Breeding doves and finches!

[animalobsessed]

So 1 month ago, i got a male zebra finch named, zane, and i was planning on getting him a mate. Well i live with my mom, and she feels like i have too many pets (i only have 6 lol), and she said no more pets. My finch was all alone and i felt terrible. I was planning on rehoming him. Well, as luck would have it, my mom got a call from a friend. She said her son has been breeding many types of birds for years and she knew i wanted another zebra finch. Last night, i got an all white, zebra finch hen, and i named her penelope

Everything has been going well, they haven't even pecked at each other. It was like love at first sight lol, no aggression whats so ever. They even slept on the same swing 3 hours after they met. My mom has had a change of heart, she has seen how much i love animals, especially birds. My dad is really excited to breed my zebras. The person i got them from, sells many types of finches, including my favorite; gouldians. I LOVE gouldian finches, and he sells them for $70 which is a good price for healthy gouldians. My dad and I are both on board to breed finches for a hobby. My mom even threw out an idea to turn a old shed in my backyard into a "finch room". So i will br breeding birds soon (later this year). The 4 birds i really want to get this year are;
A pair of gouldians
A pair of zebras
A pair of cordon bleus
A pair of diamond doves

I also am contemplating on getting a pair of society finches (just as potential foster parents).

Now for the questions:
1. Do diamond doves breed year-round?
2. What is the breeding season(s) for the finches listed above?
3. Are the birds listed above "easy" to breed? (They all are going to be in vision cages and will be given perfect husbandry. I have experience on getting precise husbandry, as i have kept and currently keep reptiles)
4. About how many babies will i get each year (from the 3 types of finches, (zebras,gouldians,bleus)
5. How many clutches can the finches have before a break? I was thinking 2 cluthes then a break

Thank you in advance!

[Sally]

animalobsessed If you want to breed finches, the absolute minimum size cage would be 30x18x18, with the 30 being the long measurement. One pair per cage. Before you get into breeding big time, make sure that you can find new homes for all the babies. Zebra finches are sometimes hard to rehome simply because they are so easy to breed, they are available everywhere.

1. Diamond Doves don't seem to have a breeding season, at least when I had them. If the female accepts the male, you should have babies. Most birds breed when food is plentiful, which is why they breed in the wild during spring and summer.

2. Again, for those finches, plentiful food of the right type will trigger breeding, as well as supplying a nest. Cordon Bleus will need much more protein than usual. Gouldians follow more of a schedule than the other species, I believe.

3. Zebras are ridiculously easy, Gouldians and Diamond Doves are a bit more difficult, and Cordon Bleus are very difficult.

4. It is anyone's guess as to how many babies you will get. Zebras will give you the most, you will have to stop them breeding, as they are worse than rabbits. Gouldians usually have 3-5 babies per clutch. Cordon Bleus may have 4-5 babies per clutch, but getting them to raise those babies is the challenge.

5. Two clutches per year is great, three clutches per year would be maximum.

[animalobsessed]

Ok thank you i noticed you live in the dfw area, i live in arlington texas (off topic sorry)

[animalobsessed]

4 more questions

Are java sparrows hard to breed? Do they throw their babies out of the nest?

Do canaries throw their babies out of the nest?

Do gouldians throw there babies out of the nest?

[Flight Feathers]

4 more questions

Are java sparrows hard to breed? Do they throw their babies out of the nest?

Do canaries throw their babies out of the nest?

Do gouldians throw there babies out of the nest?

Zebs are fairly easy to breed. I don’t know if canaries chick toss but I do know that the babies are very wriggly and it’s pretty common for them to fall from the nest- often to their death. (Yes this happened to me) Canary babies also die super easy from heat (this has also happened to me) Not sure about gouldians or Java’s as have never had them.

[Flight Feathers]

So 1 month ago, i got a male zebra finch named, zane, and i was planning on getting him a mate. Well i live with my mom, and she feels like i have too many pets (i only have 6 lol), and she said no more pets. My finch was all alone and i felt terrible. I was planning on rehoming him. Well, as luck would have it, my mom got a call from a friend. She said her son has been breeding many types of birds for years and she knew i wanted another zebra finch. Last night, i got an all white, zebra finch hen, and i named her penelope

Everything has been going well, they haven't even pecked at each other. It was like love at first sight lol, no aggression whats so ever. They even slept on the same swing 3 hours after they met. My mom has had a change of heart, she has seen how much i love animals, especially birds. My dad is really excited to breed my zebras. The person i got them from, sells many types of finches, including my favorite; gouldians. I LOVE gouldian finches, and he sells them for $70 which is a good price for healthy gouldians. My dad and I are both on board to breed finches for a hobby. My mom even threw out an idea to turn a old shed in my backyard into a "finch room". So i will br breeding birds soon (later this year). The 4 birds i really want to get this year are;
A pair of gouldians
A pair of zebras
A pair of cordon bleus
A pair of diamond doves

I also am contemplating on getting a pair of society finches (just as potential foster parents).

Now for the questions:
1. Do diamond doves breed year-round?
2. What is the breeding season(s) for the finches listed above?
3. Are the birds listed above "easy" to breed? (They all are going to be in vision cages and will be given perfect husbandry. I have experience on getting precise husbandry, as i have kept and currently keep reptiles)
4. About how many babies will i get each year (from the 3 types of finches, (zebras,gouldians,bleus)
5. How many clutches can the finches have before a break? I was thinking 2 cluthes then a break

Thank you in advance!

The only finches I have bred are zebs. Apparently 3 clutches a year are safe although mine don’t seem to stop lol. They can have anywhere from 1-8 eggs and in some cases up to 11! My Zebs usually lay around 3-5. (Although have had a clutch of 7)

[Sally]

Ok thank you i noticed you live in the dfw area, i live in arlington texas (off topic sorry)

You might be interested in the Fort Worth Bird Club. We meet the 2nd Sunday of each month at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens from 2pm to 4pm. Short business meeting, followed by pot luck lunch, followed by a program. For April and May, we meet elsewhere, since the Gardens have other programs that make parking during those months very difficult. We are also going to have casual meetings for the summer, meeting at various restaurants, and then resume our regular meetings in September.

Our April meeting is a cookout picnic at the home of one of our members. She has an outside aviary, with both finches and hookbills, and we have a great time. You are welcome to come, just PM me if you want to attend so I can send you the address. We are a fun group, and we'd love to have you join us.

[Icearstorm]

animalobsessed

Java finches are fairly easy to breed, and usually make great parents. They do require some space, and may be aggressive when breeding, though this shouldn't be an issue in an aviary.

Gouldians are prone to chick-tossing and breeding issues, though a good pair shouldn't give you too much trouble. It's hard to say.