Budgies and finches

[jcarroll]

Just finished my first breeding season after a very long lay off.
I have two small inside flights that share one large outside flight.
Can't decide if I should
1 keep sexes apart (cock budgies with cock zebra finches and hens with hens)
2 keep budgies and finches apart
Either of these two would mean access to outside flight every other day.
Or 3 just let them do their own thing and open both inside flights every day so they can mingle at will.

Please advise.

James

[BudgiesBuddy]

Hi James and welcome to forum

I would keep the budgies and finches apart and keep the sexes together.

[Captain Howdy]

I have always kept my Budgies in a mixed aviary, with Zebra Finches, Bourkes, Quail and some softbills at one point.

Providing there are no nest boxes or things that can be seen as a nesting site, the aviary is large enough and there are plenty of perches to go around with a couple of feeding/ water stations you should be able to mix them well.

bviously you get the one bird that doesn't like playing with others but I have only ever had one that was like this and she was fine when introduced slowly. I always introduce the smaller/ more timid species into an aviary first, so the Zebras are let in first for a couple of days then introduce the Budgies last so they are entering the Zebras territory.

If you do let them mingle just keep an eye on them in case someone doesn't want to play nice.

[Bird Junky]

Hi I find the problem in most cases of mixing Finches
& Budgies together is the amount of space available.
A large aviary to one keeper might be considered inadequate
to another also stocking levels have to be taken into account.
Keepers with a successful method of introducing Finches &
budgies together don't realise their method wouldn't work
in a smaller aviary. In most cases the birds will live happily
together for quite some time, till one day a dispute will set
them off & you'll find dead finches. (& their always your best
ones)...B.J.

[jcarroll]

Thanks folks, that was helpful.
My outside flight is only 3 feet x 8 feet (hence the desire to split my birds into two groups).
I will play safe and keep finches budgies separate.