I live in Lebanon and raise a multitude of small birds but my main focus is
Gouldians. Although undeniably gorgeous, the classic green mutations did not
satisfy my "Mendel" side that is why I breed all the other mutations like
yellow, blue, pastel and silver, in all head and chest colors.
I have enjoyed corresponding with Pascal over
the Internet for some time now. His dedication to aviculture, in particular
the Gouldian Finch is self evident. English is his third language. Arab and
French coming first. I hope you enjoy his story about how he keeps the
Gouldian Finch in Lebanon. I recommend that you visit his website by
clicking the banner at the bottom of the page ...
Gouldians in Lebanon.
Ups and
Downs!
By Pascal. 
My name is Pascal, and some
of you know me as Aviando, which is a nickname I acquired at college.
History
I was first introduced to Gouldians many years ago, when I was just a kid.
Those birds were inexistent in Lebanon, you have to remember that we were
at war then, and bird keeping was the least thing on peoples mind.
It all happened when one of my friends returned from a trip to Europe with
4 birds. He didn't know the first thing about them... nor did I.
A week or so after they were in Lebanon, one male got sick and died,
followed by a female. Then the other couple started to get fluffy, and
lethargic. This is when my friend gave them to me, as I am much more experienced
in bird keeping than him. I nursed the birds back to health and a few months
later I tried my first breeding attempts.
It took me 3 years to get the first babies, but it was worth it. I
was so enthralled by their beauty, so I saved some money for about another year
and had some mutations imported from Italy, and then things took
off.
Cage Breeding
I had chosen Cage breeding because of the rigorous husbandry standard I
follow. I mean with so many mutations, it is crucial for me to know who fathered
whom and which hidden traits each bird carries. Outside the breeding season, my
birds are housed in roomy cages, which I never overcrowd. But after seeing the
masterpieces some of you house your birds in, I hardly can call mine Aviaries.
They are large holding cages.
Due to our mild weather, the birds can breed in both late spring and early
winter but this is very traumatic to them, as they would molt twice a year. That
is why I breed mature birds in the winter season and the first timers in spring
alongside some societies I set up just in case. I will not bring up the
fostering issue but I have to say, I'd rather not
foster.
Winter/Spring Breeding
The winter breeding season starts Late September and lasts till
February. The temperatures range between 8C o and
23C o . I only provide extra warmth at night and only when the temperature is
below 15. May is the start of the spring breeding cycle, and it is when I couple
up the Gouldians, which are older than 12 month that had never bred before. I do
not expect much in the spring season, and I do not tire the birds too much, just
a clutch or two. It is only training as I like to call it, and it is mainly to
initiate them for the forthcoming winter cycle of the following
year.
Food
Nutrition wise, I mainly give my birds beside seeds, a bit of home made egg
food some millet sprays and always put in with them a cup of crushed eggshell
and cuttlebone. I do not wait until the breeding season to supply the calcium
because they need it throughout the year and the females would thus fortify
their bone structure in anticipation of the draining egg-laying period.
I have to say that when I first started with breeding Gouldians I was so
afraid to disturb them that I used to tip toe around the cages to feed them and
then
disappear for the whole day, my birds would only see me once a day and
they grew distant and weary of me which was a huge disaster, because whenever I
had to handle a bird or check a nest they would freak out!! And the cages being
so close to each other did not help either, in a flash all the birds would be
flying all over their cages banging to the wire and deserting their
broods.
I had read a lot about how bad parents they are that I was so afraid to
disturb them, but this is so wrong. Most of them are great parents, although
they need
time to master parenthood, usually a season or two.
Believe me, Gouldians are very devoted parents. I decided to change my
approach, and spent more and more time around them, doing whatever I had to do,
and this got them to accept my presence as part of their daily routine.
So now, I could be cleaning their cage while whistling a tune and most of
them wouldt bulge. Some might leave the nest or stick their head out but
never
panic nor be afraid.
Minor Problems
The only problem I face in Lebanon with Gouldian is the unpopularity of
this bird. 95% of bird owners have canaries and the others have Zebras or
Budgies. I relate this to two factors: one is the relative price of the bird,
you can buy a white Yorkshire canary (the most popular bird here) for $100 while
a pair of classic greens is $90. Naturally every body would pitch in an extra 10
and buy the Canary.
Another reason is this following "vicious cycle" as I like to call it,
expensive birds, leading to few owners, leading to less breeding attempts,
leading to
fewer birds on the market, leading to expensive birds. Which takes
us to the beginning.
To my knowledge I am the only Lebanese person to have successfully
bred
Gouldians, I am still waiting to be stood corrected, because this would
give me so much joy to have somebody to compete with, amiably of course.
I sell the green birds locally and the other mutations are shipped to
Arab Countries where they are more appreciated.
Thank you all for reading
this. Please write to me with your comments and
questions.Please visit Pascal's informative and friendly website by
clicking on his banner above.
My Gouldian Aviary.
