Societies forst egg - what to expect when you are expecting

[Kolombica]

Hi everybody, I am completely new to the finch world: I have always had budgies and now I had my hearth on a canary, but my man went to the pet store alone and brought home a pair of society finches. It took me a while to get over the canary, although not completely.
So now we have our first society egg! I wolud like to let them have the babies, the cage is big enough and they get to fly out every day for a few hours. But... I am concerned because in the nest there is some long coconut fiber and sometimes I see it arund the female's neck. Is it possible that the babies strangle themselfs with coconut fiber? Shoul I remove it from the nest or leave it and hope for the best?
Thank you for any advice and will keep up with new info since I am very excited!!!

[OAvila1986]

I think it'll be fine. You should also know that society finches will breed and breed and breed and breed and breed and do continues breeding. So be prepared to know what to do with so many finches. I let my finches breed 3 times in a row. some babies are still in the nest and my hens have started to lay more eggs again.

[Sally]

Some don't like coco fiber, but I have used it almost exclusively with waxbills with no problem. Perhaps it is because waxbills usually build a very tight nest, and then line it with feathers, so their babies aren't exposed to loose fibers. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it, but if you are, you can give the Societies grass or timothy hay to build their nests. Some also tear strips of paper toweling for the birds to use.

[Kolombica]

Thanks guys
Up till now they were without the nest and it was ok, no eggs, no babies. Hope they will stop when we remove the nest

[Kolombica]

Hello once more
So, we have four eggs, and are about to hatch in a day or two. Did not look if they are full or empty, we are leaving it to the Mother Nature
At this moment we are a bit confused, googling up I can not find a detail about taking out the nest. When can we do that? If they prefer to sleep in the nest, how can I tell when it is not necessary for the youngs? The explanation of the term "to fledge" is different by different authors, according to one is when the chicks get the feathers and are able to fly, the others say it is when they stop getting the food from the parents. Confusing, that is 2 weeks or 4 weeks or 6 weeks...
Can you help? Thanks

[Sally]

Kolombica Fledging is when the baby birds leave the nest for the first time on their own. With Societies, this is at about 19-25 days after hatching. Once they have fledged, they will spend most of their time out of the nest, but they will return at night to sleep. They will continue to beg from the parents until they are weaned. Weaned means they no longer need food from their parents, they are able to eat and drink on their own, and with Societies, this is about 4-5 weeks of age.

People have different times when they remove the nest. The parents could start another clutch soon after the first clutch has fledged. I like to leave a nest until the babies are weaned at least, but I am prepared to toss any additional eggs that are laid that I do not want.

A belated welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care, including articles on the Society finch and on breeding. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer questions later on.

[Kolombica]

Thank you for the detailed answer
And now we have our first baby out of the shell!!!!!
I am so excited, I can't believe that this is a real living creature, so tiny and helpless!!! It seem impossible, like how are they going to eat, is this real?!!
Dady is in the nest, mommy is flying around, in a few minutes they are going to change positions, it is a little miracle in front of our eyes!!!

[Barbara]

They are such a sweet little finch My four society are almost 4 mths old and are so comical to watch.they are so fun to watch from the time they hatch but the fun really starts when they come out and learn from mom and dad,they make me smile every morning when they all play in there bath together,you will enjoy them and be thanking your man for bringing them home to you every day

[Babs _Owner]

Kolombica

Congratulations!!! Babies are so much fun! Amazing how tiny their little mouths are. They have probably already grown a lot in the last 3 days. Enjoy !

[Kolombica]

Yes, they are double I am so curious to see the colours - mamma is white, pappa is dark chocolate, they should be funny
So, I was thinking to leave them with us, I am already in love with them. No more breeding, the nest is going out, and to sell them is a bit of a struggle here. Is it ok for them to permanently share accomodation with the parents and a pair of gouldians when no breeding is involved?

[Sally]

It is OK for grown youngsters to share a cage with their parents, as long as you don't supply a nest or nesting materials. If you do, then you face the possibility of Dad mating with his daughter, or Mom mating with her son, or worse yet, brother mating with sister. If you find any eggs, you just toss them, and then you don't have to worry about inbreeding.