Shafts or Spice?

[Ginene]

My M/F Shaft Tail pair and M/F Spice pair will be done with quarantine soon. My plans for their housing were unexpectedly screwed up, and so now I need some advice from you all. Which pair would you house in a mixed flight (non-breeding) with a M/F Green Singer pair (very sweet & active) and a M/M Owl pair (sweet, nutty & active)? Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

[Lisa]

I'd put the spices in with them. They won't bother anybody.

According to the finch info center, shafties can be pushy. I always am tempted to put them in my mixed aviary because they seem of such good temperament but I'd be afraid they'd go after the little waxbills or something.

[Ginene]

Lisa
Thanks LeeLee!!! That's what I was thinking too ! Btw...Luigi and Bella have been caught MATING !!!! Oh no...how could she choose him over the twins??? I am not giving them a nest. With her anxiety and his nuttiness, there genes are better off not being reproduced .

[metinemre]

Ginene

How did you house your new birds? With gs or others together?
I am trying to decide what to house my gs with, ladygouldian finch chart says shaft tails and gs ok as well as rccb but...

[Ginene]

metinemre...this GS pair lived peacefully in a mixed flight with 2 male owls, 1 M/F Gould pair, and a lone RCCB male. My current GS pair is alone in a 30x18x36 because the male was harassing the birds in their mixed flight. They were living peacefully for months with 2 owls, 2 stars and 2 Gould's. The 2 Gould's are definitely tuff enough to handle the GS male...they are the alpha's of the flight (both males). I also think my BCCB's could handle themselves if housed with the GS. But the owls and stars are too sweet to put up with the GS male. Its hit or miss with this species, but they are worth it! I'm going to be reorganizing my flights soon and will let you know how it goes. My "plan" is to house the GS pair with the 2 male goulds and BCCB pair in my double flight.

BTW, I wound up housing the shaft tails with a pair of zebras and a pair of cut throats in a 60" W flight...worked out very well. Spice finches were housed with 5 male societies, so there was no worry about cross breeding.