Diamond Firetail Nests

[finchroom]

I just purchased 4 beautiful normal Diamonds, and for sure I have one very vocal male. What type of nest would be recommended for indoor breeding in a 6 foot flight.

[Stuart whiting]

Hi mate, welcome to the forum,

If you put yer location onto yer profile it'll make it easier for other members to help and communicate in case yer after anything in particular etc,

I'd place about 4 wooden open fronted nest boxes at different heights towards the back wall of yer avairy, I'd also place a little cover IE some bracken, fern, grasses etc around the nest sites for privacy

Be lucky

[Sally]

finchroom I've never had Diamond Firetails, but I think they are beautiful! A friend had a pair, they bred in a wooden nest box, I believe. Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. Please keep us posted, this is a species that needs more people working with it.

[lovezebs]

finchroom

Beautiful birds, I envy you.
Please share some pictures, and good luck with the breeding.

[Stuart whiting]

finchroom I've never had Diamond Firetails, but I think they are beautiful! A friend had a pair, they bred in a wooden nest box, I believe. Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at http://www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. Please keep us posted, this is a species that needs more people working with it.

Hi Sally,

I've now just got 4 very nice pairs that I'll be working on and conditioning up during the winter months in the hope to try and breed from em next spring

[finchroom]

Thank you for clarifying their preference for open front boxes. I raise gouldians as well and have numerous 6x6 boxes with the round hole at the top. I assume a 6 inch square box would be large enough but I will need to modify the front door for the Diamonds. The birds are just beginning their second week of quarantine so I have lots of time to figure it out.
Jean

[Stuart whiting]

finchroom

Hi mate, all you want is std zebra finch boxes,

Gouldian boxes are really like modified glorious budgie boxes

Diamonds may possibly use Gouldian boxes but you'd need to enlarge the nest hole considerably

[finchroom]

What size is a Zebra box. I have Forbes Parrot Finch boxes with half open front, 4x4. Sound about right?

Jean

[Stuart whiting]

What size is a Zebra box. I have Forbes Parrot Finch boxes with half open front, 4x4. Sound about right?

Jean

Perfect, that is about std size

[wildbill]

diamond sparrows...my speciality here's what I think

1. here in oz they would build their own nest but your way I am not sure. half open nest boxes would be the go.
2. try avoid picking their nest mate. let them do that. if you let nature take its coarse they will pair up at a very young age - say 4 months and breed from 7 months on. put birds in aviaries which don't like each other and they may never breed at all.
3. sexing is very difficult to do and every-one has an idea -some good and some bad. dna is the best choice. other than that toss some grass into the aviary floor up to 2 foot long. the cock birds or males will be first to get to it and cart it off or start displaying on the first nearby perch . cock birds cart grass - hens don't
4. both birds cart feather - white ones preferred the more the better
5. never do a nest inspection. you can get away with in once or maybe not even then and they will dessert and never go back.
6. no live food require when breeding so just feed them coss lettuce and frozen corn kernels. small handful microwaved for 20 seconds. if they eat it they have young -if not no young.

I base the above info on running up to 100 diamonds within my aviaries when I was a keen diamond sparrow breeder. I bred normal-fawns - pieds-and fawn pieds and these mutations sold up to $1000 each. so you can believe what I told you - it works!

overall I classed them as pretty easy bird to breed.