2016 Gouldian Breeding Season - Australia

[wildbill]

not really if the wrong person from aust viewed this thread -he would have the perfect attack plan to relieve me of my rare mutations and I provided it...LOL

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Hey Wildbill,
Respect the privacy issue but with no address, I have no prob sending my lay out and some pics of my bird room.

Aviary Layout-1.jpg[/attachment [attachment=0]Bird Room 4.jpg

Paul

[hanabi]

@Paul's Amazing Birds

Paul can you explain the water bottles you use? Do you have a link to the product? Do you have any trouble with clogged stems or stuck valves? How often do you clean them? Are spare parts available?Any trouble getting your birds to learn to use them?

I want to go this route too so I'm trying to find a reliable product that won't leave my finches vulnerable.

Thanks in advance.

[wildbill]

nice set up and far ahead of mine. sorry about not throwing up an aviary diagram but I am holding the rarest new gouldian mutation in aust and impossible to replace

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

WB

All understandable. My aviary has locked doors and a great security system...an Australian Cattle Dog named Reggie - very light sleeper.

Hey Ross in Japan,

I purchased 25 of those bottles and holders from a long time selective breeder who recently passed away at 103 years old. The half pint bottles are antiques from the 1920s and 30s.

Back then, this was a child's portion of milk or other dairy product delivered to your door several times a week by the "milk man".
Unfortunately, they are not available anymore but I certainly like the concept. A fairly large quantity of water is kept fresh and algae free for over a week as the birds access it like a straw through the glass tube. The bottles will empty completely when upside down but hold out a single drop when held at a 45 degree angle.

These recyclable bottles were made back in the day when telephone numbers here only had 4 digits. The advertising on the back says "Hey Mom, I want my glass of milk!

Anyway, with the right kind of containers and some ingenuity, someone could probably make up something like this at home. It just has a rubber stopper with a tube through it.

My birds initially had to be bottle trained but it works great for me.
Another device for drinking and a quick bird bath are the red bowls (above) that automatically refill themselves with fresh water when the birds fly off of it.

Paul

[Paul's Amazing Birds]

Re: Red automatic water bowls

Here are some better shots of the 3 automatic water bowls in my aviary. They were designed for poultry but work fine for smaller birds. The place has good drainage so I give them a quick rinse out every day with the hose so fresh water is always available.

Paul

[Maleficum]

hanabi
I use these to my birds:
I have them in different sizes. I know they are available in glass too.

[wildbill]

here's a photo taken today of a rarest of the rare nest. 5 young gouldians 2 lime and 3 blues.

[MariusStegmann]

wildbill Hi Wildbill
Do you stop your gouldians from breeding at any time? I am in Cape Town and most of my gouldians are feeding / breeding. I got chicks from my gouldians in May, then another batch in June. Do I stop them at any time? It doesn't get too cold here during winter. 9 Celsius during the night and average day temp is about 18 Celsius. I see Larainne from Ladygouldians.com recommend resting the birds after 1 July.

[GouldianGuy]

all my gouldians are bred in flighted outdoor aviaries. tried breeding cabinets a couple of time - no luck at all and was flat out to breed any.

@wildbill - How many pairs do you have per aviary? Approximate square footage per pair?

Do you/how soon do you band your babies?

Thanks