Trying to breed goulds in aviary

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Well, i really don't know by now

They sure are interested in the nests, and after itroducing dried grass, i saw some using it.

The females are rounder too, so i think some may be laying by now.

But they still a little confused, the main problem is that the couples won't pick a nest, they keep sticking their heads inside the nests, some times stay inside for a while and then they hop to another, i think they may be choosing, or just don't know what to do.

But let's see, there seems to be some activity in the nest where i saw some eggs, i think / hope that they are starting to incubate.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

They are real estate shopping

What sort of nests are you using?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Tell me about it

Today i checked the nests and two of them had eggs, one had 2 and the other had 10 , i think that probably more than one hen may be using that nest.

As i have a pair of zebras that are current laying, i'm cosidering to place some of the 10 with them, what do you think?

Here are the nests that i'm using with the gouldians:

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Those are gorgeous white Canaries

I saw one in my Pet Shop yesterday, but they wanted $150.00 for him ( 353.69 R$). Way too expensive .

Regarding your Gouldians...

With a mixture of Zebra, Society, and Canary girls in the same Aviary, anyone might have laid those eggs )

If Zebras or Societies are sitting on a clutch, they will usually accept Gouldian eggs, (if exchanged with their eggs) and usually raise the Gouldi babies. You do however need to take out their own eggs, when you substitute with Gouldian eggs.

Regarding the nests...

In the wild, Gouldians usually nest in hollow tree cavities (see link below). In captivity, they will usually enjoy wood nesting boxes with some nesting material already inside.


https://goo.gl/images/3I51Sn

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Thank you, i also like this guys very much.

You are right, this is too expensive, here we can find them for about half that price, but if we were closer i would give you one of mine, since i can breed them easily, unlike goulds

I really think that those are gouldians' eggs, i only have one pair of societies and they are entertained with their own nest site, canaries' eggs are way different from finches', they are bigger, blue and have brown spots all over the shell. There could be some zebras' eggs though, but the gouldians wont let the zebras approach the nests without a good fight

So, i think that those eggs might probably be all goldians'.

You say that in order to have the zebras fostering gouldians i have to take out all the zebras' eggs? They won't raise the gouldians' chicks if i let them mixed up with zebra ones?

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Thanks for the Canary offer

As far as I remember, you have to substitute the eggs, otherwise they may toss the Gouldians when they hatch, because they are different.

Gouldians, are not really difficult to breed, once they figure it out. It is an old myth, that they are so hard to breed and that they don't make good parents. I have found that with the right conditions and the right diet, they are prolific breeders, and make absolutely wonderful and loving parents.

Here is an article which you might enjoy...

https://ladygouldian.com/

Go into FAQ on top of the page and into Articles, and all the rest.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Alright then, i will let the gouldians with their eggs and whatever happens happens.

Thank you for the articles and all your help, i appreciate it

[lem2bert]

Ricardo Ronsini

Hi from Massachusetts You have beautiful Canaries. Wow your aviary looks spectacular !!! I am sure your birds love it !!!

[wildbill]

zebras will sit on the gouldian eggs-feed the young - and get them out flying BUT they don't appear to feed them for any lengthy period once they fly. first off you'll hear them begging for food as the parents have returned to do another nest. next up you pick them up off the floor!

I actually tried it 7 years back -total waste of time PLUS even if you are successful if those birds are not removed by 14 or so days they will no longer be gouldians

sure they might look like a gouldian BUT will be imprinted and act more like a zebra. you will have to get other fostered gouldian to get them to breed and you will find they will hang about more with zebra finches than their own kind

i'd go the other way and just -toss the eggs. I toss hundreds of eggs per year no big deal. no different than throwing out a chicken egg.

gouldians with canaries. biggest mistake in bird history. one bird the canary a genuine air sac mite carrier and the other not capable of going the distance with air sac mite. here in oz no breeder would run canaries with gouldians

