how do you foster with societies?

sharon · Post by **sharon** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 9:29 pm

I keep reading and hearing about fostering with societies but don't you have to have societies that are already nesting? Then what do you do with the society eggs? How do you mesh up all the laying/setting/feeding.

You can't just put in other finch eggs and have them to go set right away can you? What if a chick is thrown and you put it in a society nest? Will they automatically start feeding them?

I just sold all of my societies because I've never had to foster yet and the societies breed like rabbits.

Sharon

Post by **Sally** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:12 pm

It's not as easy or simple as some think. Sometimes you get lucky and get a couple of Societies that just love raising babies. Usually, though, you have to time it a bit, so that the Societies are already nesting and sitting on some eggs, then you can switch out, throwing the Society eggs away and replacing with eggs from more exotic species. I have used a male-only pair, Felix and Oscar, that were fabulous last breeding season. So now I set them up in a cage with a third Society male, hung a nestbox filled with bermuda hay, stuck in a fake egg or two, and expected them to go right back into foster mode! No such luck, they go in the nest each night to sleep, but they keep burying the fake eggs, and they stay out of the nest all day. Another cage has 3 young males, and they also are burying the fake eggs.

It also depends on the species you want to foster. Gouldians are probably the easiest to foster, the babies are similar to Society babies. Waxbills are much harder. In order to be successful with fosters, not only do you have to get them in the mood at the proper time, but you have to consider how the babies look when born (fuzzy babies may put off some Societies, since their babies are naked) and their begging pattern. Society babies are quite loud and demanding, so if the foster babies are quiet little things, the Societies may think they don't need to be fed.

I can understand you getting rid of the Societies, they do like to raise their own babies! That is why I am trying to use only males. I have a couple of hens right now, but neither one of them worked out as good fosters, so they will have to go.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:21 am

This is what I do:
When I need to prepare my societies for fostering, I put 2 eggs in their nest the first day. The second day another one and so on. By the time there is 4 or 5 eggs they start incubating. Once that happens I can remove those eggs like Sally mentioned and do the old switch-a-roo.

I'm not sure why, but my societies have only laid one egg of their own. Not sure why. I've witnessed one pair breed. Some people use 2 hens or a hen and a cock or 3 cocks. I just have cock/hen pair in each cage.
It's also important to have full access to their nest box. Not only for switching the eggs, but for checking on the hatchlings and if they are being cared for.

Some societies are better than others and as I just found out, they aren't necessarily consistent in being good fosters from clutch to clutch.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:34 am

the only reason I got societies was in case I needed some fostering done. so far (touch wood) I havent needed to

Post by **Sally** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:32 am

mickp wrote:the only reason I got societies was in case I needed some fostering done. so far (touch wood) I havent needed to

Aren't all your birds in the aviary? I think that makes a lot of difference in breeding success. Cages just add one more element of stress by confining them so much.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:40 am

Not if your cages are large enough and constructed to give them some privacy Sally.

Post by **Sally** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:44 am

Very true, Paul. I have all-wire cages, so then I have to put wood dividers between cages, plants all around, trying to give them privacy, when the proper cage would do the job for me! And 48" long breeding cages are almost impossible to find here in the US.

sharon · Post by **sharon** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:04 am

Thanks all of you who responded. I could never quite understand this fostering. I guess I wasn't so far off. seems that timing has a lot to do with it.

Do male societies have that srong of instinct to nest that they do it on their own?

Sharon

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:40 pm

sharon wrote: Do male societies have that srong of instinct to nest that they do it on their own?
Sharon

Yes so much so that you can use a pair or trio of male Societies and not have to worry about getting any Society eggs.

Post by **Hilary** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:53 am

I've had mixed results with fostering. Two pairs of my societies would sit on anything, anytime - eggs, chicks, didn't matter. Unfortunately they've never been willing to raise anything other than gouldians, though, and even more unfortunately I just lost both males.

A pair of my females will sit on eggs and chicks but won't feed. I added a tossed gouldian to a nestful of society chicks with a first-time pair of societies and they raised the gould just like the others. Other pairs won't sit at all, though, and one horrible trio eat the eggs.

So I think it really depends on the birds. Luckily I love societies and have quite a few, so will keep experimenting with foster pairs in addition to the society breeding program.

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