How to Set up Finches for Mating

By Kimberley Jace

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

One male and one female finch, unrelated
A woven grass nesting basket
Nest liner material
Lamp with full-spectrum lightbulb
A small flashlight for nest inspection
Fortified seed or pellets, cuttlebone

How to Set Up Finches for Mating

Step 1:
Finches are best for breeding when they are 6 months to 1 year old. Zebra finches are sexually dimorphic, meaning it's easy to tell the males from the females by their coloring, so they're a good choice. Society finches are prolific breeders, but it's harder to determine gender; if you want to breed societies, start with four birds in a larger cage and watch to see which birds pair off. Lady Gouldian finches are gorgeous, but not always good parents, so wait until you have more experience before trying these exotic birds.
Step 2:
Hang the nest basket high in the finches' cage. A roomy cage (16 X 16 X 20 inches) is best, because it will allow enough space for the hatchlings. The birds will breed best if they're getting 14-16 hours a day of sunlight; use the lamp to supplement lighting, if needed.
Step 3:
Place a small amount of nest lining material (available at pet stores) in the nest and additional material on the floor of the cage. The male birds sometimes like to add and arrange the lining themselves. Short lengths of clean, shredded burlap can be used as nesting material.
Step 4:
When you see both parent birds coming and going from the nest basket, use the flashlight to check daily for eggs. Note when you see the first egg. The female will lay one egg a day, creating a clutch of 3 to 8 eggs. When she's laid the last one, she will start brooding them, with the male babysitting occasionally while the female leaves the nest to eat.
Step 5:
The eggs will hatch about 14 days after the parents begin brooding them in earnest; any egg that has not hatched after 21 days is likely infertile and can be removed. The adults will feed the babies for the next four weeks, and near the end of that time, the young will fledge -- leaving the nest to hop about the cage. By that time, they'll be very close to adult size. The parents will continue to feed them, even outside the nest, until they're able to perch on the food cups and eat on their own.

Tips & Warnings

FInches are traditionally good parents and sociable flock members; they will not interfere with other finch nests, so if you have a large cage of aviary, it's fine to set up several nest baskets for multiple birds. Society finches can even be used to "foster" eggs laid by other birds.
Don't use long string or thread, or any artificial fibers, as nesting material.
Disturb the hatchlings as little as possible until they fledge.
Leave the nest basket in place until the last baby has moved to a new home.
Continue to feed the birds high-quality or fortified food throughout the child-rearing process, and make a cuttlebone available as a calcium source.
Be sure the babies are eating confidently on their own before moving them to another cage or another home.

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