Should I get a new nest for my finches?

[Flight Feathers]

Hi there, I was just wondering what type of nest you guys would recommend for zebra finches? Or should I let them construct their own? I've had a few lots of zebra finches. The first nest was a homemade one but it was too hard to get into so I wouldnt use a nest like that again. All other times I've used nest boxes. The first time I used a nest box it was in the aviary, and anyway my flightless budgie got scared from a cat and jumped in the nest box, causing tbe death of 2 and permantly injuring the other 2 finches beaks. So I tried breeding zebra finches in my breeding cage. ( this was a very extremely flighty pair ) So I checked the nest once and they abandoned their one baby. Anyway the fourth time I decided to try breeding in the aviary, only this time with the budgies in a seperate cage. The babies have all left the nest now, but... I still have a baby missing most of the top part of its beak. My guess is that there were too many babies as the nest box really isn't that big for 7 baby finches. And I noticed the little ones got crushed into the ground by the older ones. After having birds with half ( or most ) of atop beak missing twice, I really don't want this to happen again. So my question is: would a new nest solve the problem, and if so, what kind of nest?

[Flight Feathers]

I also had quite few other babies in the nest with minor injuries, only the 2 biggest were fine.

[Icearstorm]

Flight Feathers

Do you want them to breed? If not, don't add a nest. Also leave the nest out if the pair has already had three clutches this year, as any more breeding could exhaust the parents and increase the female's risk of egg-binding.

With so many injuries, it is possible that you have a bad pairing. One or both of the parents could be mutilating the babies, or the pair may be genetically incompatible, leading to disabled offspring. If this is the case, you should not breed these birds to each other again.

I used a half-open wooden nestbox about 4" x 4" x 5" tall for my society finches, and none of them were injured. At one time, sixteen of them would cram together inside.

[lem2bert]

Icearstorm

That picture made me smile.....that is so darn cute

[Flight Feathers]

Awww cute. My box had so much stuff in it because the finches made such a huge nest so there wasn't actually much space at all! No, I swapped my pairs around... So two different pairings with the same problem. Plus there was blood all over the part where it had been. Im not really sure what to do. It was strange how Te smallest babies ( who were underneath ) were most hurt and then the middle sized babies were only slightly wounded and the two oldest who were always on top were fine.

[Flight Feathers]

Awww cute. My box had so much stuff in it because the finches made such a huge nest so there wasn't actually much space at all! No, I swapped my pairs around... So two different pairings with the same problem. Plus there was blood all over the part where it had been. Im not really sure what to do. It was strange how Te smallest babies ( who were underneath ) were most hurt and then the middle sized babies were only slightly wounded and the two oldest who were always on top were fine.

[Flight Feathers]

Sorry it double posted!!

[Flight Feathers]

Yes, I do want them to breed. And she will continue to lay eggs with or without a nest lol. She Will lay in the food containers ad even on the ground!!

[Flight Feathers]

I am 100% it was injuries. There was also blood down its face and dried blood over the beak part, plus blood all over the poor wee baby. It's looking much better now tho, the blood is gone, so just the beak injury remains- they are find tho with the beak injury, they can eat fine and still be fine for breeding and all! And I have a friend who wants this baby too ( she took the last one with half a beak )

[Icearstorm]

Flight Feathers

Next time, remove the nesting material from the rest of the cage after they've made a decent-sized nest so they don't go overboard. It sounds like getting a open dish or partly-open box that has a larger floor surface area would be good to help prevent the chicks from getting too squished.

Another box I use is more rectangular and has a section cut out of the back so I can look in whenever I like. It also has a flap on the side panel that I can open for easy access, though I'd recommend against using a door with birds as flighty as yours. It can't hold as many birds, but works well for a single pair and their offspring.

[Flight Feathers]

Hi there thank you, there was no nest material present, I don't give my finches nest material, I just put hay in it and let them weave it themselves. But I think there must have been a box in the aviary, or at least shreddings of it on the ground, and they used that. I remember looking in once and it was just cardboard shreddings! My nest box has a lid at the top, I pull the nest down to look in and they are fine with that. This finch pair is not the flighty pair, it is the other pair. And when I had the mother with her old mate, once I took the nest down (when babies were still nestlings) and took the babies out, brought them inside to examine them for injuries and then took them back to the aviary, put them in the nest and put the nest back up and the parents still went back to them! (this was after the budgie incident) I swapped the pairs around tho, because I thought these two finches could be brother and sister as they were both bred by the pet shop. (They were meant to both be females, but one turned out male) So that was my fawn hen and my pied male. and now I have my fawn hen with my white (saddleback?) male. And they are the two that now have the babies.

So just a cardboard box or perhaps a basket would work fine for my finches? My other finches are currently incubating in a nest they built themselves- luckily its on a large shelf so the nest should be fine.

Thank you for replying to this thread and beautiful baby birds!

[Icearstorm]

Flight Feathers

Ah, I understand. Cardboard should work, though you will have to replace it after each breeding cycle, as it cannot be cleaned well. Avoid woven baskets, as the finches could get their toes trapped. Other smooth baskets or containers should be fine. That second nest box is a modified macaroon container; one can use just about anything to make a custom box.

[Fraza]

I use coconuts with a hole in them when I’m breeding indoors these have been the best nest I’ve found outside in the aviary I use warmer nest boxes

[Flight Feathers]

Ok thank you!!