Splitting up is hard to do

[a_gouldian]

I always feel bad when we have to split up pairs to make sure they get a rest before the next breeding cycle. Today we split up our two Owl Finches (this was essential) and our two Red-faced Star Finches. They can hear and see each other because their cages are about 4 feet away. Neither of these pairs have been split up since we received them in the early Spring.

We plan to re-unite them sometime after or during October.

Is this always a good idea or is just removing nest boxes and materials enough?

For the last 6 weeks in a large flight cage we had a pair of Painted, Lavenders, Red-faced Stars, and a female Gouldian and someone has been dropping a few eggs (4-5 over a period of a few weeks). This cage was on a resting diet and the full spectrum lightning was reduced. We have no idea which bird the eggs came from.

I think the goal would be to have all the males and all the females in separate large flight cages during the resting period but we haven't worked our way into that cycle yet with all the birds we acquired this year.

[Shannylee]

a_gouldian, rough day for you guys I'm sure there is a lot of calling going on but think they'll all be fine for a bit in separate cages...especially if they can see each other.

I smashed a viable egg today. One egg had a hole in it so I was checking the rest to make sure they were ok and I guess I'm not quite as gentle as I thought. *sigh*

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

[a_gouldian]

a_gouldian, rough day for you guys I'm sure there is a lot of calling going on but think they'll all be fine for a bit in separate cages...especially if they can see each other.

I smashed a viable egg today. One egg had a hole in it so I was checking the rest to make sure they were ok and I guess I'm not quite as gentle as I thought. *sigh*

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

Thanks Sharon. We are hopeful that the 6 Owl eggs we gave to the Societies will hatch and some will make it to be fledglings. The Societies are sitting tight on the eggs. They started laying eggs at the same time so it was easy to switch the eggs.

We are also looking forward to receiving a Red-headed Gouldian pair in mid-Sept. We put in an order with the breeder we bought our first finches from in Feb. which are a black headed purple breasted pair and are both beautiful birds.

And who knows, maybe our Fire Finches will have chicks soon and this time raise them to fledgling age. They must be sitting on eggs now because one of them, usually the female, is always in the nest box. Still many things to look forward to.

[Shannylee]

You have an amazing array of birds. Would love to see pictures of them. Do you have separate cages for each species?

I'm a newbie. I had a couple of zebras, a few budgies, and a cockatiel several years ago but just recently I took on a boatload of birds from a hobbyist who was moving out of state. Mostly canaries, which are sweet but will quickly eat me out of house and home. LOL! My goal is to thin out the herd of canaries and get some lavenders, twinspots, owls, and CBs. (not necessarily in the same cage/aviary)

[a_gouldian]

You have an amazing array of birds. Would love to see pictures of them. Do you have separate cages for each species?

I'm a newbie. I had a couple of zebras, a few budgies, and a cockatiel several years ago but just recently I took on a boatload of birds from a hobbyist who was moving out of state. Mostly canaries, which are sweet but will quickly eat me out of house and home. LOL! My goal is to thin out the herd of canaries and get some lavenders, twinspots, owls, and CBs. (not necessarily in the same cage/aviary)

I have posted pics in the past of most of them in the "New To The Hobby" section. Right now we have 3 large double flight cages, and 3 Prevue F70 breeding cages. The Societies are in a F70 cage, the new Gouldians we are getting in Sept. will be in a F70 cage, and right now we have a male Owl and Red-faced Star finch in the other F70 cage. In one of the large cages we have a pair of Fire Finches, CBs, and Green Twinspots. The other two large flight cages have been changing occupants as needed, while our housing strategy evolves.

But to sum it up, the F70's will usually house one pair of birds and have a nest box for breeding, the Societies will stay in their F70 and will not share the large flight cages with mixed birds, and the large flight cages will have a mix of birds, at times separating the males and females for breeding break periods. If we buy a few more cages next year it will most likely be 2 more F70's. We really don't have room for another large double flight cage and I think the birds prefer their privacy when breeding. Learning as we go.

[ac12]

I separate my gouldians and zebras (when I had zebras).
The were in the same room, so they could hear each other, but they could not see each other. The visual cut off seems to be adequate, most of the time.