Zebra finch making a weird noise

[StodOne]

debbie276 haha , thanks !

[Sojourner]

So if you don't want them to breed, put them on an austerity diet. EG just give them greens, fruits, and the staple seed which is budgie mix for me, and some egg food from time to time, and all the minerals especially calcium in cuttlebone, mineral blocks, something like the ABBA mineral mix, crushed sterilized egg shells, oyster shell.

An austerity diet is just seed, nothing else.
http://www.fabulousfinch.com/breeding-g ... inches.htm
The austerity period should last 4 weeks in captivity, with a diet consisting of a blend of White and Yellow millet (or a similar low fat mix such as Rye Grass and Japanese Millet) and fresh water. No other foods should be made available during this period. No softfood, sprouted seed, calcium grit, vitamins, fruits, vegetables, or greens should be provided during the Austerity Period.

There is no way I would ever stop offering vitamins and minerals for any given length of time. That is just plain unsafe for the birds. And in fact, it is NOT the recommended way to go about an austerity diet.

That is a link specifically for Gouldians - my birds are societies, and the OPs are Zebras, both of which are opportunistic breeders. Because an austerity diet is going to be low in some vitamins and minerals, the recommendation is to INCREASE, not decrease, those substances. She also talks about increasing vegetable matter available to the birds during this time.

Then on another page she talks about putting her birds on an austerity diet for 5 weeks that includes no veggies, fruits, egg, or vitamin or mineral supplements.

SO I'd have to say there is some controversy about this, LOL! In any case, I have societies and the OP has Zebras. Not Gouldians.

Gouldians seem to be a mix between opportunistic and seasonal. Their optimal breeding conditions are different - that is why I was careful to note that my reading was specifically related to Societies - not Gouldians.

My gouldians molt after the rest period and before they go into their breeding season. Not all go by what is written.

I can't say what is and isn't written about Gouldians. However, all sources I have read agree that it is best NOT to breed out of season, and to get your breeding birds on a natural schedule for breeding and molting.

The whole austerity diet isn't so much a requirement for proper bird health as it is a mechanism for breeders to synchronize their breeding pairs, and to match them up to the appropriate local season for breeding, molting, and the rest. It has its uses - but it can be misused also. Using it to try to indefinitely put off breeding is one type of misuse, but inflicting it on non-breeding pairs in the absence of some health consideration (such as you overfeed your birds) would also be a misuse.

Gouldians have that compressed moult - Bengalese do not. I can't imagine why anyone would want to force a moult out of season for any bird.

[debbie276]

During the austere period, hormone flow ceases, allowing the gonads and ovaries to shrink to a vestige of their normal size and rest. Another desirable effect of the austerity period is the burning of excess body fat. Gouldians are simulated by dry and wet seasons which I believe the zebra are also. Aren't zebra from Australia?
Society are domestic and are not found in the wild from what I read.
Could you post a link to the austerity information you are reading? I'm not sure who this "she" is your talking about.
Gouldians don't always have a compressed molt. They have the ability to have a compressed molt when conditions warrant it. Normally their molt is slow with proper nutrition and not compressed (speeded up) unless conditions aren't good.

Very interested to read about the austerity diet your referring to.