Foster Birds

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:42 pm

I have three society finches that I use as fosters. They are two females and a male. They have always fostered together and stayed in a nest together until recently. Sweetie and Chocolate (one hen and one cock) have paired up and just hatched out today two eggs belonging to my goldbreast. The other hen , Heckle has been in a nest sitting on two eggs that were duds. I have put two eggs that my strawberry laid under her.
Hopefully they will be fertile eggs.
Anyway today I noticed that Heckle was out of the nest taking a stretch. I had been wondering if she would incubate these eggs on her own without a mate. I looked up into the nest and my "lone" silverbill that I kept because of a handicapped foot was sitting on the eggs while she was out.
I guess while I wasn't looking, these two have made great friends.

I don't know if this silverbill is a cock or a hen. Hopefully it is a hen.

Otherwise I am going to have to watch them and make sure they don't slip any hybirds in on me.

So hopefully the two of them will foster the eggs together. I don't know..... it should be interesting.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:46 pm

That would be very interesting and cool if they did hatch/foster eggs together. To be sure any eggs are not of their own making - you can mark each egg you place in their nestbox with an indelible marker. Then if any eggs show up without a mark - it's a hybrid and can be discarded.

Sounds like they might make a good pair of fosters too.

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:50 pm

Hope the eggs are fertile and they keep tight on the eggs.