Ask Lafeber

Finch nest

Now that all of the babies have hatched and are a couple of weeks old will the parents clean the best it should I?

Hi Bobbi,

Don’t do anything until the chicks have left the nest. Once you see them all out in the cage and doing well, then go ahead and take the nest out of the cage for now. Otherwise the parents will nest again too soon. Once the chicks are eating entirely on their own, move them to a separate cage. They can’t stay with the parents. The parents will start to pick on them for them to leave. And if they do tolerate them, they are likely to breed with the chicks if left together. You never want to breed related birds.

In captivity, a pair will keep breeding because we keep the indoor temperature ideal for them. So you need to wait a few months before you put the nest back in the cage to be sure the pair has had plenty of time to rest and recover from the rigors of nesting and raising chicks.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda