Gouldian Finch Breeding Season and Bird Condition
While there is much that goes into the breeding and conditioning of Gouldians, many people are not sure of when they should expect their finches to breed if that’s what they intend to do. Bear in mind, that whether or not you have a nest box, it is likely a hen will lay eggs even if on the floor of the cage. They are also subject to the risk of egg binding.
Breeding season in North America, and specifically in Northern California begins in the fall and extends through summer. So, what do you look for to know whether or not your birds have properly finished the molting period which occurs during late summer into early fall?
Your birds should be free from pin feathers, be brightly colored, the beak tip should be noticeably colored as well. This male is an orange head and the tip of the beak will be orange or red when in prime condition.
These females though one is not quite ready for breeding. Can you tell which and why?
If you guess that the darkness of the beak tip was the determining factor you are correct. Although each of these birds are finely feathered, the one on the left is ready for breeding.
Here’s some samples of birds not finished molting and should not be paired up until they are entirely ready. Birds missing flight feathers or having partially or fully bald heads should not be used to produce offspring and should be on an enriched diet with vitamins and iodine.
For us, we are typically nesting in October-November and have fledglings outside of the next in December. We actively try and cease all breeding in August and separate males and females into separate flights. In the off-season whether or not we cage or aviary breed our pairs they are all retired to aviaries for their rest period.
If you pair your birds up by Valentine’s Day you may be able to produce two sets of offspring before the rest period. I’ll discuss more topics related to Gouldians and other finches in my blog posts. If you have specific subject requests, send me an email.