Finch planted flight Autumn 2016

[@lottiebabycakes]

what plants do you have inside of your finches aviary ?

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Hi Hamo, Yeah I've thought of painting it black a few times .My mate in the bird club has painted his a dark green and it looks very good. But i think when I recolour the sheds with wood stain in the spring then the black paint might come out too..lol

[@hamo4558]

Nice job Mark. Next time the aviary is empty try painting the wire black, inside & out. You'll see straight through it.

[@paulwhite2398]

looks good mark 👍👍👍👍

[@deannalamplough7723]

It is a lovely aviary, how do you keep it so clean with so many birds. Could you do a video on your cleaning out of the birds.

[@strawberryfinches4626]

Hi there I want to know what you did to get rid of rodents. I have got rodents in my garden so how to built a safe aviary outside please

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark ive been reading about giving finches greens and veg how often should i give it to them. plus how often to give sprouted seed . oh and egg food thanks.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos HI Simon I'll set a list of how often I feed extra foods apart from Seed. Vegetables ie Sweetcorn ,Lambs lettuce, spinach, carrots, rocket. Every 2 days for two hours. fruit ie apple, pear, Bannana,tomatoes. every 3 days for two hours. Egg food . Everyday during breeding season . then every 2 days. live mini mealworms worms. Everyday in breeding season . Then once or twice a week. remove all fruit & Veg after a couple of hours to stop it going off .Feed all year round . hope this helps.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark your a great help thanks .

[@anthonycruise5660]

Mark Connell hi Mark will they eat tomatoes banana do you remove pips

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark what size mesh do you use for finches plz

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark is it ok to use bark in some parts of the flight as long as its ok for kids. and the same with sand. thanks

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Yes bark and sand are ok to use ,but I found bark can go mouldy in the summer.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark

[@MARKSFINCHES]

yes ,The shed is heated in winter ,so they come and go, some sleep,indoors some outside during the winter. it's their choice.

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark do you use lighting in the outside flight in the winter months. and do you leave the inside light on all night thanks

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Number one rule Simon...You could keep a radio on 24/7 I've got classic fm on mine,this is to help towards your birds hearing a noise at night and not getting frightened.Also a red night light should always be fitted. No I've never lit my flights up .They need to go and roost naturally is my thoughts.I keep my main light on until winter on at 05:00 off 20:00 summer on at 05:00 off 22:00

[@simonamos9468]

thats great thanks . i was reading about dummy eggs incase i didnt want to breed do they work well in your opinion.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos I've used dummy eggs for years and they do work very well. But trust me you won't want to stop your birds breeding if you have the birds on the list I sent you.N0:1 the money they fetch will keep you in seed all year long. 2 : you need to keep enough stock for the next year and replace losses. 3: You will need a few youngsters to choose from if you want to show your birds at your local club.4 : if you join a club you will always have a waiting list for your young.

[@simonamos9468]

thanks mark i will breed with those birds you listed. also do you have nest boxes in the inside night shelter or just the outside flight. do you feed indoors or outdoor flight. sorry for all the questions you must get lots of us novice keepers asking for advice.

[@elijahdb4244]

Hey mark Connell at the moment I keep java finches zebra finches and bengalese, do you recommend any other finches that are colourful and hardy. I'm looking to add variety to my aviary/un heated breeding room

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark i have been reading about using rigid netting its used on aviaries the size for finch is 17mm x 22mm is that too big a gap do u think, its knowle netting . com looks good ?. ta

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Hi Simon ,Your netting your looking at isn't going to be small enough mate. Remember Goldbreast Waxbills are one of the smallest birds in the world. I use 1/2" X 1/2" netting and a young fledged Goldfinch was resting on my wire just after it fledged and it managed to get its head through the netting. so smaller the better also it helps to prevent mice and rats getting in your flights.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Goldbreast not Goldfinch..lol sorry

[@simonamos9468]

ok cheers mark the aviary is all built just the mesh to put up will go for the smaller mesh ta mark

