April 13, 2021
Breeding
Mama finch tries to sit on her eggs but papa finch wont leave her alone. He keeps trying to fight her when she sits in the nest.
Question:
Answer:
Hi Silvia,
Sometimes there is an obvious reason why one or both birds aren’t settling down and caring for the eggs. If your male young? Finches can be capable of breeding at just a few months old, but they really are not ready. It’s better to wait until they are at least a year old. Sometimes a young male is more interested in mating than caring for the eggs and chicks. He may want her to mate instead of sit in the nest. It’s important that you only have one pair of birds in the cage. If you have other birds in the cage, or even too close to the breeding pair, the pair can get territorial. If the male is disturbed by other birds in another cage, he may be attacking the female out of frustration. Or he may feel the nest isn’t safe and doesn’t want her to nest. Their cage needs to be in a quiet, private area when they are breeding and have eggs or chicks. If this is their first time, it is common for them to make mistakes. The female really needs the male to help with the eggs and chicks. If he gets too aggressive and is pulling out her feathers or drawing blood, then you have to put him in another cage. If this is harmless squabbling, then give them time to work things out. Some pairs aren’t compatible. In the wild they choose a mate, so in captivity, they do not always like the mate we choose for them. All you can do is wait and see what happens, and separate them if he gets too rough. If this continues, then you may have to remove the nest and see if they do better without breeding. Some birds do not make good breeders, but they do fine together as long as they don’t have a nest.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
