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Do you mean you are going to put builders plastic over the pavers, if so GB that won't work because it will get mouldy underneath. What Dan says makes sense. My new birdroom was getting moisture on one side, worked out that Gregs garden was next to it and he was watering it and the a build up of water in the dirt made the cement all wet. I have fixed the problem now, lol kicked him out of that area lol. A trench doesn't have to be to deep, just as long as it drains the excess water away for the building. Where abouts do you need to put the silicone. Great idea Taz, that should work Gb, you have disabilities, check around.

Gb I had sand aviaries for 5 years and I never had a sick bird from cocci etc, but now they are cement I seem to have more hassles. So sand should be okay, every week I would finely sweep the poop out and it was clean, I actually found it easier than scraping cement. Silicone I am not sure about but I have gap filler in my nest boxes and i haven't lost a bird from it. Tell me what you are trying to fill and do and I will see I can help.

I know how exactly how you feel hun it's the same around here when it comes to club members. Honestly the only club member that has been here is Clearwing. I have asked several to come but they never turn up. As for helping with my bird room Clearwing helped and Greg, But even now I have to do most by myself. Yesterday I chucked it with Greg and he actually went out and did something I couldn't do. Gb I would cement over the pavers but then that would be something you can't do on your own either, I can't cement either, I find it a frustrating job trying to get it smooth. Anyway all I want to say i wish I lived closer because I would love to help. I just hope some one on here sees your plea and comes to your aide hun. I think your bird room /aviary is lovely , sounds like you just need to fix a few things, please don't give up.

17 chicks is great, I know it could be much better , the same here but the way I see it at the moment any chick is better than nothing and just have to pray they all live, that's here anyway Dave. All up here i have 14 babies in the aviary of 28 breeding cages 1st round, 25 babies in the holding cages second round and out of 28 cages and this round so far 12 chicks out of the 28 cages and one 2 day old chick was dead this morning.

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Update... Went out this morning to check on my white boy and he is much more lively now, I don't think is weight has changed any but he is jumping on the perch now so that is a better sign, it actually looks like he has hurt his wing, another bird that probably can't fly anymore. But I think he will be okay. He is hanging one wing more than the other and when he flies to the next perch the wing looks like it is hanging a bit. Anyway 3 new chicks today but I found a 2 day old chick dead, a pale pink colour with full crop, it's belly looked a tiny bit yellow. so now chick count is 12 I think. Still going to separate pairs and put them in the aviaries, but still working on the partly inside one (mouse proofing). That is for the babies. The yellow Df spangle, the white boys dad looks a bit down today too. And it has been really annoying because both these cocks have filled eggs and I have lost all the chicks from the yellow boy and only have maybe 2 chicks form the white boy. both birds are getting on too, yellow boy 07 and white 08. Last year I lost all the yellow boys chicks too except two, the hen smashed his eggs and one hen squashed his chicks. Really annoying 2 years in a row with bad breeding results. I feel I will never get back on the show bench to the stage of been competitive in my section. This hobby is very hard.

Lovely chicks, you are doing great Squeak. look forward to seeing those chicks moult out

i think Kaz is on the right track too, I have chicks that I have taken away from parents at 6 1/2 weeks and go all fluffed up , so I put them back with the parents and they call for food, i had one that was still fed until 8 weeks and one at the moment who is 7weeks, refuse to eat on her own.

Thanks Gb that will be good. I just hope he will be okay because he is the main bird of my stud. I have that grey spangle from him but then I am not a hundred percent sure it is his but I am 99 percent sure. Remember I told you one hatched the other day and died but then the other one hatched 2 days later and doing fine. This little chick is full sibling to the grey spangle, so I will no for sure when this one gets older, that's if it doesn't die too. I am pretty sure he was feeding the hen to much, just hope so. Tomorrow I am going to empty most of my breeding cages because I am sick to death of this breeding season. But after saying that I do have some really nice babies coming on.

They have turned up now, I mean my photos, very weird. I found my best bird in my whole aviary looking sick, my white DF spangle, my grand champion bird. He is or was until before down with his daughter. when I was out there earlier I noticed he couldn't jump on to the perch and I thought what, that's strange so I caught him and he has lost a lot of weight and his keel bone is very sharp. Well you can image how I felt, almost in tears. Anyway I took him out of the breeding box and put him in a cage on his own. I haven't put him in the hospital cage yet because I think the problem is... I think he might be feeding the and not saving food for himself. Anyway I gave him some spark for energy and some millet. I went and checked him before and his crop was full so I will see what he is like tomorrow, if no better hospital cage. The violet was the same a couple of weeks ago and I put him on his own and the next day couldn't feel his keel bone, he picked up straight away. Then hen he was with has a couple fertile eggs ,, so I hope she stays sitting, I only have 2 chicks form him this year.

Sorry about your little one passing away, it is always sad when one dies. You did your best , that's all we can do.

Thank you Kaz. The poor little thing. Hey my pictures aren't pasting do you know why.

Thanks Dave, Gb and Renee. I new he would die, because he didn't pick up straight away. Gb the hospital cage is sitting in the laundry which is part of the house. I check and can see him every time I walk out the door but yesterday i checked him and then went up the street when I came back he had dropped off the perch, dead. There is another violet pied cock younger but I don't think he is as good, time will tell. Well today I have being trying to mouse proof my old bird room so I can use the aviary and I have been using some of that rotten foam stuff, didn't work because it is all over me , clothes hands everywhere and I can't get it off. I should of worn gloves but last time I used it it was fine but this bottle was ****. It get getting clogged up. Boy are my hands sore. Anyway report of breeding room. I have 10 little chicks I rang 2 yesterday. There is 5 in the dilute nest 3 are dilute, 1 belongs to my white boy the DF white spangle and one belongs to a light green pied and sky blue cinn hen. I fostered the 2nd eldest. In the white df spangles nest he with a daughter a sky spangle they are some fertile eggs. My dark green pied cock x light green cinnamon hen have 2 chicks so far, I think 1 more egg to hatch and 1 egg from albino cock x grey hen to hatch. In the lutino nest there is are mostly fostered. the have 3 that belong to light green cock (Ron Blizzard) that I got from the auction with lovely long mask x grey green hen. I have the rest laying with some fertility here and there. this light green spangle is from my nice light green spangle in my siggy the one one the right, he is full brother to the white df spangle. There were only 2 that survived the light green spangle and sky spangle This is the sky spangle but the photo was taken early last week, he is now older and looks much better.

Sad to say that my little violet pied passed away yesterday at between 4pm -4.30pm. I checked on him at 4 and he looked fine, he wasn't fluffed up like the day before but I went out at 4.30 and he had passed away. I was really hoping he would make it. here is are a couple of photos of him the day before in the hospital cage.

That is what I have been thinking Gb, I did put an in closed box I made on the floor and the chicks were in there. When I noticed him fluffed up he had not lost any weight and like I said very smelly droppings. Before I took him out of the breeding cage his dad did feed him but just a bit. He is not looking good today lost more weight but he is not fluffed up. Gb I have been feeding him with budgie rearing food mixed with his meds, sulfa AVS, poly aid and NV powder , the last 2 to give him energy. I put him back with his dad this morning but he wouldn't feed him. I know I am probably doing it all wrong and I have to admit I HATE CROP FEEDING. anyway I am trying.

Pleased you have some chicks Dave, I hope the others hatch you and survive. I know what you mean about not having enough cages. even though I am sure I have more than you but there is always more that you want to pair up.

Me to Dave but he is not looking good. I took a photo of him before in the hospital cage just in case. Just a record just in case he doesn't make it. Actually that's him in the above photos before he got sick, photo 1 and photo 6. I don't know if I caused it or not but I put them all on the floor because the hen wanted to start laying again and he was fine in the nest and a few days later all fluffed up. Would have to be a violet dom pied too. His brother a sky violet pied looks very nice too but his old sister violet pied hen looks **** and there is a younger violet pied but can't tell what it will be like yet. I had to put another sibling down and it was violet pied also because a hip problem and it couldn't move, walk or anything. Good nest though, the dad is a sky violet spangle and mum a pied, I thought she was grey green but she has violet throat spot so she must be an olive or something. Anyway they had 5 chicks and 4 were violet, couldn't ask for anything better.

I am still having problems, I now have a really nice violet dom pied , 5 weeks very sick in hospital cage , I am feeidng him and giving him meds, he looked much better this morning but looking worse now. He has large very smelly droppings. And is loosing weight but he is has only lost weight since i took him away form dad. I have heaps more to report but later.

Where I buy my millet spray in bulk can not get it at the moment so I forced to buy it from the supermarket Trill brand, anyway I bought a few packets and they dark as also so I rang the consumer number and complained and they told me even though it looks bad and may also look mouldy they assured my it was fine, ha I said fine it looks mouldy that means it is mouldy, get real. Anyway they sent me a voucher for the packets I bought for replacement.

Millet is hard to get because of the floods

Greg bought me a bag but it has more jap millet and hulled oats in it, so I mix it with the other seed.

You know I have been having a rotten time this year, lost of 70 chicks, fix that problem then a new one arises, I had a some of dead in shell last round. @ birds I really wanted chicks out filled their eggs but chicks died. Have only one chick from my white boy and then I can't be a hundred percent about that either. One chick hatched yesterday but died but the other egg hatched today and s far all good. I had a young hen that laid soft eggs. another hen that laid a round and were clear put her in the aviary went to put her down again and pluck her below to find she had a yellow tummy , like an egg broke inside her, so she is out , she is not sick anything, if I hadn't of plucked her I would never of noticed it. Then another hen that laid a round that I got 2 chicks alive from and now laying again she laid 2 normal eggs and 2 tiny little ones, so I guess she is ruined now. Then I have another young hen that laid 4 normal eggs then a tiny egg too. I have 3 egg bound hen, 2 ruptured hens. Oh and I have 2 hens that laid pointy eggs but they have hatched and some lived. I have a cock that does to the perch instead of the hen, that is sooooo annoying Oh and to top that of I have a nice dom pied violet cock 5 weeks old sick, smelly large dark brownish droppings, really stinks. I hate this season,. Oh Renee I do think the seed does not have the protein or goodness it and I have been saying that all year. We have a pair of cockatiels that didn't breed and why, well they won't breed if there is no food or water. They known the seed is no good and that is why. Since I put my birds down late June I have been complaining teh whole time that there is something wrong with the seed, I have birds emptying out jars after jars... WHY they are looking for something, Rob Marshall said they. are looking for clean seed but since then I have new seed and they still do it. Anyway that is what I think anyway. Oh and by the way I tried to sprout my budgie mix to see what was good and less than half sprouted, I think that says something.

My question is, why breed to sell to pet shops etc, don't you want the birds for yourself and then sell the excess. It just sounds like you are breeding to try and make money, instead of keeping finches for the love of them. To be honest i have never seen a finch in a pet shop around here. But I guess some pet shop specialize in them.

I had a friend ask me to have a look at their bird because it is egg bound, drove out there to find the hen was sick , very sick. pasted bum etc. My friend had no idea, she had the hen in a hospital cage which was good, she treated her but she did die that night.

I am really sorry for your loss, it's really sad when you loose a pet so close to you.