Newbie....breeding question

[juju]

Hello all! Thanks so much for letting me join this board. In June for my birthday I got a pair of finches. A male- Percy and a female- Gidget. It didn't take long for them to get busy! Within a couple of weeks I had 4 eggs in the nest. Only one was fertile and hatched on July 21st. I got a white fluffy baby out of that egg and it's so cute! On the weekend they pushed it from the nest. I took the nest out because it was just nasty! I also wanted to discourage another round of eggs until I could get another cage. However, on Monday I went to check on them and baby was in the bottom of the cage in the corner and there was a broken egg on the bottom of the cage! I felt horrible! I might be a little crazy but I felt like I had just killed a baby bird! So I went and bought a nest! When I got home there was another broken egg in the bottom of the cage! I put the nest in and Percy swiftly went to work building the nest. Last night the nest was turned upside down and no eggs at all. I'm very confused! And how in the world will I be able to tell if the baby is male or female?????? Oh! They are still feeding the baby! I haven't seen him eat on his own yet. Any input would be greatly appreciated! I love my little birds! I want them to have a happy healthy life with me!
Thanks in advance!
Julie

[Sally]

Welcome to the forum, Julie! My first recommendation is to go to www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on housing, diet, breeding, and species. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps when answering locale-specific questions later on.

What species finch do you have? Photos will help members identify them for you if you don't know. I will assume they are either Zebra finches or Societies, since those are the most common. Both species also will breed like rabbits, so unless you want to be overrun with babies, it is better to remove the nest.

It sounds like the baby fledged, which is what happens when it is old enough and strong enough to leave the nest, but it still can't feed itself. The parents will feed it for another couple of weeks until it is weaned, which means it can eat and drink on its own.

[juju]

Hello! I'm sorry I forgot to post what kind of finches LOL They are Zebra finches. The baby would let me hold it for a few days but now it can fly and takes off. Mom and dad can not be held at all. I can't even catch them and don't even try because I do not want to stress them. Will she continue to drop eggs after I take the nest out? That just seems wrong to me- I don't like knowing it could have been a baby and I let it die. I might be too soft hearted for this! I don't want 100 birds but I don't want to let them not mature either! UGH sticky position to be in! I get so much enjoyment out of watching them flit about in their cage. I let them out once but had an awful time getting them back in! I plan to build a big cage for them in the future. I feel so blessed to have them!