I'm a nervous new mom of 6!

[moonriver]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post. I started breeding one pair of gouldians in 2013. They only had one surviving chick per clutch. After 2 clutches, the hen passed away. I got a new hen and she seems much more fertile! They recently had 7 eggs, all of them hatched, and one was tossed. The 6 chicks are just over 1 week old now. I'm starting to get worried about space in the cage, providing enough nutrition, and how I'm going to eventually sell them. Since this is my first post, I already have a bunch of questions, so please bear with me!

1. Obviously the chicks are all still in the nest box, but I know the cage will be too small when they start to come out. They're in a flight cage now, but I think it's just appropriate for 2-3 finches. I ordered a double wide flight cage, which should be delivered in about a week. Should I move everyone there while the chicks are still in the nest box, or will that confuse the parents? I don't want to risk them abandoning the nest.

2. Speaking of abandoning the nest, so far the parents have been very attentive and protective of their babies. However, right now (it's around 1am), I'm about to go to bed and I notice that the parents are sleeping together outside the box. This is the first time I've seen them both out of the box, besides brief times to eat. Is this a problem? Should I wake them up? The babies are quiet. They might be big and warm enough without the parents. Is that why?

3. I'm feeding them special seed that says it's for molting and conditioning. On the back of the label, it mentions that it can be used for feeding young. I'm giving them that seed mixed with their normal seed as well as high calcium grit and millet spray. I throw in boiled egg shells occasionally. Lately, I've been refilling their food and water twice a day. Is that enough?

4. Where do you sell finches? The home breeder I bought the male from doesn't need any from his bloodline right now. I can ask the home breeder who sold me the hen, but he might not be interested in more than one. Are there any websites where you've found good homes? If it helps, I live in the DC area.

Thanks for reading this long post!

[Icearstorm]

moonriver

Don't move the nest. It would be safest to move them over after the chicks are weaned, or at least fledged.

My society finches started staying out of the nest box for extended periods of time after the chicks were two weeks old, but by then several of them had feathers. How warm is it?

Give them egg every day. I feed mine scrambled egg, but boiled or steamed eggs are also good.

If you are in the US, Craigslist works fine. List the birds in the pets section under "Community." Technically you are not allowed to sell non-livestock animals, so put the price in the advertisement and call it a "rehoming fee" instead.

[lovezebs]

moonriver

Hello, and welcome to the Forum from Canada,

Now as to your questions...

It is normal for the parents to sleep outside the nest box once the chicks have some feathers. At this stage, the chicks can keep themselves and each other warm without the parents sitting on them.

Regarding the diet...
Hard boiled eggs, are best food for young chicks and for the parents raising these chicks as well. Hard boil, grate or mash with a fork and offer fresh everyday. They provide your birds with protein and many other nutrients not found in seed diets alone. The shells offer calcium and should be offered regularly, along with cuttle bone and oyster shell grit.

Greens and veggies, are also very important for all finches.
Kale, spinach, brocolli, romaine, baby spring greens, parsley, grated carrots, red swiss chard, carrot greens, corn, beet greens, etc. are just as important to them as it is for us.

Birdie vitamins, can be added to drinking water according to instructions every second or third day, and it goes without saying that fresh water should be made available daily both for drinking and bathing.

Regarding housing...

I would not transfer your family to their new flight, untill your chicks have all fledged (come out of the nest box on their own). The reason for that, is that the parents may panic and abandon the babies, at which point you would have to handfeed or lose the chicks.

Regarding rehoming Gouldians...
Gouldian chicks should not be rehomed, untill they moult into their full adult colours, which may take several months. The reason behind this, is that Gouldian chicks tend to be vulnerable and fairly fragile during this period. Any changes, can cause them to get stuck in molt, get sick or die.

Regarding where to find homes...
Now this is something that should be considered before breeding.
Young adult birds can be offered for sale through some Pet Shops, through Bird Clubs in your area, or privately advertised in your local papers or on line.
If it's difficult to find homes, then birds should not be bred.

Good luck with your babies, and if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask .

[paul-inAZ]

All excellent advice above.
I think Elana's comment cannot be over emphasized. Unless you plan on keeping all the progeny it is imperative to have a plan for rehoming birds. Ease or difficulty of doing that will vary not only with the species but with your particular location.

If it's difficult to find homes, then birds should not be bred.

[ac12]

Personally, I would NOT move them till they are weaned. Once you have eggs, you are committed to the cage the nest is in. Yes it may be crowded, but I would not want to do anything to cause the parents to abandon the eggs or chicks.

And once the chicks fledge, REMOVE the nest, so the parents don't start another clutch, and they pay all their attention on the chicks.

I give my breeding birds chopped up hard boiled egg every day, up to 4x a day. As the parents eat more egg, I increase the amount of egg in the dish, and the frequency of changing the egg dish.

I give crushed egg shell for calcium. I put it with the egg food.
Finches, as far as I know, do not need grit. Grit is for birds that eat their seeds whole and need the grit to wear open the seeds in their crop, like pigeons.

You can offer the birds for sale here in the "Marketplace" section.
But as was said, you NEED to plan how you are going to sell the juvenilles before you breed, or you may be stuck with the birds.

If you do NOT want to breed, I would separate the Males from the Females, and keep them out of visual contact with each other.
I would stack 2 cages, M in one cage F in the other.

[moonriver]

Thanks for all your help, everyone!

I'm not worried about the parents sleeping outside the nest anymore because the chicks are getting pretty big and a couple of them are getting feathers on their wings. They must be warm enough. It's also very hot outside now and I don't like a lot of AC, so my house stays about 75-77 F.

I won't move them into the new cage until the babies are weaned. That was my thought too. It makes sense, but it will be harder to catch them all!

I just made a batch of hard boiled eggs and crushed one up (shell and all) and put in a bowl for mom and dad. They're nibbling on it here and there, but are more interested in their millet and seed. I'll give them a new egg each evening and see how they like it.

I understand that I should have planned the rehoming situation better. As I said in my post, I only had one chick per clutch in the past and it was no problem getting them rehomed. I didn't think it was possible to end up with 6! If I can't find good homes for all of them, I might just keep a few together in the larger cage (without the nest box, of course)!

[paul-inAZ]

Gouldians seem to be one of the easier breeds as far as rehoming.
I have used Craigslist successfully many times.
If you have some independent [non-chain] pet shops nearby drop in to ask if they will take some. A phone call will likely get blown off.

Juvie colors aren't all that attractive. Most people don't sell chicks until they color out so you have plenty of time and that is good.

[Sally]

moonriver You've already gotten lots of good advice from others, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier for members to help you.

As others have said, it isn't always easy to find homes for babies, but since Gouldians really do best if kept until they have gone through their first molt, you have plenty of time to work out a plan.