get along in relatively cramped quarters? Some preemptive segregation may be in order.

So here's my big question: When I bring the birds in for the winter, how should I segregate everyone?
Breakdown:
4 Zebra males, 3 Zebra females
2 Gouldian males, 2 Gouldian females (more if I decide to keep chicks)
2 female Society
1 breeding pair of Green Singers
1 breeding pair of OC waxbills
1 male Pintail Whydah, 2 females

By sex? By species?

If you split them by gender (of around 9 males and 11 females), they should have plenty of room to be able to get along fine in two 6x6x3 aviaries. I have up to 20 finches in that sized flight cages with no problem at all. Sounds good to me! Just don't forget to include a slide-out tray at the bottom for easier cleaning.

If all your birds are fine now, I would seperate them by gender for the winter, so when you release them into the aviary they are ready to pair up again. What is the coldest it gets down there?

The coldest it gets, on average, is mid-40s at night in the winter. However, any given year will have a couple extra cold nights where the temp can dip as low as upper 20s.