Japanese finches breeding. Finch birds: zebra, rice, Japanese and others. In the photo, the birds are Japanese finches

As soon as the chicks of zebra finches begin to recognize the songs of their parents, they begin to learn to sing - and their brain becomes active even when they sleep: young birds in their sleep "lay" future trills in their heads. The more songs a chick heard in a day, the more active its brain is in sleep - why this happens, scientists have not yet determined.

Amadines belong to the family of finch weavers (songbirds from the order of passerines, which got their name due to the ability to make nests from flexible blades of grass, separating fibers along the entire length of the leaf and moistening them with saliva), whose representatives can be seen anywhere on our planet.

As for the finches, in nature they live mainly in Africa and Australia, some species can be seen in South Asia - while living both in open areas and feel good in dense thickets on the outskirts of forests.

Finches look like this:

This bird is cheerful, extremely mobile and very trusting;
Its dimensions are small - the length of the body is from 10 to 15 cm;
Although they are classified as songbirds, they sing poorly: they can, of course, give out a melodic trill, but it resembles not so much singing as whistling, chirping, buzzing, gurgling or hissing. Males sing much better than females.
The beak of the finches is thick, arched-curved along the ridge and looks translucent, thereby creating the impression that it is made of wax (they are sometimes even called wax beaks). The cuve of adult males is of rich coral color, in females - orange, in young birds - black;
The plumage is dense, variegated and extremely beautiful, often numbering five or more shades.

Bird color

The color of finches is extremely diverse and it is possible to determine their habitat from it: in birds living in temperate latitudes, the color of brown, white and fawn tones. But the inhabitants of the tropics are dressed smartly - there are often combinations of red and black, blue and green, purple and yellow tones.

Males of some types of finches tend to change clothes before the mating season, after which they become like their friends. True, the color of the male still remains brighter than that of the females: such clothing is designed to take the enemy away from the nest in case of danger - while the females that incubate the eggs should be as invisible as possible.

Scientists have recently found interesting fact: the color of the feathers on the head of the finches fully reflects their character (in this case, the subject of study was the Gouldian finch). Experimentally, they managed to find out that birds with a red head are more conflicted and pugnacious than their other relatives, and therefore they managed to drive other birds away from food without problems. It turned out that birds perceive red as a sign of aggression: for this, the yellow-headed bird was specially repainted red, which is why its relatives began to avoid it.

Birds with black plumage on their heads are the most daring (why exactly they are still a mystery): they were more willing to study new objects that were placed in a cage, and were also the first to return to the feeder after scientists drove away the feathered predator with a dummy.

Views

In total, there are thirty-eight species of these amazing birds on our planet and at least three hundred of their subspecies. Given that they are very easy to breed in captivity, bird lovers, among all the diversity, distinguish the following subspecies:

Zebra finches

Zebra finches live on the Australian continent - and they are common there, both in arid regions and near forests. If the area they like is densely populated, they may well settle on the streets, in yards, in gardens, in the fields, if the territory has limited quantity water, settle closer to people.

These birds do not like loneliness, therefore they fly in huge flocks. They even prefer to rest, not particularly moving away from each other, and scatter only in search of a shelter (but not flying more than four kilometers from the feeding place or daytime rest).

Scientists managed to highlight some of the features of this bird species, which she managed to acquire during her life in the arid territory of the Australian continent.

This species is capable of weeks, and if necessary - for months to do without drinking water if there is a lot of water, it drinks half as much as its other relatives. The wild zebra finch, if necessary, for example, during a severe drought, is able to drink extremely salty water, the salinity level of which is often fatal for other birds.

If the rainy season in the area where this bird lives is long and frequent, it will hatch chicks annually. If a zebra finch lives in an arid area, in which there is no rainy season for several years, and precipitation is observed only occasionally, it is able to wait and not hatch eggs for several years in a row (until the start of the rainy season) - and this despite the fact that its body always ready to breed.

Zebra finches prefer to build nests in places that are best protected from snakes and lizards, which are very fond of feasting on their eggs (first of all, these are dense thorny bushes or groves). Often they arrange nests in small hollows, holes, in niches of rotten pillars, etc.

Zebra finches are looking for food together, with the whole flock, and scatter only to feed the chicks. At the age of 2 months. young birds begin to molt, lasting from 4 to 6 weeks, after they have changed plumage, zebra finches are ready for breeding.

The first news about the breeding of these small birds at home appeared in the 19th century. - and since then zebra finches have become extremely popular. Over the years of keeping them at home, they have changed quite a lot in appearance, and began to differ significantly from their wild relatives. For example, in wild zebra finches, all colors in the plumage are clearly delineated, while those living in captivity have blurred, with the brown and yellow colors becoming more intense).

Breeders began to work hard, creating birds with a new, unique color, not found in wildlife... And at the beginning of the 20s. of the last century, zebra white finches with dark eyes were bred (unlike other albinos).

Japanese finches

Japanese finches were bred by crossing the bronze manakin with Chinese or Japanese finches, so it is rather difficult to see them in the wild (unless some bird flew out of the cage).

The nature of this bird is extremely calm and balanced, it is extremely friendly and likes to live in the same cage with other members of its species.

