![]() ![]() If you do choose to use a bird feeder, these answers to common questions will help you get started. The general rule for feeding any wild animal is not to offer food when it might cause harm (such as when there’s a local outbreak of avian disease that could spread through feeders). ![]() On the other hand, supplemental feeding can help individual birds in your neighborhood, especially if plentiful native plants aren’t available. Yet experts disagree about whether this kind of backyard bird feeding will significantly help bird populations, and research indicates that it can even disrupt migration patterns or unbalance population sizes. Plenty of people choose to augment plants with birdseed, too. You’ll be amazed at the variety of birds you’ll see throughout the year-especially if you offer native plants that feed not only the birds, but also the insects that make up a crucial part of their diets. ![]() It’s great that they get along so well and are busy working on their nest.One of the best ways to enjoy wildlife in the comfort of your home is by watching the birds who visit your backyard. If the female was that old, it would be time to think of retiring her from breeding, because laying eggs is hard on her system. Since your male is on the older side for a finch, it’s hard to say how well he will do with breeding or raising chicks. You also need to be prepared to remove the chicks as soon as they are weaned, so that the parents do not pick on them or try to breed with them. In captivity they do not get the environmental changes that end breeding season for wild birds, and they will over breed if you don’t remove their nest in between clutches. You should always rest your pair for several months between clutches, and limit them to two clutches per year, which is one more than they would have in the wild. If you do not remove the nest once the chicks leave it, the parents will try to breed again without resting, and in some cases it can cause them to stop feeding the chicks. Adult birds only need a nest when they are breeding – they do not sleep in nests in the wild. I would advise you to go ahead and remove the extra nests now, as this can be confusing for a pair and possibly cause the female to lay eggs in more than one nest. If they do produce chicks, you need to remove all of the nests as soon as the chicks have left the nest. The female needs the added protein and calcium she will get from the insects and eggs. Also offer cooked eggs, with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs. To get them in breeding condition, you should now also be offering live or dried insects – most people find it’s easier to offer the dried insects. A finch granule or pellet should be their main diet, with a small amount of seeds as well as dark leafy greens & chopped veggies. It is very important that your birds are on a nutritionally balanced diet, and not just a seed mix. They are closely related to the wild Spice finch. Society finches are a domesticated species, created by humans, and they do not exist in the wild. It’s not a pleasant surprise for serious breeders. An unaware breeder can end up with one and not be aware they have a hybrid, which can result in them accidentally producing more hybrids. Serious breeders discourage cross breeding, because it can result in young that look like a true species. If you do let these birds breed and they produce hybrids, it is very important that if you find homes for the chicks, you make sure the new owners know they are hybrids. It does sound like they are getting into breeding mode. ![]()
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