I have nothing against canaries -I've had them myself but not housed with gouldians unless you run an $76 air sac mite preventive program. your birds may never get the ASM but like anything if they get it once and your not on the ball -curtains for them

keep an eye on your birds and take note of any gouldian or canary sitting on the perch gasping away. if so catch that bird and place it to your ear - if you hear a click click click sound .....air sac mite.

you will have to dose all birds immediately with S76 and treat them over several weeks. birds with a mild infection will pull through. if heavily infected good chance they will die. either way treated or not they will die so you have no choice

years back I purchased 20 gouldians which were house with princess parrots. I knew princess and gouldians don't mix as pricess parrots are huge worm carriers. so once home I placed them in breeding cabinets and dosed them with a worm cleaner call worm out!

first 24 hours all good, day after 7 dead day after that 6 dead day after 3 more dead and the other 4 survived. these were then sold back to a petshop. I knew that I should not have bought the birds in the first place. what happened was the birds were that full of worms -the wormkiller did the job and killed them but they blocked up the rear outlet to remove the problem and party over!

I was very fortunate I wasn't silly enough to let them go straight into various aviaries. those birds would have contaminated the floor with worm eggs and i'd had a real problem on my hands. at least I only had to disinfect the cabinets out

always remember - never let any outsider enter your aviary. you have no idea whats on their footwear or where they have been. that tip alone will help your birds live a much longer and happy life

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini

I was just studying your perches and items around your gourd nests.
That is a lot of birds looming around their nests.

Laying eggs is just a start. Getting the female to sit on them by day 6 is half the battle. The female has to feel safe and secure enough to stay in the nest during the night with the male either staying inside with her at night, or perched very close during the night to make her feel at ease.

I'm not seeing a place for the male to be close to the broody hen. And that one looming branch that is higher than the nests with all those birds able to peer into the nest & with all that activity on the nearby perches all day & night....it may be enough for any gouldian female to say "No way am I sleeping in there!".

If you're reluctant to remove the other species, I would make sure the nests are higher than the community perches. With real or faux plastic plants, create some privacy for your hens.

Take some time to really watch their behavior around the nests. They may feel okay to use the nests for some quick "romance", but not safe enough to rear the offspring.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lem2bert Thank you, they seem to be happy, singing all day long

[Ricardo Ronsini]

wildbill Thank you for all the information, here in Brazil we don't have S74, we use another ivermectin based medicine named Ivomec, i apply it to all my birds, especially to those newly purchased, for it is almost 100% of chance that any bird brought from a pet store has some kind of parasite as ASM, red mites, feather mites, intern worms and only god knows what else

I totally agree with you, we should never let a new bird go straight in contact with the others that we already have without a quarantine.

I breed these canaries myself, and they have been with me for a long time, generations. Thats why i trust letting them all together. Actually i was worried with the gouldians when i first brought them home, some were showing signs of an ASM infestation, i treated all of them (including the canaries), it took me about 3 months to be sure enouth that they would be fine, though i always keep an eye, hunting any sign of disease.

Just as a matter of curiosity, when you used zebras to foster gouldians, you let the zebras raise their own chicks mixed with the gould ones? Or they would reject goundians' chicks if they had their own to care for?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Babs Yes, the goulds may be upset with all the commotion around their nests. By now i don't want to disturb them, as it seems that the couple (now with 11 eggs) is beginning incubation, but as soon as i can, i will put in practice some of your tips, thank you .

[wildbill]

no! I just replaced the eggs as I knew that if left with gouldian eggs when the time came to fly...the zebra young would be independent long before the gouldians. they will do the job well but mine tossed it in at the very end at the most important part and went off to nest.

I also noted the cock zebras were always thinking about building the next nest as soon as the young left it. plus the young gouldians returned to the nest nightly. something mine rarely do. maybe the first night or two and after that at night -all huddled together on the perch.

it appears you have your asm under control so in that case I see no problem. the only real problem is if you get it amongst your birds its very hard to wipe out.

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini

11 eggs!! The highest mine have laid is 7! I hope her male is helping her out with the sitting. Thats a lot of bird butt to get over all those eggs! Which nest did they select?