I have a pair of zebra finches; the female deposited five eggs, two of which were fertile and three were infertile. Four weeks later, the female laid five more eggs, one each day.
I couldn’t dismantle the nest since two chicks were inside, and their parents were caring for them.
My question is: how can I offer the female rest once she has laid the eggs for the first time, and what should I do next?
Best regards,
Hi,
Managing breeding Zebra finches can be challenging! Ideally, you remove the nest as soon as the chicks leave it, and the parents will wean them. If you can remove all of the eggs, do that. Otherwise, if new chicks hatch, the current ones will crush them, or the parents will let the older ones starve to death while they turn their attention to new chicks. As soon as those chicks can leave the nest – and they tend to hop out when they have more feathers, take that nest away. As soon as the chicks are weaned, move them to another cage. If the male won’t leave the female alone, you might need to separate them for a while.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
