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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Ultimate Challenge: Breeding a Finch

If you have finches as pets and enjoy them a great deal you may want to take on the ultimate challenge; breeding a finch. Actually finches breed quite well in captivity. They are some of the easiest birds to get to breed. You only have to provide them with the right conditions, a healthy diet and an acceptable mating partner.

When you are going to start breeding zebra finches you should first make certain you have a male and a female. This can usually be determined by just looking at the birds markings. The male zebra finch is distinctively colored with patches of orange on their cheeks and their beaks are very red. Female beaks are more of a dull orange color and they do not have the bright orange cheeks.

Provide your birds with a cage or aviary that is large enough for them to reproduce in. The cage you currently have may be perfect for two birds, but if you are breeding them the two birds will quickly become four or even six birds. A good size for a breeding cage is 2 foot long by 1 foot wide by 8 inches high. If you can give your pair of finches more space than this it will be even better for your results.

You will have to provide them with a nest to lay their eggs in. Nests made from bamboo are very popular for finches. They are not expensive and readily available at most pet supply stores. You can purchase the bamboo nests in small or large sizes. It is probably best to get the larger size in case your birds have a large clutch of eggs.

Wooden nesting boxes are also frequently used for finches. You can place the wooden box inside the cage or you can mount it outside the cage, and provide your birds an access opening into the box. These make wonderful nests and are easy to clean and care for when the nest is not being used. The wooden box mounted on the outside of the cage also allows you to count your eggs, and check on the nest with the least amount of disturbance to the parents.

You can provide your birds with several different materials to build their nests. Bits of string and shredded tissues make good materials. Caution! Your birds can get tangled up in the nesting material and possibly die. Make certain the material is not to fine or not too long.

Watch your male bird for signs that he is fussing with the nest. He will begin to add materials to the nest and prepare it for the egg laying. Not long after you notice this behavior you should notice the birds either doing a little mating dance or they may start to sing their mating song. Either way it will not be long before you have eggs.

The female will do the majority of the nest sitting, but the male will help. In thirteen days you will have little baby finches hatching. Good luck.

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Finches - Get to Know Them

What makes finches such great pets? It is simple, they are easy to take care of, have a great personality and they are very dynamic small birds. Finches are practically magnificent pets for all types of owners, no matter if you're living in an apartment or a house, if you have kids or if you already have some other pet.

Most popular sorts of finches are the Society Finch, the Gouldian Finch and the Zebra Finch. They all have specific patterns, colors and charismas. Since majority of finches are very friendly, they can be kept in broad cages mixed with other sorts of finches or even some other sort of smaller birds. It is not recommended to mix them with bigger sorts of birds because they can easily become hostile and threat finches as prey. All birds like parakeets or bigger should not be mixed with finches to prevent aggressive behavior. Be aware not to overpopulate the cage to keep them from fighting for territory. Although finches are very social birds they are sometimes more interested in other birds company then in their owners, so it should be expected that not all of finches become naturalized to human touch. Compared to parrots, finches are a lot less sensitive to presence of their owner and willingness to play with them if they have company. Handling finches and finger taming them will not be possible in most cases, but there are a few species that will allow it after some time of hard work and patience. In situations when finches need to be handled put your palm on their back and gently grab them only with your forefinger and thumb holding head. This kind of handling should be performed only if you need to trim their nails and similar things. They almost never bite and their bites are not strong.

Finches are very dynamic and they need space to maneuver easily in the cage. They like to fly on short distances so it is suggested to have minimalistic number of crossbars and accessories in cage giving them maximum freedom of movement. Use simple toys to keep them occupied; some kind of bell, mirror or a plastic ring will do just fine. If you have more than one toy change it from time to time to keep them interested or just change the position of toy in the cage. All toys that can be used for parakeets should be suitable for finches as well. In their natural environment finches enjoy bathing and cleaning in wet grass. It is a nice treat for finches to put dish with water a couple of times a week so they can take bath and wash themselves.

Although they are sometimes more quiet then some other bird pets, finches are fun and chipper birds. They are also low cost in comparison to other birds because they are cheaper to buy and hold. Finches guarantee to make all their owners happy with their one of a kind charismas and pretty voices. Some sorts of finches have beautiful feathers and can sing divine songs.

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Breeding Gouldian Finches: The Two Major Methods For Outdoor Aviary Breeding

If you have been keeping a pair or a number of Gouldian finches for a long time and you've successfully kept them healthy and happy, you can start breeding your Gouldian finches. You can make a flock or make some money selling their offspring. Basically, you trigger breeding of this variety of birds by putting them on a protein rich diet. A protein rich diet for Gouldian finches consists of seeding grasses, egg foods and sprouted seeds. During the lean period, you can pick your finch pairs and start introducing this protein rich diet.

As for the perfect time for breeding finches, you can start pairing your birds up at the beginning of summer. The climate conditions in your area will also affect the success of breeding. To stimulate your birds to breed, you can provide them with artificial heating and lighting. You're going for conditions that mimic cooler climates with shorter daylight hours. Aside from the perfect time for breeding Gouldian finches, you also have to ensure that your birds are in the best health. If you notice your birds being active and bright, you can start breeding.

For breeding Gouldian finches, you have two major methods to choose from. There's the selective breeding method and there's the colony breeding method. These are both for outdoor aviary breeding. With selective breeding, you get a lot more control. Basically, this occurs without interference from other Gouldian finches. You have to isolate a pair from the flock. The tricky part of this is that you have to test the pair's compatibility. Observe the way your Gouldians interact with each other. The first sign that they can make a good pair is when they chase each other around the cage and seemed to be fencing with their beaks.

When this happens, it's time to isolate this pair from the other birds. Continue to observe your pair if you want to succeed in breeding Gouldian finches. If the male finch is interested, he will initiate courtship. This is indicated by the male standing tall, and staring at the female. The male can then start with a whistling routine. If your female finch is interested, you'll know when she bows her head, moving it from side to side. If you need any more proof of their compatibility, observe your pair at dusk. If they get along, they'll be roosting beside each other.

With colony breeding Gouldian finches, this method is a bit of a hit or miss. Unlike the selective method, you will have very little control on the breeding. Outside factors like overcrowding, stress and offspring genetics will be just some of the few things you have to deal with. You have to remember that when you breed Gouldian finches in a colony, overcrowding results in a smaller number of offspring. If your birds are stressed, they will also easily succumb to infections and health issues. As for offspring genetics, you have no control over the pair and you might get offspring with color mutations.

Finch Breeders - The Good and the Bad

Finch breeders can be found around the world. What does it take to be a finch breeder? The most basic of answers would be the love of these birds and the desire to learn what it takes to be a breeder. Weather you want to become a finch breeder or just want to learn from a breeder, the most important thing is to make sure the person you are dealing with has a good reputation.

Getting to know the finch breeders is something that may take some time. You can start by speaking with them on the phone. You can discuss the birds with them and what the prices are. The ideal situation is to actually meet them in person and to be able to see the birds that they have raised.

Visiting A Breeder - A Good and Bad Scenario

The Bad - Scenario number one goes something like this. You have read about breeding and want to get advice from a breeder. You call a few and then make an appointment to visit them. At your first visit you are not at all impressed. The breeder brings you into a room that has no natural light. He flips on an overhead light and you see a dozen small cages with way too many birds in each one. Upon closer inspection of the cages the water bowls are empty and one of the cages has a dead bird at the bottom of the dirty cage. Does this seem like the type of breeder you want to learn from? Of course not!

The Good- Scenario number two goes like this. You make an appointment with another breeder. Upon arrival you are taken into a bright room with plenty of natural sunlight. You see the cages are clean and all bowls have water in them. The cages also contain fresh fruits and vegetables. The birds seem happy. They are flying around doing their thing and enjoying life. Notice the difference in scenario number one and number two. Finches breeders will vary and you need to use your own good judgment in who to trust.

In time, with due diligence, you will become an expert breeder. By doing your homework and continuing your research you will accumulate a vast amount of information. The end result will be that you will be able to take pride in the knowledge that you are a finch breeder that is well respected. You always want to strive to have a good reputation among your peers. It will certainly pay big dividends.

Being among the breeders who are respected and well known will bring many benefits. As the supply companies get to know you they will begin to offer discounts. You will also have people contacting you for advice and for sales. If you are planning on making the breeding of finches into a business this is very important. The more business you get by word of mouth the more you will be known in the finch breeders world.

Size Matters in Finch Cages

The finch is one of the smallest birds that people keep as pets, but, size matters in finch cages. The birds are so little. Some of them are barely 3 inches as mature adults. The biggest ones are 10 inches long and that is from tail tip to beak tip. It would seem that you could house them in any size cage.

The finch is a very active and social bird. They must have room to fly around in their cages. They like to hop and even run. When you put a finch in a cage that is too small for the bird to exercise its wings by flying then the bird will get sick. They actually need all that activity to maintain good health.

For most of these little birds it is more important for you to be concerned about the length of the cage you keep them in, than it is for you to be concerned over the cage height. The length will give the birds a little more room to fly some. A longer cage also provides them room needed for hopping and running.

If you are getting a cage to house a pair of small finches then you want the cage to be at least 30 inches long. Eleven to twelve inches high on the height will do just fine as long as they have at least 30 inches in length. Make certain that there is a perch for each bird in the cage also. Finches will also make use of toy swings. Do try and position the perches and swings where the finches have to fly a little to move from one to another. This will promote healthy activity.

