Society Finch Parenting Finch Chicks
Society finches must be in a nesting cycle themselves before they take
on parenting duties. There are exceptions, and some individuals, pairs
or even trios begin to set and incubate properly upon offering them a
clutch of eggs. Societies can be coaxed into nesting behavior by
offering them a clutch of artificial canary eggs. If they begin to sit
tightly, it’s usually safe to switch them out for real eggs. The best
odds of success in fostering come from beginning with eggs rather than
already hatched chicks.
When cross fostering bird eggs, use a permanent marker to put a tiny dot on all fostered eggs so that if the fosters lay their own eggs, they can be readily identified and removed. This helps ensure that the fostered eggs will be incubated properly. Otherwise, there may be far too many eggs to set correctly and if two different species hatch out simultaneously, the parent birds will most often instinctively feed their own offspring and ignore any fostered chicks. Some breeders avoid the problem of too many eggs by using male pairs or even trios for fostering.
When exotic waxbills have been foster-raised, it is generally a good idea to separate them from their surrogate parents as soon as they are completely weaned. In most cases, 30 days after fledgling is safe time to remove the young birds to their own quarters. Use careful observation to be absolutely sure the babies are reliably self feeding before moving them. Continue to offer eggfood, greens and plenty of spray millet along with occasional live foods to the newly independent babies.
Place the young birds well away from the foster parents and in visual and hearing range of their actual parents so they can learn appropriate vocalizations and behavior by listening to and watching them. It’s not a good idea to put the weaned young directly with their parents, as the adult male may become aggressive toward them. It may also cause disruption if the adult pair attempts to nest again.
These second generation youngsters will be a valuable addition to your breeding pairs because they will have been raised under captive conditions. Captive-bred birds are much more likely to successfully raise their future babies without the need for foster parents.
Source: birdchannel
When cross fostering bird eggs, use a permanent marker to put a tiny dot on all fostered eggs so that if the fosters lay their own eggs, they can be readily identified and removed. This helps ensure that the fostered eggs will be incubated properly. Otherwise, there may be far too many eggs to set correctly and if two different species hatch out simultaneously, the parent birds will most often instinctively feed their own offspring and ignore any fostered chicks. Some breeders avoid the problem of too many eggs by using male pairs or even trios for fostering.
When exotic waxbills have been foster-raised, it is generally a good idea to separate them from their surrogate parents as soon as they are completely weaned. In most cases, 30 days after fledgling is safe time to remove the young birds to their own quarters. Use careful observation to be absolutely sure the babies are reliably self feeding before moving them. Continue to offer eggfood, greens and plenty of spray millet along with occasional live foods to the newly independent babies.
Place the young birds well away from the foster parents and in visual and hearing range of their actual parents so they can learn appropriate vocalizations and behavior by listening to and watching them. It’s not a good idea to put the weaned young directly with their parents, as the adult male may become aggressive toward them. It may also cause disruption if the adult pair attempts to nest again.
These second generation youngsters will be a valuable addition to your breeding pairs because they will have been raised under captive conditions. Captive-bred birds are much more likely to successfully raise their future babies without the need for foster parents.
Source: birdchannel
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