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark bit of advice plz i have got some of the birds u said but not all how do i introduce the new birds to the aviary. the ones i got last week are still in the birdroom did u say a week in birdroom before i let them in flight.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos HI Simon ,Just open the pop hole after a week and let them make their own way out ,once one leaves the birdroom most of them will follow soon after. Open the pop hole as early as possible in the morning so they have all day outside. You should still keep all food inside so they will have to go inside to feed.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Also set the light timer for one hour after dark, your birds will come inside to roost.Dont worry if they stay out all night though. Ensure you have ready made nest boxes up in the flight incase they want to sleep in them on the first day.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark and when i get new birds i put them in the birdroom and they will follow the other birds in and out of birdroom. so i dont need to put new birds in birdroom for a week. ?

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Remember to quarantine any new birds for at least a week . Remember disease/ red mite is easy to bring into your birdroom but very hard to get rid of it. Place all new birds in a breeding cage for at least a week away from your birdroom.Any sick birds will show and you can treat your birds with mite treatment and worm them too ready to mix with your current collection. it is alot of work but dead/ sick birds are avoidable if you follow these steps.

[@simonamos9468]

thanks mark

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark is it a good idea to put nest boxes inside the birdroom, or leave them outside. plus should i remove boxes in winter.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos You can either have nest boxes inside and outside it doesn't matter as long as you have enough room. Also alot of finches will need a nest box all year round for roosting in.

[@simonamos9468]

again thankyou for your advice.

[@paulwhite2398]

will most British plants go in there mark or what ones do I need to avoid

[@hamaadraja768]

Its been almost 12 months since you have uploaded a video mate, hope everything is ok?

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark im gonna start painting the inside of the birdroom next week can i ask what paint u used plz.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Just normal white gloss paint,it's very easy to clean, but remember gloss paint will crack if it's too cold ,check the tin for temperature of use.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark might seem like a silly question but do the birds have a constant supply of seed or do u feed them in morning then in evening much the same as u would with a dog . ? plus how much seed would 20 finches have in a day plz .

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Hi Simon ,Your birds should have seed readily available 24/7 i use a cat litter tray or icecream tubs to place my seed in. 20 finches won't eat that much in a day, i would say about 2 or 3 mugs full of sead maybe ? I also would guess you might only need 2x 20kg sacks of seed a year costing in the region of about £50..

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark

[@arnica24]

whats the heat source ? gas or electric baseboard ? i wanna make something like this but it gets to minus 20 Celsius here in Toronto

[@MARKSFINCHES]

imran Hi I use an electric oil filled radiator with a plug in thermostat. most radiators do come with their own built in thermo's but i find them cheap and unreliable.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

I used a peice of plastic pipe so it's easy to clean or the entrance hole. The hole is not closed at night, it's left open all year ,I just use a sponge jammed in the hole to close it if it's required.

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark do you have ivy in the flight cos some people have said its toxic and others have said its ok.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos If you have Waxbills or small finches then you'll have no problem with live ivy in a fight.Large finches ie Canaries or java spattows then you'll have a problem.Most of the ivy around the nest boxes in the video are plastic imitations.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Also the large vine bush next to the window in the video is a Russian vine and its edable and totally safe.

[@simonamos9468]

thanks mark im only keeping the finches that you recommended so all small finch. aviary should be finished by mid march , do you think its best for me to get the birds in say end of may so its not cold then .

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos I'd start buying them around April time and keep them inside for a couple weeks to calm down and mix as anew collection. Then on a real nice calm warm day let them out around 8 o'clock in the morning. Let them find their own way out of the shelter ,but keep a light on for a couple hours after dark. They will find their own way in and out in no time.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark will do that

[@hamaadraja768]

Hello mate, you haven't uploaded any videos in a few months, when can we expect some more? Thank you

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Hamaad Raja HI Hamaad , Well it's Winter in the UK and I tend to make videos in the Spring or Summer. We also have an Avian virus ( bird flu ) in the UK so my birds are housed indoors under law at the moment until Defra lifts the law in a couple weeks time. But I will be making more videos as soon as the virus restrictions has been lifted and I can let them outside again.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Hamaad Raja HI Hamaad , Well it's Winter in the UK and I tend to make videos in the Spring or Summer. We also have an Avian virus ( bird flu ) in the UK so my birds are housed indoors under law at the moment until Defra lifts the restrictions in a couple weeks time. But I will be making more videos as soon as the virus restrictions has been lifted and I can let them outside again.

