Our Aviary

We have a small, hobby based aviary that is located in Mesa, Arizona. We currently have one large, outdoor planted aviary which houses our adult Gouldian finches. This aviary is 16 feet x 16 feet x 6 1/2 feet tall. In May 2007 we built a second, smaller aviary which is connected to the first aviary via the safety door. This smaller aviary measures 8 feet x 3 feet x 6 1/2 feet tall and is used to house our jouvenile gouldians until they mature into their adult plumage. Both aviaries are constructed of a wooden frame that has been stained a dark redwood color, and are screened with 1/2" x 1" aviary wire. The wire has been painted black to improve visability and also to provide a coating over the galvanized wire to eliminate the unsightly white "haze" that galvanized wire produces after about a year of use. Since finches do not use their beaks to climb like hookbills do and they do not chew on the wire of the cages, using galvanized wire to house them does not present a health hazzard as it would with hookbills. (We do not recommend the use of galvanized wire to house any hookbills in, as the galvanized wire could lead to zinc toxicity which could be fatal.)

The aviaries are almost entirely covered with corragated roofing material to protect them from the elements. A few small sections of the roof were left uncovered to allow the finches to enjoy the occasional Arizona rain storm or to provide more sun to bask in if desired. The aviaries also share a safety enterance which is highly recommended to use in any outdoor aviary to prevent escapes.

Both aviaries are planted with many potted plants hung on the walls of the aviary, as well as a couple large bushes planted directly in the ground. The ground is bare dirt, as I find the finches really enjoy foraging on the ground and we are lucky enough not to have a rodent problem here in Mesa. Both the plants and the birds are watered using automatic waterers. The aviaries are also equiped with a misting system which is controlled by a timer system to automatically turn the misters on twice a day during the hot summer months.

Here is a picture of the main aviary prior to building the smaller adjacent aviary.



Recently, I've been wanting to expand my gouldian breeding endeavors by trying my hand at selective cage breeding for a few select pairs. I am currently putting the finishing touches on an indoor cage setup that will allow me to house 6 pairs of gouldians. I currently have 5 pairs of birds in mind to house in these indoor cages; they consist of yellow, blue, and silver backed pairs which will hopefully produce some beautiful babies for me next fall. I will get pictures of the new cages up as soon as they are completed and will keep the website updated with information on these pairs. I have high hopes!

Update 11/2007: Well we finished the indoor cages a few months ago and have had the 5 pair of Gouldians setup in them. Currently setup in the indoor cages are the following pairs:

Cage #1	Red Head - White Chest - Blue Back Male	Red Head - Purple Chest - Green split to Blue Back Female
Cage #2	Red split to Black Head - Purple Chest - SF Yellow split to Blue Back (dilute) Male	Black Head - Purple Chest - Blue Back Female
Cage #3	Black Head - Purple split to White Chest - SF Yellow Blue (Pastel) Back Male	Black Head - White Chest - Yellow Blue Back Female (Silver - this is an all white bird)
Cage #4	Red Head - Purple Chest - SF Yellow split to Blue Back (dilute) Male	Orange Head - Purple Chest - Yellow split to Blue Back Female
Cage #5	Red Head - Purple Chest - SF Yellow Back (dilute) Male	Red Head - Purple Chest - Yellow Back Female

These pairs should give us many different colored gouldians including Yellows, Blues, Pastels, and Silvers. We already have a few babies from a couple of these pairs and are very excited to see what the season brings!