Zebra Finch Chicks?

Hi. This is my first time breeding finches. My pair of zebra finches have successfully hatched 3 chicks which are 4 weeks old today. I've noticed the parents breeding again and this morning the hen has laid an egg. Will they continue to look after the chicks if they have more eggs. I was told the chicks needed to stay with the parents until they are at least 6 weeks old.

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Ana
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 140 Posts

March 9, 20220 found this helpful

Best Answer

Zebra Finch birds take care of there own. I wouldn't worry, let nature and the Finches that it's course. Be careful not to hover over the nest to much, this could cause a problem with hatching, they tend to be more private during this time.

Judy
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts

March 8, 20220 found this helpful

The parents will take care of all the babies until they are ready to be independent.

WorlDA

March 11, 20220 found this helpful

I found zebra finch breeder's notes on the topic of your interest: www.efinch.com/.../zebra.htm
"The young grow rapidly and are feathered by 16 days (Clutch of chicks Approx 16 days) and will begin to venture out of the nest starting at around 18 days of age (Fledgling male). The young are fed for an additional 14-21 days with the male taking on much of that duty towards the end.

By the time the young are weaned the parents will likely have started another clutch of eggs and are chasing off the young. This chasing can sometimes seem merciless, but the young are rarely seriously harmed. If the young are independent and the parents are chasing the young, they should be removed or they will likely be heavily feather plucked. I usually remove the eggs of the second clutch if the young are not ready to be moved. It's better to let the parents rest a little between clutches rather than taxing them with repeated clutches so close to each other. I usually will take no more than 3-4 clutches from a breeding pair before giving them a rest. They are fully capable of raising clutches non-stop for years, but the resulting young are substandard and the adults are worn out."

So just control the situation, if the parents start chasing off the babies, then move the chicks to a new cage. The chicks are big enough to feed on their own.

Chipmunk

March 16, 20220 found this helpful

A zebra finch-mother feeds their babies using her mouth till they are 3 to 4 weeks old, after which they become independent and find their own food. It happens that parents start chasing them out of the nest to encourage them to find food on their own. In this case, move them to their own cage.

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