New finch owner / New member / New owner questions

[andy2014]

Hello everyone, I'm a new member and new society finch owner and these little ones are so awesome. I have a very old canary who no longer signs much and I miss the background noise, so my new little finches fill my home with some really cool beeping and the male signs his song. He's always got his eye on my and seems very social even playful with me. I don't know a lot about finches yet, but they seem very interactive.

I'm am still learning about the breed and much to my surprise after bring them home there were 4 little eggs in their nest. I read that they usually hatch within 12 to 15 days ( I think that what it said ), well in my case none of them hatched and after about day 30 I took out the eggs, which broke apart in my hand, so they were not fertile.

Could be my own emotions but I actually felt really bad removing the eggs, is there a proper protocol in removing non fertile eggs should I have taken them out earlier . Should I remove them one at a time ?

Oh and my male is constantly beefing up the nest with straw do I limit the amount I give him for his nest restorations ? The nest right now is really well formed.

Hoping to get some new parent guidance.

Cheers
Ginny

[Sally]

Congrats on the new Societies, they are a wonderful species. I usually wait at least 3 weeks before removing eggs that I think are infertile, so you did fine. I take them all out at once, just get it over with. If the nest looks finished, you can limit the amount of nesting material available to them, but some birds like to rearrange and are constantly adjusting their nests. As long as they don't bury eggs or build it up so high that eggs/babies could fall out of the opening, it is OK.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, where you will find many articles on breeding, housing, diet, and especially on the Society finch. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps when answering locale-specific questions later on.

[delray]

Welcome Ginny! I have societies as my first finches and there is nothing like it! The most friendly species. its great to hear them chirp and get along! You will really enjoy having finches in your home, and they are really funny! This forum is the best out there because of the amazing people here to help out! Enjoy!

[finchmix22]

Welcome! Enjoy your Society's! How many did you get? I love my Society's personalities, they are very fun to watch and they are very social with each other, as their name indicates. You'll love be a finch owner!

[Corkysgirl]

Welcome Ginny! You're doing great! Society finches are such a great first time finch to own! When you mentioned the eggs broke easily in your hand when you went to take them out, this made me think your hen might not have had enough calcium, causing the shells to be a little too thin. Make sure she has a cuttle bone. I shred off some with a knife into their seed cup just to make sure they get a good amount. Also when I boil eggs for them and chop them up. I finely chop up the shells with them so they get the benefit of the calcium. Especially if you're wanting them to breed, eggs are great to feed them, as well as vegetables, etc.. You may already be doing all of this, but I just thought I'd mention it in case.

[Ginene]

Welcome Ginny! Congrats on your new birds!

[MiaCarter]

Welcome, Ginny!
Congrats on your societies! They're a lovely species. I bet you're going to love them!

Like Corkysgirl mentioned, I too thought of a calcium deficiency when you mentioned the eggs broke apart in your hand so I'd definitely see about a multivitamin, a cuttle bone, some egg food and a bit of Calcium Plus (always good to have on-hand in case of egg binding!)

I have a couple of perpetual nest builders. They can get pretty crazy looking (here's a funny one: http://wp.me/p4JWrl-6M)

I offer paper towel bits and they'll also use millet sprays and sometimes bits of hay that I offer in a foraging bin (shallow tupperware tub with hay and millet seeds and insects. It's a nice interactive, stimulating "toy" that simulates foraging.)

But I have one male that will bury eggs (and babies), so I need to pull the nesting materials if we're trying for chicks.

[Colt]

Welcome and it sounds like you're off to a good start with your new finches. Finch eggs are fairly fragile because they are so small but normally they don't break in my hand. I'd be sure she has adequate calcium available for her (and that she's actually able to absorb it; birds need Vitamin D3 to do this and most indoor birds get this from hard boiled eggs vs. natural unfiltered sunlight). I'd also recommend using a plastic spoon to move them in the future. Just scoop them out a couple at a time and that prevents us from fat-fingering the eggs and squishing them.