FINCHforum

Hi everyone,

I recently posted about my Star Finch laying an egg while waiting to be transferred in its breeding flight cage. I wrote I would post updates if anything happened... and it did for some of my birds!

Some basic infos :
- First experience to breed finches.
- I try to breed 3 species.
- They are in my bird room, in one corner while the non-breeding birds (canaries, cutthroats, Javas) are in flight cages at the opposite place.
- They have daily access to water, finch seed mix, charcoal/oyster shell mix, cuttlefish bone, fresh vegetables and fruits, egg food, dried insects, millet.
- Gouldian setup (Red-faced, white breast male ; black-faced wild type female) : Flight cage 37L - 23W - 60H, fake silk plants to give them privacy, two nest boxes (one with a 'O' entrance ; one with a half-open entrance) and they are provided with coconut fiber, scraps of burlap, dry grasses (some nesting material was added into each nest box before releasing the birds).
- Star Finch (wild type) : Flight Cage 31L - 20 1/2W - 51H, the rest is the same then the Gouldian but more dry grasses as nesting material.
- Society Finch (brown ; brown and white pied ; no idea which is male or female ) : cage 20L - 20W - 30H, one nest box ("O" entrance) and one bamboo nesting cup, idem for the other infos.

Some updates :
- Gouldians have started building a nest as soon as they were transferred in their setup. They use the "O" entrance nest box in which an impressive nest is in now. The pair has bred at least two times in the box and I believe the female has started laying this morning.
- The Star male displays to the female on a daily basis, dancing with a strand of grass in the beak. They have bred in open view a couple times. They showed no interest in the "O" entrance nest box, but regularly visit the half-open one with nesting material. However, they seem confuse by the fake plants over this particular nest box and seem to try to build a nest there too. So far, I checked the half-open nest box and, even though they have brought the nesting material in there, there was almost none too be found this morning.
- Societies have laid 4 eggs so far in the bamboo cup, no interest in the nest box. They are diligent nesting birds, sharing duties and are living up to their good reputation with eggs.


So far, everything seems to go well for the Gouldians and Societies, but what is wrong with my Stars? How can they bring nesting material in the nest box and yet almost none can be seen after a whole week? Is it their unsuccessful tentative to also build something in the silk plants on top of the box that causes troubles? What should I do?

Also I am afraid to do more nest check, I fear the Gouldians and Stars could take it badly. What do you think?

Also if you read this long message and have any comments/tips that could help me, they are more than welcome.

Uolym my stars are very scared of people and wouldn’t use a nest for absolute ages but I covered a wooden nestbox in hay and stuck it all down and then two months on or so they have just laid a few eggs for me

I will be patient then. Did you feed them live food?

Uolym

I give them meal worms dried which they love
Egg powder
Mixed veg
Grit
Cuttle bone
Millet
EVERYDAY I Give THE ABOVE

I just leave a full hanging tub of each one it lasts ages


oh Yh another tip is that they like it so the hole of the nest is hidden from view

Thank you for the tips. Except for the water tube, all food is provided in bowls at the opposite side from the nest. Its not much of an intrusion when I need to feed them, but maybe I should get feeders like yours.

But I think I found the main issue. They try to build a nest in the silk plant over the half-open nest box, but it’s not stable enough, so the nest keeps breaking. Found a broken egg st the bottom of the cage this morning.

What should I do? Remove the plants? Add more? Change the nest for an « o » entrance one? :/

Uolym start off a secure nest in it maybe

What do you mean by a secure nest? Some small bamboo cup?

Uolym yeh like a canary nest or bamboo yh so they can build it up themselves Well done to ur finches though for tryi

Thanks for the advice, I will do it right away.

They are quite eager, let’s say that!

Uolym yep well hopefully they succeed lol some chicks soon

Thank You! I followed your advice. I took the nest box out. Three eggs in it, nothing that remotely looked like a twig, feather, grass though. I read Stars hate nest check and you told me they need calm so I acted as fast as I could. There is now a canary bamboo cup nest with dried grass and burlap in it with the eggs on the top.

The pair is looking at the new setup and the female entered a couple times so far. Crossed fingers!

And I’m at 6 eggs for the Societies!

Uolym really that’s exiting news I hope they use it ive just found another star egg today in a random nest so I don’t know how that’s happened lol

My Stars are worrying me.

After laying her sixth egg on Friday night 6th or early morning on Saturday 7th, the female started incubating. I am 100% sure she incubated from Saturday 7th to Monday 9th afternoon, from early morning when I feed them to 20h30-21h when the lights are out. She sleeps on her swing.

When I came back from work Monday evening, I noticed a small loose bundle of coconut fibber on top of the eggs. Since then, the female did not seem to have been in the nest at all. I work during the day so I can't be 100% sure, but she doesn't go in in the morning or evening when I am there. Tonight,, the male and her entered and existed their nest several times. When I went to close the lights, it seemed like they had rearrange the coconut fibber.

Anyone have seen this kind of behaviour before? What does it mean?

(I haven't touched the nest since I add the bamboo cup in it with nesting material and their 3 eggs. However, since it is a half-open nest box, I can peek at it from the opposite corner of the flight cage.)

Uolym well mine are in the aviary and they don’t incubate they just lay and leave them so I take them away and give them society’s so I’m no help here but if they are still interested in the nest they must be using it I’d leave it 21 days for the eggs to hatch then if not then they must have incubated

Thank you very much, Fraza. I will follow your advice. It is my first time breeding finches and I am a little bit anxious.