You want to consider the number of birds you have, and the amount of room it will take for the birds to exercise properly when you are building a finch aviary. Be certain that when you decide on the aviary and the size that you take into consideration how your finches move. Some fly more horizontal than others. Taking time to know what your birds require will make your aviary a better habitat for your feathered friends.

If you want to breed the birds in your finch aviaries make certain you do not have the cage overcrowded. If the aviary has too many birds in it the finches will not pair off and mate correctly.

You also want to make certain that the breeds of finches you have in your aviary are completely compatible. Some of these birds are nosy and intrusive to other birds when they are nesting. Some of the breeds can become aggressive to others during mating season. You want to be certain that if you have a pushy or intrusive breed like the Bengalese that you house them in an aviary away from calmer breeds like the Nutmeg.

Size does matter in finches cages. The size of your cage will determine the health and happiness of the birds you house there. Give them room and then watch them play.

Bird Feeders: The Secret In Attracting Birds

Bird feeders, bird tables, tray feeders, whatever you wish to call these devices, are the very secret in attracting birds. If you are fond of birds and you are being pampered every time you hear them singing then why don't you allow them to live in your own space or in your backyard. It is not difficult to convert your own patio into a dazzling bird sanctuary because it only needs a little planning and preparation. You can start by simply completing all the bird supplies needed. Aside from the feeders, you also need to add bird houses and baths. These are also needed when you are after attracting birds.

As mentioned, start attracting birds by simply completing the items needed. If you are already through with these, then you can already decide where to place those things. Start placing the houses since they are the ones which will be consuming most of your time. But, before you place anything, take all the mess first, clean the area and eliminate unnecessary things. Bird houses can be placed on tree branches or you can make poles for them. Next, work on placing bird baths and make sure that they are placed conveniently so birds can easily locate them. Now, after the two are placed, you can already start placing the bird feeders. Are you sure that those feeders fit to those birds that you are trying to attract? Birds can be easily attracted if bird trays suit their interests and needs.

After placing the bird feeders, do not forget to provide the right choice of food. The main reason that you are having those food trays is to offer your feathered friends some food to eat. This is why proper placement is a crucial factor that you need to consider. Different birds are attracted differently so study how you can improve your luring strategies. And, believe that as long as you have the right tray feeders and the right food inside, wild birds will simply be fall on your trap. The common bird seeds are Millet, Sunflower, Nigger Seed, Safflower, and Canola seed. These are often used as bird seeds to lure birds to stay.

Stores for bird feeders are all over and you can even go for made to order feeders as long as you know how to make your own designs. With this, you can expect to own a distinctive bird sanctuary in the end far way different from the usual norm. And, attracting feathered friends can be easily done.

Finches Care: Tips For Raising a Happy, Healthy Pet Finch

For the bird lover who does not have a lot of extra time or knowledge of birds, finches care is quite easy. Although many people love birds they have no clue in the care that may be involved. Larger birds are not the way to go for those just beginning in the world of bird ownership, so finches make the perfect choice.

Finches will take much less time to care for, are less expensive and they are a joy to have. Although happy birds and very social they will and do have basic requirements that will need to be met. Finches can live anywhere from about four to seven years. The average bird can live longer if taken care of very well. Finches care does require the basics, which we will touch on.

The first thing you will need before getting your finch are all of the supplies. When you bring your finch home you will certainly need a home for him or her. Buying a cage is not an expensive adventure, as finches do not take up a lot of room. The more bells and whistles you get with the cage the more expensive it will be. The size of the cage will also depend on how many finches you are planning to purchase as well as whether you will breed them or not. When purchasing a cage it is important to remember that the birds will need enough space to fly around. Birds cannot survive if they are cramped. Being cramped as well as too many birds in one cage will not promote good health.

Part of proper finch care is choosing the best cage and when doing so be sure it has a perch. Finches need perches and there should be at least two in a medium sized cage. For the bottom of the cage it is easy to use layered newspaper. The top layer of newspaper can be removed daily for easy cleaning. This will help make things easy on the owner. Time spent cleaning is time taken away from actually enjoying the birds.

The second thing to consider in your finches care is the type of food you will be giving them. Your local pet store will have a variety of seed and pellets available. Although the seed may be cheaper be warned. It can also be messy. The finch have a tendency to discard the part of the seed they do not eat everywhere; picking up discarded seed is not a very enjoyable experience. If you are questioning the best type of food to get the breeder that you purchase the finch from will recommend one. Although the required care is basically easy this is very important for the health of your birds.

As with any living thing water is also a large part in finch care. Your finch will need to have fresh water at all times. Because they are small they can become dehydrated very easily. Rule of thumb is to refill the water as soon as you notice it is getting low. Clean water is also necessary for them to bathe which should be done at least once a week.