Ask Lafeber

Feeding baby finch

What do I feed fully feathered baby finch that prematurely has left the nest.

Hi,

If the chick is fully feathered, it should be out of the nest. Once the chicks are old enough to leave the nest, you need to remove the nest so that the parents will focus on feeding and weaning them. If you allow the parents to keep the nest, they will start a new clutch and let the older chicks die. You can’t hand feed an older chick. The parents will do it as long as they aren’t trying to nest again too soon. They need to be rested for a few months anyway, before returning the nest. Once the chicks are weaned, they need to be moved to a different cage.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda