BREEDING and mating

[CHIRP]

Just curious, when you have small ones and they are released into the open market for sale, is it a problem that they may mate being brother and sister?........ excuse this question if it may seem crazy, I am just curious?......

[Lacybug]

Yes, finches will breed with family members; they don't think anything of it like us humans do. This could create problems and produce young with deformities. Just make sure to tell whoever you sell them to that they're related. I choose to put split plastic bands on them that are the same color, so people would be more likely to remember they're from the same family.

[MiaCarter]

Are you talking about potentially mating with family members while in a holding cage at a bird mart or similar?

As mentioned above, birds have no qualms with inbreeding. They don't share our moral, ethical or social hang ups.

With new birds, you generally discard eggs that are laid for the first 2 weeks, as the female can retain sperm from a suitor for a period of time and you don't want to breed if you don't know who the parents are. (Especially if there's a high potential of inbreeding.)