I have 2 male finches and one female finch (all Zebras). I have tried to add a pure white finch before, but they wouldn't play with her or be very nice and she died.
This morning, I went to clean their cage and found a egg in their seed bowl. I have never put in a breeding nest and am now unsure if the egg will hatch or if this is just something that happens every now and again. I'm rather confused because I was told they wouldn't breed without privacy.
What should I do to look after a baby finch? Will they lay another egg? I'm assuming no, but thought I should ask anyway. Will it be a issue that there is two males?
Thanks to all that help. Lana :)
By Alanah from Brisbane
I have two finches and I was told that as long as you don't put a nest in the cage they won't lay eggs. Well, mine did, and she layed them in the food tray. So, I just added another food tray so I didn't disturb the eggs. But, I only saw them sit on the eggs a few times. I'm not watching constantly but, when do they sit on them?
LilHoneyBrat form Minnesota
I once had a pair of finches and she laid eggs all of the time but the eggs were never fertilized by the male so, of course, they never hatched. If she has laid all the eggs (zebra finches often will not sit on them until the last one is laid) and is not sitting on them constantly, except for eating, then they are not fertile or something is not right about them. If as time passes the eggs take on a deeper blue/grey color then there is an embryo but if she's not sitting on them the majority of the time they are not going to hatch. Zebra finch eggs generally hatch at 14 to 18 days.
You should also make sure she has enough calcium nutrition since she'll often lay eggs. There are special egg foods available at pet stores and it wouldn't hurt to have nesting material just in case there ever ends up being fertile eggs. Don't touch any of the eggs until you know they are not going to be hatched because many birds will shun their eggs after being disturbed.
Enjoy your finches! I loved mine because they made the most relaxing sweet sounds and it was fun to watch their antics. Oh, and every time the phone rang they broke in to a chorus. Oh, and there are ooddles of books on finches at the library so maybe check a couple out to learn more about your babies. :-)
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My two finches laid their egg in the seed basket. Should I move their egg (would the mother reject it) or is it safe if the egg stays in the seed basket? Thanks.
I would move the egg and hope for the best.
I'd move it but then swap the places of the egg and the seed basket so its technically in the same place.
My zebra finches have laid eggs for the second time . First one didn't hatch except one, which I found dead on the bottom of cage. I removed the nest and old eggs and cleaned everything. My husband's clothes are in the same room as the cage but we don't bother them, just food & water.
How can I keep the next ones if they hatch alive?
My zibra finch had eggs 1 hatched . She stopped taking care of it and then I found it on the bottom of cage dead.. Now she has more eggs . What can I do to help them live ?
These are birds, and they know what to do to take care of there own. This type of breed can even tell when a egg is good or bad. Let nature and the birds take its course.
Since your zebra finches have laid eggs for the second time, then they are young. A pair of young finches may be unsuccessful in their mating attempts, the female may still lay her underutilized eggs. Also young hen may neglect her eggs and fail to bring them to full term. This is quite common for young finches.
Single eggs in a clutch may fail to hatch, due to an unborn chick not developing properly, or because that particular egg somehow managed to avoid fertilization.
Watch your birds next time, but do it carefully so as not to disturb them. If the chicks do not hatch again, then check to see if all the eggs were fertile. Hold the egg in front of a candle or strong light to observe for any signs of fertility. A fertile egg will clearly show a blood vessel network; an embryo formed that resembles an opaque shape will be clearly visible.
The most obvious sign that the parents are abandoning their chicks is finding the chicks on the cage or aviary floor. If you find a tossed chick next time, and it's still alive, warm it in your hands before putting it back in the nest. You may need to put the chick back several times.
Another clear sign the nest has been abandoned is if the parents aren't in the nest and don't go back in to the nest for several hours. If their environment is quite warm they may not need to brood their young as often. However if several hours go by and you are fairly sure the finches have made no attempts to return to the nest, it's time to check the clutch: put a finger inside the nest, if the chicks and remaining eggs are cold the touch they have been abandoned.
It may be what food is being fed. More probably the adults are being startled and when leaving the next inadvertently knock a young one out of nest. I didn't isolate my birds, so we were careful to not startle them at their cage. We did move about the house as usual and birds and people cohabitated. We fed our finches a regular but varied diet of birdseed with treats of thistle seed, a few bugs, meal worms and greens like grass or even a bit of lettuce. I feel however that the young birds are falling from next accidentally when mom or pop become startled.
We may have two female society finches laying eggs that we are not sure will hatch. Do they need a male to hatch?
This is my first time owning zebra finches. About 20 days ago one started laying eggs and finished about 2 weeks ago. She laid 4 eggs in total. Today I noticed a 5th egg. Should I remove the other eggs?
Also I'm not even sure that I don't have 2 females. I'm sure my grey one is a female. And they make different sounds, but I am unsure about the white one.
Usually they don't start to sit on them until after they lay the last egg. So, start your timing from the final egg, and then give a couple extra days just incase.
What do I do if my zebra finches lay their eggs in different spots and I don't know how long they have been there?
The article I read said that the bird will lay one egg a day until she is finished. She can lay up to 8 eggs, but usually 3 to 6. She will start incubating when the last egg is hatched. An egg that has not hatched after 20 days is considered infertile.
Gouldian sits on eggs only during the day but not at night?
My finches laid eggs, but it has been over 18 days can they still hatch?
If the birds did not sit on the eggs and they go past 20 days the eggs are dead. It normally takes 12 to 15 days fort he eggs to hatch. The birds will sit on the eggs within 24 hours of laying the last egg.
I have a pair of finches. They laid four eggs more than one week ago. After laying the fourth egg they broke the egg.
Initially they sat on the eggs for some time, but now they are not sitting on the eggs. What should I do?Remove the eggs, they are spoiled. I raised finches and Canaries for years. The broken egg or it's remains would have spoiled in the nest & made an unhealthy habitat for other viable eggs. Clean the nest & try again. I'm really sorry.
I have two finches, one male and one female. She laid to eggs, but I don't know when one egg fell out of the nest and broke. I didn't know until too late and it was dead in the egg.
How can I help the last egg survive? And how often do finches mate and when do they mate?That was the best information I received since I got me Finches.
My first male didn't like the female so I took i back to the pet shop.
These two like each other just fine. I have had 12 eggs in a very short time .( in 2 different settings).The first clutch didn't work for me except for one and I tried to candle it and I broke it. I had a moving chick that I think would have hatched in about a week.
Read all you can on hatching chicks.It will help you in the long run.
Why hasn't my egg hatched when it's over due?
You start counting from when the bird starting sitting on it, not from when it was laid. Are you sure it was a fertile egg?
Eggs may be laid 2 weeks before the bird starts sitting on them.
I have a female cannery bird and she laid an egg. Does it hatch without a male bird? Thank you for helping.
My finches have laid eggs, but are not sitting on them and are panicking. What should I do?
They will not sit on them until they are done laying all their eggs.
That way they will all hatch at the same time.
