You have such an amazing aviary with a very diverse collection including several species which are unavailable in the US. I have been interested in birds since I was a small child (as well as reptiles/amphibians and coral reef fishes.) Although my career has been in marketing media & technology to feed my passion(s) I’ve had courses in avian biology, herpetology & ichthyology. I live in Manhattan (a native) and have had a great deal of success in breeding a wide variety of small soft-bills including Cordon Bleus, Glouster Canaries, Purple Grenadiers, Paradise & Pin Tailed Wydahs, Red & Blue-faced Parrot Finches as well as Owl/ Zebra/ Society and my favorite; Lady Gouldian Finches. You are absolutely right about breeding the Gouldians. I find covering the breeding cages in fine, linen cheesecloth (so the birds cannot see outside but I can see in) and keeping them in the quietest room w/o distractions would increase my luck greatly with them and certain other perceived-to-be-“difficult” breeders. Also, I’ve found it’s often the younger, inexperienced pairs who sometimes fail at their first attempt at rearing young. I would allow the eggs/chicks of new, 1st time parents to be fostered only if I noticed disinterest/neglect. Then I’d let the parents rest and give them 1-2 more opportunities to rear their own brood, this would often work. Pre-breeding conditioning is also quite important for many species. I’ve had a few larger hook-bills as pets; a Black-Capped Lorikeet and a pair of Rosella Mantillas. Unfortunately my apartment wasn’t large enough to provide them with adequate space when I embarked on breeding soft-bills so they went to my brother’s aviaries in Florida. He breeds large hook-bills on 5.5 acres there, also Florida’s climate is much more conducive to year-round, outdoor husbandry. He has quite a large collection including; Macaws (Scarlet, Blue & Gold & Military), Cockatoos (Galahs & Umbrella), Indian Ring Neck & Plum Headed Parakeets and many Cockatiel color morphs. He’s also considering a pair of Black-Palm Cockatoos but has yet to locate a suitable, unrelated pair. Thank you for answering all my questions this past year and best wishes for continued luck with all your future breeding endeavors!
I want to breed birds for a living after I move out and become financially independent. My hope is that I can breed them as well as other animals for a side hustle and ultimately do it full-time. Do you have any pointers for someone like me? And you mentioned that some of these birds are unavailable in the US. Can I still find ways to acquire some and still make a living off of them?
@@warrioroflight6872 I would suggest you do a great deal of research before investing and preferably from speaking to other breeders. While the information presented on this channel is extremely accurate there’s a great deal of half-truths & misinformation online. If you’re a novice you should probably decide on breeding either soft-bills (finches etc) or hook-bills (parrots, etc) at first as the husbandry of each clade differs. I would also focus on the easier to breed species in the beginning; Zebra & Society Finches (soft-bills) or Parakeets, & Lovebirds (hook-bills) so you aren’t disillusioned during your learning curve. Breeding any animal requires dedication, time and knowledge. Understanding the conditions they thrive under in their natural habitat (diet, temperature, nesting habits/cycles, etc) and replicating these conditions to meet their needs in captivity is more than half the battle won. I would start slowly and not expect to get rich overnight or you might be disappointed as animals can be fickle in captivity. Your love of the animals is a big part of determining the degree of success you will ultimately achieve. If I could do it successfully in a 3 1/2 room, 1,300 sq ft NYC apartment basically anyone can. For me it started out as a hobby and the money from successfully breeding some of the rarer species was a welcome surprise. I might also suggest not giving up your main job at first while you gain the experience needed to be a successful breeder, “slow & steady wins the race.” Good luck.
Thank you for your contributions to aviculture. You have a magnificent set-up. Please try to acquire and successfully breed Swee Waxbills (Estrildidae Melanotis); they are an African species. They are so precious but rare in the captive bird world.
Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦 Nice to see some of the local birds , i used to keep aswell 👌🏻👍🏻 You need to get a pair of " Common Red Ear Waxbill " my 2c they really a bird to consider..
Beautiful birds. I once dreamt of what looks like a Java sparrow. Pink bill but pure white all over except its breast which was pitch black, there were two of them. The first one flew to my mouth and let its beak touch my tongue. The second one flew to my chest. I never understood this dream.
This is the firat time seeing your video after reading a comment from another video of your cardinal in the aviary. It got my attention. You have such BEAUTIFUL BIRDS!
related to the long tails, it is very easy to determine the sex of mature birds. only the male sings, he has a more pronounced and larger black spot on the bill, and the tail is also longer...much longer than the females, the beak is darker in color also at the male 👍
Hi im in the process of building a 24 x 16 foot aviary with natural floor as im new to hobby how do i stop breeding plus what are the easiest and quietest finches to keep as i have neighbours .any feed back much appreciated many thanks .
Hi! Some species are hard to breed (easy to stop) others will go on and even lay on eggs on the floor. Few finches will anoy neighbours😉 But what finches to choose depends on your climate and if they should be outdoor year round?
Super video/update on the birds, great information especially on the foodstuffs, for the different species, nest-site preferences, materials and management, all and all a wonderfull watch, the variety of birds and their beautiful markings and colours, makes an outstanding and very interesting subject. Excellent Torben. 👍👀. All the very best. Mark.
Thank you very much😉 I do not clean most parts - but under special places where many birds (or large turacos or doves) sit often I remove top soil sometimes.
Great video update! I like how you covered all the birds and how the breeding success was good or not. All the birds look great and healthy. When I had long tail finches, I sexed them by looking at the black bib under the beak, the males is more wide and full, the females is more narrow and long. They breed well for me indoors. Hope all is well Torben. Take care 😊
Yesterday, I bought a bird from the store. The seller told me that it was only a Belgian bird and did not give me any other information. I searched the Internet a lot and did not find any similar species to it. The specifications of this bird are that its head is black and its neck is orange, but its belly is black and its back is like a sparrow. At first I suspected it was a hybrid bird, but the seller told me it was not a hybrid
Hi😉 Thanks for the care. The cockatoo had not had apples that day - so dont think so. I have never removed apple seeds and have been feeding with apples for many many years. Never had this problem despite knowing for sure that many birds eat these seeds. Not saying that the seeds are not poison but many other plants are - and despite this many birds eat them without problems😉
Great video! Wonderful collection of Birds all looking beautiful. Its great to see them flying around in a large space, getting along together and breeding well.
Thanks for the update! Good luck with the breeding of your birds! I hope all continues to go well for you! And thank you, as usual, for sharing your lovely birds with us! Have a great day!
