Plucking

[pwright1021]

need help my finches are plucking the feathers out of my baby he is about 3 weeks old liking a couple days, what can I do, i talked to pet smart guys and they said leave them alone and give them more nesting materials I have done that and the female is still plucking how do I stop her from doing this short of removing her from the cage, she has plucked about half the feathers on its lower stomach off, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sally]

Often when parents are plucking babies before they have even left the nest, it is because the parents want to start another clutch, and they are getting feathers for nesting material. It is difficult when the babies are still being fed by the parents, as you can't remove them.

One thing you can try is to remove the hen, since she is the one doing the plucking, and leave the male with the babies. He should be capable of feeding them by himself. The best thing is if you have them in a dividable cage, you can put in the divider, leaving the male and babies on one side and the hen on the other side. That way, the male can still see his mate and not get too distracted. What kind of finches are they?

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care, especially breeding. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[debbie276]

Can you offer them feathers from a feather pillow? Might slow down or maybe even stop the plucking. Sally's suggestion will definitely put a stop to it though and may be your best option.

good luck and welcome to the forum

[pwright1021]

removed the hen and put her in another cage next to the others the male doesnt seem to be hurting it gave him some new nesting materials he is currently working on the nest hope he will continue to feed the baby that is my next concern, he fed it yesterday so Iam hoping he will continue dont want to lose it, any more suggestions? can you hand feed it if necessary? They are zebra finches. We live in Odenville, Alabama. when would it be safe to return the female to the cage?

[Sally]

If the male is feeding, then I'd leave the hen by herself until the babies have fledged and are weaned. Then you will need to separate the babies from the dad anyway, so you could then put the babies in a second cage and put the parents back together.

[Sally]

If you think you might need to hand feed, it would be a good idea to keep hand feeding formula on hand, it can stay in the freezer for ages. Here is an article on the forum about hand feeding: http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12441

Here is another article at www.finchinfo.com:

http://www.finchinfo.com/breeding/handfeeding.php

[pwright1021]

how often should finches feed their young, mine seems to be feeding it every few minutes, is this normal, its the male feeding the baby.the baby is about 3 weeks old and seems to be trying to eat on its own is this normal, can I feed canned corn and peas to my finches would it be wise to wash it off first, what about celery and canned carrots

[pwright1021]

dad is feeding this may be a good sign, seperated the female and put her in the other cage things have gotten a little better since, the male is working on the nest all I had for nesting material was some pine needles and some facial tissue he seems to be happy with that, the little one is 3 weeks old born the 20th of November, he was trying to eat a few seeds tonight for the first time how long will it take him to get to where he will be eating on his own and taking water on his own. thank you for your help this has been a great help for me, I am new at this i have had parakeets before and have 4 right now but they will not breed I dont understand why, do you know how old they have to be when they start breeding?

[Sally]

So there is just one baby? Has it fledged (left the nest)? It will start trying out food, are you offering egg food? The first foods for my birds are usually egg food and also spray millet, both are very easy for them to eat. I wouldn't bother with the canned veggies, too much sodium, but frozen veggies thawed out work very well for the parents. They also like fresh veggies, especially dark green (kale, broccoli, romaine lettuce, etc).

[pwright1021]

havent tried it on egg yet the day likes egg shell but I havent seen it eat any shell yet, there is just one and it has fledged already he is 3 weeks old today, i havent seen it eat any of the millet yet either, it has been down in the floor of the cage trying to eat seeds today, but the dad is still feeding it, dont know if it is a male or female yet, havent seen it drinking though how long before it will drink on its own?

[pwright1021]

baby is eating egg food and green vegetables like romaine lettuce etc, doing better since separated mom from him dad is feeding him I think he is trying to ween it. I said him still not sure whether a male or female yet, CAN THESE FINCHES EAT THE WILD FINCH FOOD? How old will it be before you can tell if it is a male or female? I appreciate the help I have received and am enjoying my birds to the fullest. Thank you !

[Sally]

One problem with wild finch food is that it often is not quite as clean as finch food sold for the pet trade. It may be a bit dusty, it may have things in it that our caged birds won't eat.

Your baby should be weaning soon, Zebras wean about 30 days. They complete their molt at about 2-3 months of age, you will be able to sex them for sure by then.

[pwright1021]

thank you for your help maybe one day I will get the hang of this I am enjoying it though, they are the most precious things I have ever seen, Love them very much