The Gouldian Finch - Chloebia gouldiae

Other Common Names:

Gouldian Finch, Painted Finch, Rainbow Finch, Lady Gouldian Finch.

Distribution:

Queensland throught to the Northwest of Australia.

Size:

14 -15 cm in length

Life Span:

5 - 8 years

Feeding:

Now here we have a real dilemma as I feed all my birds with individual seed utensils. These are filled with White French Millet, Red Pannicum, Plain Canary, Jap Millet plus a tonic mix of Linseed, Rye Grass, Canola (Rape) & Niger. Most keepers say that the birds will become obese and not perform well in the breeding area due to this factor. My theory is that you don’t get a finch mix prepared in the wild yet living and breeding are fine in this matter. I think that this problem arises mainly from caged birds as they simply don’t get the correct amount of exercise they need to burn excess body weight off. Fatty seeds are hammered by my birds during winter yet are less so in summer showing that they don’t just eat because they can. This problem may also be due to those that have non-planted aviaries and therefore deny their birds of things to do such as foraging through the undergrowth for natural greens and live foods. This in not to say that finch mixes aren’t any good, just that I prefer a different method of nutrition management opposed to other keepers. Greens, greens, greens and a few more greens are also a good idea all year round. I use a variety of things such as the planted Green Panic Grass, Sprouted & Sprouting seed, Bok Choy, Endives and Parsley. I also ensure that there is a charcoal and grit mix available as gouldians love charcoal which is noticed everyday I check them oh and of coarse the constant refilling of the dish.

During the breeding, moulting and winter seasons I prepare a softfood mix which consists of;

• 12 Hard boiled eggs – boiled for at least 20 minutes and cooled with cold water
• 250 grams of Heinz™ baby rice cereal (6+ months formula)
• 100 grams of ground chicken starter pellets
• 50 grams of coarsely ground seed – all that I normal use to feed
• 10 grams of Probotic™ powder
• 5 grams calcium powder
• a pinch of a vitamin powder
• a pinch of a mineral powder

Mash the eggs as fine as possible then add the rice cereal, ground chicken starter pellets, coarsely ground seeds then fold in the other ingredients until mixed together evenly. This mixture should be dry and crumbly not over moist as gouldians hate damp or wet foods. I simply make this as a batch and add to small containers place them into the freezer for easy storage. When I need to use them (which is a daily chore during the above mention seasons) I simply put them into the microwave for several seconds until warm and definitely not cold or still frozen.

Housing:

My birds are housed in outside aviaries where I try to avoid any drafts from entering the sheltered area of the flight. This is only from the rear of the sheltered area by using silicone to seal holes and gaps not the exposed front area which is left open all year. I, unlike many breeders do not pamper my gouldians as this tends to produce weak and fussy stock that then become a burden to keep. Yes this does cost me money as stock is lost though the colder months however this is always being strengthened by a more vigorous gene pool which then saves that lost money for me. Mutations of this species will need more care than normal coloured birds as their colours are in fact a genetic defect meaning they will need a little extra care. Once again though as I have stated previously no special care I only increase to availability of fatty seeds and high protein mixtures to combat this problem. My aviaries are 2.4m (W) x 2.0m (H) x 4.0 (D) and house a maximum of 9 pair of birds with the roof area covering about 75% of the flight. These flights are planted with Green Panic Grass not only as a great food source but a security factor to help settle the birds from any panic flying (no pun intended) caused from inside or outside the flight area. I prefer to colony breed my birds as it proves easier to manage them and also allows the birds to choose their own mates. I find that those that are able to choose their own mates are much better parents and produce a higher quality and quantity of offspring.

Breeding:

Gouldians normally breed from March through to November depending on whether they have reached breeding condition at that stage or not. When the females are in breeding condition you will notice the colour on their beaks will become darker. Some gouldians have a reputation for being picky about their potential mate. Some breeders house the males and females separately until their beaks colour up, the birds will then more readily accept any mate at this stage. Gouldians are poor nest builders and therefore in most cases nesting boxes are used with the addition of a cup shaped wad of grass in the bottom to start them off. They seen to prefer a dark nest box about 15cm (H) x 15cm (W) x 20-25cm (D) lined with a mixture of fine and coarse grasses with the fine predominately in the top area of the wad. The male will grab a long piece of grass in his beak bob up and down in front of the female while puffing out his chest to start the courtship process. Soon after this event if all goes according to plan both the male & female will begin checking out the nesting receptacles in preparation to nesting. Once they find one that is favourable to both they will then retire to the nest box for mating. The average eggs laid is between 4-8 eggs with incubation usually taking place after the 4th egg is laid. Incubation is 14 - 16 days which in some cases appears to be dominated by the weather as a few cold days’ delays the hatch times. The chicks fledge at 15 days or so again dependant on the weather. Chicks are normally independent at about 1 month after fledging. Gouldians are amongst the slowest finches to mature and therefore patience is needed. They often take anywhere between 4 - 6 months to moult into their adult colours which is always worth the wait. Increasing the availability of protein in the diet throughout the early development of chicks will help produce stronger healthier chicks; it will also help them moult better and quicker into their adult colours.