FINCHforum

My Border canaries made nest in my finches nest box, they have currently 3 eggs now. Canaries usually breed in nest pans and wicker nest and not in nest boxes, this is something different. I never saw canaries breeding in nest boxes. Is this normal for canaries to nest in nest boxes.

Canaries are not picky when it comes to nest sites and I've found they will accept most anything if broody enough. I've had my one hen build her nests in potted plants and enclosed wicker finch nests, which she preferred to open canary nest. It's possible your canary may have been fostered by a cavity-dwelling species as a chick and subsequently finds this sort of nest more familiar. Even if it's atypical, it shouldn't cause any problems.

greeneyes Sheather

Sounds like you have gotten advice on this already, good luck with it! I'll move this topic to the All Things Canary forum, where it might be seen by other canary breeders.

greeneyes

I have a pair of Canaries that insist on using their food bowl, I had to put another bowl in for food as the other one is now a nest with eggs in it.

Regards
Steve

This canary pair had bred before in a nest pan, she incubated her eggs well on till the day the eggs hatched. The chicks would never survive because the mother never fed the chicks but only brooded them till they died of starvation. This is their second attempt hopefully they will survive.

It's funny seeing a canary in a nest box which Ive had a few times just doesn't look right to me but all in all I removed the lid to help with access for dad and bingo whole clutches fledged with no issues. I have had canaries build nests in trees, on ledges which resemble a dove nest and even on the floor so when a hen wants to lay she will find a safe spot even if it's not the site which we would pick. A none feeding hen has either two problems inexperience of feeding which usually happens with first years or she is super broody and only takes the time to hatch the eggs and moves on to start another nest. With the first well either cope with the fact she may need a second season to get it right. With the second it gets a bit more tricky, one foster eggs or young under anther hen, two cabinet breed them with heat source and dad as mum hatches and disbands turn on heat pad and hopefully dad will feed all young while mum does what ever she likes, three hand raise young, four get rid of hen and start with a new one. Now this will depend on how much you like this hen or how good the bloodlines are to work out if she is worth the effort to get young from or to start fresh with a new hen but if she's a first timer I would simply let this years fails go and see what she can do next year as the hens hit second year breeding they are better mums from then on usually some may disappoint year round. Good luck.