Skip to main content

Breeding Zebra Finches


Finches are very lovely adorable birds to have them at home. I like these birds so much. These cute little buddies used to sing songs often. The sounds made by them are so gentle to hear. There are many species of finches like Atlantic Canary, Zebra Finch, American Goldfinch, Common red poll, House Finch, etc. But the most popular one among them is the Zebra Finch. 

Zebra Finches are the commonly found in Central Australia and ranges over most continents. It is natively found in Indonesia and East Timor. These are proactive birds which need a lot of space to live in and fly around. These birds weigh around 10 to 12 grams and are very delicate in nature.

Let us get into the topic,

Cage setup: 

Cage of a zebra finch should be spacious enough in order to make them feel comfortable to fly here and there. There should be small sticks or branches attached to the corners of the cage to make them feel like sitting in the branches of the tree. Also, the breeding box or birds breeding pot should be attached to the cage.

   This type of Cage setup will be the most preferred setup for the Colony breeding. This type of setup will be more natural and the breeding rates will be much higher. This setup consists of natural woods, Plants, and required lightings. If you provide proper ventilation and big windows for sunlight it will be more than enough for the plant's growth and no need for placing an LED bulbs and spending money on electric bills.



   This type of setup will be spacious but the brightness of the light is too high. This will not give a much natural look. But it is so spacious to fly around.



   This type of breeding is individual breeding. Here you may not find any problems like fighting with one another at the time of breeding. This fight is purely parental, to save their chicks from other adults.




Nesting:

Every individual breeder has different types of breeding boxes or nests whatever you call.

Breeding box and nests

I personally prefer holed pots. Because pots have the tendency to absorb watery discharge of the new born chicks. Pots are way better than other breeding nets.
Pot breeding


Finches used to build its nest with the straws of the grasses. Provide hay inside the cage so that it will be helpful for them to build their nests. Nest building is a biological urge in most of the birds. Always, refurbish their nests when the babies come out of the nest.

Nest Building

Laying Eggs and Hatching:

Finches lay an average of 5-8 eggs and start to incubate the eggs. It takes around 2 weeks that is 12-15 days to hatch. Zebra Finches are very good parents they feed the babies often. So you need to provide them nutritional food. Calcium supplements like Cuttle fish bone or crushed egg shells (always keep in mind don't seek for medicinal supplements always go for natural sources and that is good for health). Calcium deficiency may lead to skinny eggs without the outer shell. So calcium supplements are always required for the birds. When the chicks are born it is very much required for complete growth.

Food

The major part of their diet is Millet. They should also be given other food supplements to form part of a balanced diet. These supplements include 
1.Cuttle fish bone / Crushed Egg shells - for Calcium
2.Coriander Leaves, Green grass, Spinach - for Minerals
3.Fine pieces of boiled white of Chicken Eggs - for Protein

Keep water available 24/7...

Finches are very good breeders their parenting abilities are exemplary. So it is very easy to breed and take care of zebra finches at home.

Comments

Popular Posts

Why do Hamsters like wheels?

If you have ever owned a hamster or seen one in a pet store, you might have noticed that they love to run on wheels. But why do hamsters like wheels so much? What benefits do they get from this activity? And how can you choose the best wheel for your furry friend? In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more, as we explore the fascinating world of hamsters and wheels. Hamsters are rodents that belong to the subfamily Cricetinae, which includes 19 species of hamsters. They are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, and have been domesticated as pets since the 1930s. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, meaning they are most active at night. They have a lifespan of about 2 to 3 years, and can grow up to 15 cm in length. One of the most distinctive features of hamsters is their cheek pouches, which they use to store food and carry it to their nests. Hamsters are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. They enjoy a variety of foods, such as seeds, nuts, fruits, vege...

Pigeons care

     Hi friends! I am very glad to explain how to take care of Pigeons. I am rearing Pigeons right from my childhood. I love them a lot. Basically Pigeons are homing birds, they tend to fix a home for them, lay eggs, takes care of its own family. Pigeons are peace loving birds they don't disturb other animals. They eat grains. One of the unique characteristics of them is when a male bird and female bird once turns into a couple they will never leave one another. They stay together always. Pigeons are of different colors and they are adorable.      There are many varieties of pigeons in India. Some are easy to take care and some need lot of care. Accordingly they require different size of Pen. Pigeons breeds like Fan Tail (laggu) needs big sized pen because of their big tail, also breeds like King requires large pen to live in and breed and breeds like Cakal Roller (Karna Pura) needs medium to small sized pen compared to other fancy variety pigeons. So, fi...

Sexing Finches

Little Finches are good breeders and behave as a good parent. It is necessary to identify the gender of Finches if you wish to do the individual breeding. If you are a Finch lover and would like to breed it at your home you need to identify which is which (male/female). Even though in the colony breeding there should be an equal proportion of male and females present in the colony in order to avoid many problems like pecking each other. How to identify the sex of Finches? Based on, 1.Color Pattern 2.Beak 3.Activities 1.Based on Color Pattern It is quite easy to determine male and female in Zebra finches using a specific pattern of colors in their body. There are many color variations in Zebra Finches. They are as follows, Standard Grey Black Chested Black Cheek Black Face Black Front Chestnut Flanked White Crested Eumo and Charcoal Fawn Cheek and Grey Cheek Grizzle Isabel Florida Fancy Light Back Orange Breasted Penguin Pied Silver White and Yel...