When they are mating are they a pair?

[Fluffy]

I have such question, if finches (plumheads) are mating, are they a pair then? I have 2 males and 1 female and older male was mating with another male bird all the time and now I desided to put that gayboy to another cage with female (I did this like 2-3 days ago) and now I saw they were mating. I have a nest in the cage and they both go there often. I just haven't put any nest building materials there yet. I'm gonna find some hay today and hope they are going to breed. However it's autumn and days are short, but they are near to the window and I can put an extra lights for them. Do they need protein too? Im gonna buy some eggfood from the store then. They wasn't interested of boiled egg. I can get some worms after 2 weeks. My plumheads are never succeed with breeding. They have always left their babys or just didn't feed them but this female is new, so I hope it will be better this time. Sorry about my bad English (I'm from Estonia).

[afinch]

I've never owned plumheads, but it sure sounds like it.

[Sadie]

Hi Fluffy
You may have to remove the other gay boy once the eggs are laid or even before so he doesn't mess with the nest. Extra protein (egg or egg biscuits) is advantageous when breeding.
If they are not in a large aviary it sounds like you will be needing another cage soon. Have fun!

[Sally]

Males will often go through the mating rituals with other males, but it doesn't mean they are gay. I'm surprised he was doing it with a female present, but now that you have separated them, he is mating with the female. When you had problems with breeding n the past, were the three birds together? That may have caused just enough tension that they didn't brood and/or feed. If the hen lays infertile eggs, it may be because your male is too old, I'd switch out males then.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles about breeding, diet, housing, etc.

[Fluffy]

Thanks for answering! I've always put my birds to the another cage when someone starts breeding. So nobody can't disturb them. Male can't be too old, because last year they got babies, but they left them 2 times (first time just left the nest, second time they were in the nest but never feeding their babies so they just died. That was horrible)...

[finchmix22]

Fluffy
Make sure they are not disturbed once they start mating. They will prepare a nest and any disturbance or too much people traffic or inspections by curious and excited owners, will frighten them off the nest or they will stop feeding. Put some greenery around the nest and cage, so they have plenty of privacy. Also, some finches abandon because they don't think there is enough food, so give them extra food and offer the food four times a day during nesting. I give my breeding pairs, eggfood, Petamine, and freeze dried bloodworms when incubating. They love those and seem to feed the babies better with the addition of the Petamine. Not sure why. This is the first time I tried giving them Petamine, in addition to the other foods.
Good Luck and keep us posted. BTW Welcome to the Forum!

[MariusStegmann]

Fluffy You have to teach your birds to eat additional food. Sometimes it is difficult to get them to eat food that they are unaccustomed to.
My birds won't eat dry eggfood. I take an egg and mix it with about 30% milk, I pour a little bit into cup and the rest goes into the refrigerator. I put the cup into the microwave for about 30 seconds. As soon as the egg is solid, I put the egg on top of a bit of eggfood. I use a fork to mash up it up and mix it with the eggfood. Be careful not to overcook the egg and dry it out. The milk prevents the egg from going all rubbery and the bit of moisture that is still there after cooking, make it mix nicely with the eggfood. Your birds should like this.

Also take seed, soak it for 24 hours. I add a single drop of bleach to a liter of water to prevent mold. Drain it and leave it in the container for a couple of days. As soon as the seed starts germinating, you start feeding it to the birds. It must be as soon as the little chit starts pushing out of the seed. The nutritional value of the seed is a hundred times higher as soon as it germinates. You can divide this into small portions and freeze it and give some to the birds everyday.

[Fluffy]

Thanks for these very good ideas.