[@simonamos9468]

hi im gonna build my first aviary end of feb its gonna be 21 feet x 6 feet with a heated indoor flight 4 feet x 3 feet. planted like your aviary could i keep diamond doves with finches ?, and how many finches could i keep , i live in north west england what finches would be ideal for this part of the country. thanks

[@awaisghani300]

have you bred spice finches?

[@MARKSFINCHES]

awais ghani HI yes Spice finches are very easy to breed. All you need is a half open nest box and plenty of dried ( dead ) brown medium sized leaves so they can build their nest with,Also add soft dead grass so they can line their nest with and then they will breed. Hope this helps.

[@awaisghani300]

my trio has made a nest how long will it take them to start laying?

[@MARKSFINCHES]

awais ghani Should be within a 2 week time frame.

[@anandquotes4291]

Very nice sir I really love it I dream to do the same for you.. And plz update more vedios....

[@abbasghani8911]

how to breed spice finches

[@MARKSFINCHES]

1/2" X 1/2" galvanised mesh it's stronger so you can make larger panels . I got it from a company called Hills of Devon on eBay.

[@simonamos9468]

thanks

[@MARKSFINCHES]

If you have small finches like mine ,then most plants are fine, But stay away from plants with berries. Larger finches like Java sparrows and canarys will chew leaves.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Sounds great , Well you can house diamond doves with finches ,they are just a bit big that's all ,like a massive slow helicopter taking off that scares the smaller finches. But I've kept them in the past and they were fine. Ok I would start with these species for your aviary setup. Bicheno finches X 2 pairs Star finches X 2 pairs St Helena Waxbills x 2 pairs Gouldian finches X 2 pairs Goldbreast Waxbills x2 pairs. stick with this for a fantastic collection. your birds might not breed in the first year but they will go mad in the second.

[@simonamos9468]

thankyou i will google these finches and see what they look like. will you do a winter aviary video soon or you gonna wait till spring. again many thanks.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos !oh a winter aviary looks really ugly ,dark,damp and full of moulting birds.lol I'll wait until the spring Simon then post another.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Also ,I've bred all the finches in the list Simon so don't be put off from what you might read on the Internet. Any questions then just ask .It's a hobby not a job so enjoy the look of your aviary aswell as the breeding side of the Hobby.

[@simonamos9468]

thanks for your advice . when my birds do breed is it ok to keep them or will there parents attack the chicks. i was just gonna let them breed in the aviary not in cages leave them to it. when i have to many have to off load them .look forward to your next video .

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Most breeders or pet shops won't buy them until they have melted anyway ( adult plumage ) .so place a plstic split ring on both legs of your chicks. Dark blue is for 2017 and a family colour for each breeding pair. This way you can sell unrelated pairs and stop inbreeding. Google a company called Avian id ( UK ) for your split plastic leg rings.

[@rizwanahmed7947]

Hi dear, Do you sale as well...

[@tomaszfranczesko1726]

Bardzo ładnie

[@simonamos9468]

hi mark i bought 4 gouldian finches last monday put them in birdroom after 5 days . then on sat the birds came out the birdroom and into the flight. but they wont go back in the birdroom at night and i only feed in birdroom the st helena go in and out. im having to give food in flight so the gouldians can eat. any advice on how i can get them to go in and out of birdroom. cheers mark

[@MARKSFINCHES]

simon amos Just make sure they have nest boxes out in your flight to roost in with the nests all ready made up for them. . You need to move the food inside or you'll get mice. They'll find the food and go inside if there hungry enough.

[@simonamos9468]

cheers mark the birds have gone inside now thanks. and i have put food back inside

[@MARKSFINCHES]

Only if you live in Devon UK.

[@MARKSFINCHES]

No mate.

[@abbasghani8911]

spice finch male female