Society Finch as Foster Parents

[ZebrasAreMe]

Hi ya'll, im a newbie

i was wondering how do u get Society Finch to be foster parents ??

do they hav to have eggs themselves ??

i was just wondering as i breed zebras and they might be handy to hav around, ya know ??


and the other thing is : i hav a pair who hav 4 eggs and are sitting on them, i also hav another pair who hav layed 2 eggs but arent siting on them. should i move the 2 eggs to the other nest with 4 ??


thanks, your all such experts!

[chrischris]

finches usually don't sit on eggs until they are finished laying. When my finch laid 6 eggs she didn't sit tight till the 7th day.

Chris

[onthespot]

I was wondering if they could be used cross species to raise a newly hatched parrotlet. i have an egg I took from a pair I did not want setting, and placed it under another parrotlet hen laying her first clutch. The moved egg candles fertile. It is too early to tell with the other eggs. the pair sitting on the fertile egg is unproven, first clutch for the hen, male unknown history, four years old, was chubby and out of shape when I bought him, but with more activities, better food, and a mate, he is now regular weight. Still, I have my doubts about this pair being able to raise anything, and was wondering if the baby hatches and looks abandoned, if there would be any harm in letting the society finches take a try. I have a couple pair setting on egg now, so the timing would be right. Anyone ever hear of trying this?

[EmilyHurd]

ZebrasAreMe:

Whenever you are trying to use societies as fosters it is important to know the approx date that the society eggs and the zebra eggs are supposed to hatch. If they are pretty close together, you can put the zebra eggs with the society eggs and most societies will foster them as long as they are about the same size, same hatching time, etc...

They don't have to have eggs themselves... I have fostered some black cheek zebra eggs under a m/f pair of societies that had no eggs, and they ended up raised four zebras. However, I a zebra that I fostered under a society that now actually acts just like the societies.

Another thing you could do is if your societies are currently sitting on a clutch, and they were very recently laid, you can switch out the society eggs with the zebra eggs and they will raise them. This is as long as you don't want society babies. Society finches are great foster parents (with my experience anyway).

You could move the 2 eggs in with the four eggs, but like chrischris said, finches normally do not start incubating until they are finished laying and there are 3-6 eggs in the nest.

[hilljack13]

ZebrasAreMe..I saw your pictures of the Black Cheek CFW male you have. I have a female CFW-BC that would like to have some company!! Would you be in the market of thinning the flock?

[ZebrasAreMe]

ZebrasAreMe:

Whenever you are trying to use societies as fosters it is important to know the approx date that the society eggs and the zebra eggs are supposed to hatch. If they are pretty close together, you can put the zebra eggs with the society eggs and most societies will foster them as long as they are about the same size, same hatching time, etc...

They don't have to have eggs themselves... I have fostered some black cheek zebra eggs under a m/f pair of societies that had no eggs, and they ended up raised four zebras. However, I a zebra that I fostered under a society that now actually acts just like the societies.

Another thing you could do is if your societies are currently sitting on a clutch, and they were very recently laid, you can switch out the society eggs with the zebra eggs and they will raise them. This is as long as you don't want society babies. Society finches are great foster parents (with my experience anyway).

You could move the 2 eggs in with the four eggs, but like chrischris said, finches normally do not start incubating until they are finished laying and there are 3-6 eggs in the nest.

thank you for that. i think i might get a pair. are they easy to keep ?? are they ok with zebras ??

sadly the pair with four eggs has destroyed the nest and left the eggs, they were only a few days away from hatching and at least 2 were fertile. any ideas why this happened ?



i would think about selling him but im in ireland, how would i get him over ??

thanks all!

[hilljack13]

[quote="ZebrasAreMe]


i would think about selling him but im in ireland, how would i get him over ??

thanks all![/quote]

I think we may have hit a brick wall ..err water wall on that...

[Hilary]

I think that societies are easier to keep than zebras. They're quieter, and no where near as pushy.

The pair that destroyed the nest may have breeding on their tiny little bird minds again. Sorry! Do they look like they're rebuilding the nest?

[ZebrasAreMe]

I think that societies are easier to keep than zebras. They're quieter, and no where near as pushy.

The pair that destroyed the nest may have breeding on their tiny little bird minds again. Sorry! Do they look like they're rebuilding the nest?

what do you mean no where near as pushy ??

they were bulding in again yesterday but i came home this afternoon to finds its gone .. im using a canary nest, should i try changing it or any other ideas ??

thanks

[Hilary]

I would try a covered nest. Zebras will nest in anything, but you may have more luck with a more contained nest.

When I said "pushy", I meant that while zebs aren't aggressive, they are a lot more prone to plucking each other and harassing other birds than societies (who really are the love children of the finch world). I keep my zebra hens with a pair of shaft tails and a pair of spice, none of whom will take any guff from them!