Raising and breeding finches

Male finches sing a lovely song and can bring great joy into a home. Adding a female finch (of the same breed) can also be quite a joy but hatching finches requires a bit of knowledge and planning! If you are interested in finding info about how to hatch your own baby finches you have come to the right place! My own finches have started laying eggs and we are expecting babies in a few days.

If you plan on getting finches and having them breed you will need to first provide them with a nest. Many finch experts will tell you that store bought nests are best for finches. Generally it is best to give your adult finches the same type of nest they were bred in although some finches will prefer to build their own nests. Once you provide a nest don’t be surprised if it is rejected by your finches just get them a different one and see how they react to it. They will eventually take to a nest and you will be on your way to breeding finches!

Once your finches have a nest they will require ample sunlight and they must feel safe and secure. If you have pair of finches and you don’t want them to breed just take the nest away from them. Finches will not breed without a nest.

When your finches are ready the male will fuss with the nest adding any provided nesting material to the nest as he sees fit. A frantic mating song and dance will occur and eventually you will find and egg in the nest.

The female will lay one egg per day; this is her building her clutch. Finches will typically lay up to eight eggs per clutch and once the desired clutch size is achieved the incubation period will begin. Sometimes the birds will begin incubation once the first egg is laid the incubation period will be about 10-16 days. If your eggs don’t hatch 20 days after the last egg was laid they most likely will not hatch at all and should be discarded.

Once your finch eggs hatch they will be cared for by their parents. Finches regurgitate food for their babies so you won’t need any special baby food for them. Just let the parents take care of the chicks. Once the chicks are eating on their own they can be removed from the parent’s cage. Chicks should be separated from the parents so they are not attacked and viewed as “in the way” when the parents try to breed again.

Be sure to keep your new finches from mating with each other. This will result in many birth defects and other issues. Pair your finches with unrelated mates or you can house them without a nest to discourage breeding.