Gouldian Finch Farm Breeding:
The concept is quite simple; pack as many pair of cheap bengalese and as few pairs of Gouldian finches as is absolutely necessary in as small a space as possible. Provide them with the bare minimum's to keep profit margins high. This practice of using birds ( most notably the higher priced mutations of gouldians and now pin tail parrot finches) as egg laying machines is not only a cruel practice ( as these birds are usually worked until death) but it is a kin to puppy mills. Pumping lady gouldians full of supplements, and very little green food ( if ever sprouted seed) just to keep them mating and producing eggs. Please think of the strain and un-healthy effect it has on a bird or the entire captive population. The poor bengalese are turned into feeding factories that are kept in tiny cages and supplied the minimum of food to support rearing. They are never or rarely exercised properly and are treated as disposable ( sound familiar?). Are their lives actually that worthless, that because of their diminutive dollar amount they should be treated so poorly? Are lives based solely on profit margins? These finches that come out of these places are not respected for the unique and beautiful creatures that they are, but are seen only as a monetary gain, and that each egg squeezed out of a hen is another few dollars in the bank. We at LGFC are urging you to start boycotting these breeders, as you are not only leading credence to their mis-informed beliefs, but are also creating a weaker species by supporting them, decreasing more responsible breeders with reasonable choices or those that follow after us. If you are looking to receive birds that you in turn wish to breed successfully in the future then these are not the places to find such birds, as they do not care for the quality of birds they are producing, only the quantity. The biggest problem is their parents may or may not be able to raise their own healthy off spring, because they are bred too early, improperly conditioned, and may have formed bad habits. There is no way of gauging their rearing behaviour because they are not allowed to demonstrate this as all the eggs they produce are placed under the poor bengalese. Their biggest argument is that there is no detrimental effect to this practice, and their gouldian hens are as capable to produce and rear as the the lady gouldian hens that bore them. This has yet to be a proven statement. I have on the other hand noticed a huge decline in stable gouldians ( those that sit and rear their own) as this practice is ignored Logically and genetically this means that these gouldians can lay like chickens but have no paternal understanding beyond that point, as they have never had a chance to let instinct take over; just like mom. Is this the gouldian finch you really want to purchase? An industry you want to support? The Realities of Gouldian Farm Bred Birds -Gouldians
bred under benglaeses are subjected to diseases at an early age.
Diseases for which they have no known immunity unlike the bengalese
foster
parents rearing them. This is not a myth but reality of foster
breeding.
So
please take a stand and start asking questions the most important
ones being:Gouldians do not at this point in aviculture have the immunities that bengalese have to diseases like Campylobacter and Cochlosoma which they can carry without showing signs of infection. -Gouldians wean their chicks much later then bengalese. Lady Gouldian chicks reared under bengalese are weaned earlier then under gouldian parents and as a result have not acquired the reserves that gouldian raised chicks do naturally, thus leaving them susceptible to diseases that attack birds under stress or with weak immune systems. Why gouldians have been labelled "soft". This leads to chicks needing to be dosed with high antibiotics to keep the chicks alive until they are sold. After they are sold dosing is up to the buyer. What this all means is that gouldian chicks raised under bengalese have a much harder time once weaned and can be prone to illness and infections for which they have no known immunity. For which the buyer must frequently pay for. This leaves the birds weaker and smaller on average then parent raised gouldian chicks, and leaves the potential buyer with a lifetime commitment to furnishing these "soft" birds with antibiotics to keep them alive some years. It means in fact that these "carrier" gouldian finches; as once infected cure is unlikely and the bengalese raised goulds then become carriers are potential hazards to any flock/bird room they enter. Is this a commitment you are ready to make to save a few $$$? Is this a practice of gouldian finch aviculture you want for the next generation to endure? Even the authority on gouldians says and I quote: "However using Society (Bengalese Finches) as foster parents is not without problems, all Society Finches can become "carriers" of several diseases that will not affect them or their own offspring but could prove lethal to species of birds that have evolved in dry, arid conditions. These "wet" diseases are Campylobacter and Cochlosoma. Once a Society Finch has become infected with either of these diseases, they cannot be "cured". Were these gouldians parent raised? Why Not? What type of facility do you have ( if possible check it out for yourself) the gouldians in? Look for cage size and maintenance conditions. What diet did the lady gouldians receive? Finally what are your gouldian breeding practices ( ask about supplementation and also medicating practices)? If you do not like the answers; you as the buyer have the power to say no and walk away. Take a stand for all our gouldian finch friends before it is too late. Not only for yourselves but for those future generations of gouldian enthuthiasts that will follow. Leave a positive legacy. Please give a voice to the voiceless and vote with the only thing these people understand your dollar. Thanks for your time. Ron Cloutier
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