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Note:
The details on this page are to be read and used in conjunction with the
information on the web pages as shown in the left hand side navigation bar.
Topics covered below - in order:
Stress
Nest location
Nests attached to an external wall or a metal wall
Young that leave the nest prematurely
Finch Nests
Finch Nest materials
Humidity levels
Temperature levels
Nests to be under the covered section of the aviary
Stress
The aim of designing a "home" for our birds is to produce a
stress free environment. Stress can be one of
the main reasons a pair will not successfully settle down to producing young. Stress is also one of the main causes of ill health or death of captive birds. All design features in an aviary or cage should minimize the potential stresses
in a bird's life.
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Nest location
Nests should be built under the roofed
or sheltered portion of the aviary. In the wild, birds nest in the
open with the nests often subjected to wild variations of temperatures,
rain and wind. Birds in an aviary that are given the chance to
build in an exposed situation may have erratic breeding results.
Heavy rain and a cold wind can easily cause the death of small young
nestlings. The loss of some nests in the wild may not have any
significant effect on the overall population but in the Australian
aviary population we no longer have access to imported stock.
Aviary birds will generally breed more reliably in
an aviary that protects them from the majority of the extreme climatic elements.
Having said that, do not assume that means giving them full protection
that may result in the future generations becoming "soft". A happy
medium has to be take to maximize the rearing of vigorous birds while
maintaining high breeding numbers.
Some finches will make the nest touching the roof structure (Refer to
top finch photo on "finch nest photos" web page). This nest may be
effected by summer heat radiating from the roof. If this nest was
used as a roosting nest in winter, the nest could become very cold at
night. In the cooler months it could also be effected by
condensation on the underside of the roof material. The nest could
become damp or wet. Worst case, it may be cold and wet.
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Nests attached to an external wall or a metal wall
Nests attached to an external wall or a
metal wall in the cooler months may be colder than nests further away
from the cold surface. External aviary walls and metal walls can
get very cold very fast at night and drain valuable heat from a nest.
Young finches or parrots can die if the nest gets cold and stays cold especially
at night. Moving a nest about 100 - 150 mm (4 - 6 inches) away
from a potentially cold surface will minimize this kind of heat loss.
To show how cold a wall can make a nest, hang a maximum / minimum recording
thermometer on the metal wall for a few nights then for the next few nights hang
it about 100 - 150 mm away from the wall then compare the results. The
loss or nest heat is
less critical in the summer months but the heat drain caused in the cooler
months may delay the hatching and development of the young or in a worst case
the death of one or all of that clutch.
In the winter months the "wind
chill factor" may further reduce the metal temperature
and aggravate the heat loss even further.
The same heat loss principle can apply to the
parrot family of birds.
In the hot summer months the heat transfer along
metal aviary or cage frames or roof may influence the temperature of
a nest. Heat can move along metals exposed to direct sun and,
if a nest is placed in contact with the metal frame or roof, the
nest temperature may increase to a temperature that may compromise
the health or survival of the adults, young or eggs.
If it is not
practical to move the nest or log away from a potentially hot or cold wall, a
piece of solid "parrot proof" insulation can be placed between the nest or log
and the metal surface to minimize the potential heat loss or heat gain.
Top of topics list
Young that leave the nest prematurely
Young that leave the nest prematurely
should not be replaced back into the nest with the other young.
This will generally disrupt the remaining young birds resulting in them
also leaving the nest prematurely. The young that leave
prematurely can be closely monitored to ensure the parents will feed the
bird during the day. Immature birds that may not be able to
survive a cool/cold night can be removed from the aviary, kept in a warm
place and returned early next morning. This does not guarantee the
survival of the immature bird but may improve its chances of survival.
The birds that have been ejected prematurely or decide to "jump" early
should be checked to see if it has any physical defects or acts
"normal". Any birds that show any physical or behavioural
abnormalities should be either killed (euthanized) or clearly identified by a leg
ring and never bred from. The bird in the wild would have close to
no chance of surviving and never breed. The early "jump" from the
nest may be nature's way of saying "don't breed with these early nest
leavers".
Many animals and birds instinctively know if a
baby is not as good as the others and the removal of some birds within a
colony is designed to maintain the physical and mental health of the
overall species. Any bird not up to standard for good breeding
stock may make an excellent indoor cage bird or pet. They could be
kept as a single bird in a mixed species collection, out of sight of its
own species and not with any species that it may hybridize with, and
still live a happy life.
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Finch Nests
Most
nest are built in thick shrubs or small trees. Hen and
cock birds both build the nest. The breeding nest is a covered dome shape
and constructed from assorted lengths of grasses and lined with
feathers, soft grasses or soft material and most have a side tunnel entrance.
Some species will also build a roosting nest which is used outside
breeding season. Start preparing for breeding season a month
or two prior to the projected nesting date by purchasing or
procuring all the necessary materials. Don't wait till a bird
starts laying eggs on the floor. Don't get caught with
insufficient materials for the birds to build a sturdy nest. A
poor quality nest may result in the loss of the eggs or young or the
parent birds abandoning the partly constructed nest. There is
a wide range of materials available from Bird clubs, good pet shops
and bird dealers. Remember, the nest is only as good as the
materials you provide.
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Finch Nest materials
Finch nests can be made from materials such as grasses, plant and
vegetable matter, coconut fibre, sheep wool, natural cotton wool, animal hair and lined with soft materials
including feathers. Short lengths of teased natural fibre
hessian, soft pampas grass heads can be offered. Some will use
spider webs in the nest construction.
November grass and Swamp grass are favourites of the birds that line
their nests and these grasses can be purchased from many Aviculture
clubs or from bird dealers.
Trays of growing grasses can be placed in the cage or aviary. The length
of the grass blades should be of varying lengths so the birds can choose the
lengths they prefer. Different species of grasses should be offered.
Tough grasses like couch will offer textural and strength variety. Some
bird species prefer to add some green fresh grasses into the nest structure.
The green fresh grasses will dry and help form a strong nest.
Local wild finches will use a wide variety of plant materials from trees,
shrubs, flowers, vegetables, mosses, ferns and household litter. Check out
what the local wild finches use and offer your birds some of the same materials.
Don't take material from wild birds nests as these nests may harbour mites,
parasites and disease pathogens.
Some birds use mud in the construction of the nest. Blackbirds will
use substantial amounts of mud in the nest construction.
Some birds use spider webs in the construction of the nest.
Many birds use feathers to line
the nests. Various types of feathers may be purchased from bird
dealers, avicultural clubs/societies and/or hobby shops. Most of
the feathers sold are white chicken feathers but some places may have
other colours and types of poultry feathers. Pigeon, duck,
pheasant and quail feathers may be avail from processors factories.
Synthetic nest materials should be
avoided.
Top of topics list
Finch nest inspection
Nest
inspections for finches is often very difficult and impractical.
Most finches are very intolerant of nest inspections and this
practise may result in the loss of the whole clutch.
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Humidity levels
In the wild a nest is subject to constant air movement from the wind. In an
aviary we have solid side walls, rear wall, and a fully covered roof. The modern
aviary has almost totally removed the air movement from the rear portion of the
aviary. The nests are often placed in a spot at the back of the aviary with
little or no air movement. The minimal air flow can reduce the removal of humid
air this part of the aviary. One of the results of slow or no air movement is
the build up of moisture within the breeding or roosting nest. Nests that fail
to dry out can be detrimental to the development of the eggs, young or parent
bird.
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Temperature levels
The same principle as outlined in the "humidity levels" paragraph above applies
to the aspect of aviary and nest temperatures. In the summer, heat builds
up under the rear roofed section, the lack of air flow can be
detrimental to the nesting or roosting birds. Equally in winter, the
overnight cold will reduce the aviary temperature and that of the nest.
The lack of air movement may delay the warming of the rear of the aviary
and nest. The lack of warmth may reduce the growth rate of the young, delay
the development of the egg or make the parent bird lethargic.
Top of topics list
Nests to be under the covered section of the aviary
Birds that make a poor nest or
birds from dry environments may benefit from having a fully covered
roof. In the tropics a bird may make a nest that will be wet from rains
but have it dry out fairly quickly from the tropical heat and wind. The same nest
made by the same species, made in a cooler environment and subject to
the same amount of rain, in an aviary, may not dry out, leaving the hen, the eggs, or
young in a wet nest for an unacceptably long time. A nest that does not
dry out quickly may result in the loss or abandonment of that of that
clutch. A wet nest that does not fully dry out may become mouldy or
breed other harmful pathogens and become a health risk to other birds in
the aviary. This is especially applicable to those birds that have poor
hygiene habits and have messy droppings encrusted nests.
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