When breeding, they are often used instead of nannies for chicks of other types of finches. When they hatch eggs, it is better to settle the pairs, since the constant visits of these birds to neighboring nests often lead to the fact that the eggs and chicks are crushed.

These birds easily mate not only with finches of all species, but also with some other members of their family, as a result of which the plumage of their descendants looks extremely beautiful, bright and contrasting. Hybrids are practically unable to reproduce.

Many believe that the gould finch has the most interesting coloration of all its related birds: representatives of this species have several brightly colored options. In the wild, it is distributed mainly in the north of the Australian continent and is considered an endangered species. The Gouldian finch got its name in memory of the wife of the British naturalist John Gould, who went with him and died after one of the trips (in the original version, this species was called "Lady Hood's finch")

The habits of the finch gould are somewhat different than most of the birds of its species. Like other relatives living in the wild, the finch gulda often migrates from place to place - mostly migrations begin after the end of the rainy season, when only dry grass seeds lying on the ground can be found from food. This amazing bird does not like to eat from the ground, and therefore flies away in search better conditions, often throwing nests with eggs or even hatched chicks at the same time).

It is rather difficult to keep a finch at home, since they are quite picky: the air temperature should be from 25 to 30 degrees. They also do not tolerate cold and drafts.

But they love to swim in water and often drink water. Breeding them is difficult because, by analogy with their wild relatives, they often throw their eggs or chicks - therefore, for those who want to do this, it is recommended to have a couple of Japanese finches, in the nest of which it will be possible to put thrown cubs or clutch.

Rice finch is considered the largest among its relatives - the length of its body is from 13 to 15 cm.The islands of Java and Bali are considered the homeland of these birds. They can be seen anywhere in the world - this happened due to the fact that domesticated birds brought to another country flew out of their cages and acclimatized to new conditions. They prefer to live in places where rice is grown, which is why they got their name.

Reproduction

During mating season the male finch begins to sing, and before mating, the birds begin to jump from branch to branch, looking at each other. The future parents build the nest for about a week, after which the female begins to lay white eggs with a greenish tinge every day (from 2 to 7 pieces).

Pink chicks, covered with light down, hatch for 2-3 days and do not make a sound until the age of three (they begin to sensibly beg for food after the tenth day after their birth). Their parents feed their crushed and semi-digested food, belching it into the cubs' beaks. Young birds fly out of the nest on days 19-20 and for another week they are fed by their parents (it often happens that the female begins to make a new clutch at this time).

People who are interested in the breeding of finches how, what and why happens, should take into account that, in principle, this process is simple: the main thing is to settle the couples in the cages, providing them with the material necessary to build a nest. When breeding, you need to take into account how this or that type of bird behaves. For example, among the finches there are species that may well leave the chicks to their own devices).

What to feed the bird

Many, having got this cute little bird, are faced with the question: what to feed the finch and how much food to give it. V this issue, of course, it is advisable to consult with a specialist, but in any case, it should be borne in mind that the diet of these birds is based on:

cereal mixtures (millet is especially useful);
weed seeds;
soft food (these include eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled rice) - this will prevent vitamin deficiency and other diseases that may occur due to improper nutrition;
germinated grain;
domesticated birds must be taught to live food gradually: at first they do not want to eat it;
vegetables - cucumber;
sunflower seeds;
do not forget about mineral feeding: sand, pebbles, shell rock, eggshell - their absence for the bird is fraught with disease and can lead to death;
water, preferably filtered and boiled.
it is absolutely forbidden to give dill and onions

Accommodation in an apartment

Everyone decides for himself why he wants to get this bird, but before doing this, first it is advisable to ask how long the birds of this species live. Considering that this bird species can live for about 10 years, it is necessary to organize such care so that this period is not shortened. Moreover, caring for finches is not difficult: the main thing is to learn a few basic rules.

Anyone who wants to get a finch should take into account that this is not the kind of bird that will quietly sit on the shoulder: it is intended for a cage, otherwise it can calmly fly off into the street through an open window and not return. It should be borne in mind that these birds are gregarious, they need the company of their own kind, and therefore you need to start at least a couple at once, a male and a female (otherwise, out of anguish, the finch can be comprehended by a disease, it will wither away, and no good care will help).

When keeping finches, it should be borne in mind that they very poorly tolerate pungent and pungent odors, therefore, it is extremely undesirable to paint nails and stifle near the cage. A cage with birds should never stand in a draft; it is advisable to place the cage so that the sun's rays illuminate it for several hours a day. Keeping representatives of several species in one cage at once is not recommended, since some birds are quite conflicting.

Amadines belong to the genus of finch weavers, but not to parrots, as some believe. Although they have something in common - bright colors, southern countries, a wide variety of sounds emitted (naturally, without human speech). But still, outwardly, they look more like painted sparrows. Amadines are unpretentious in food and care, they are gregarious by nature, so it is better to purchase several birds, but be prepared for the continuous appearance of chicks.

Gouldian finches

Variety of finches

There are about 30 types of them in total. The photo above shows a rare species of the Gouldian finch, which is already extinct today. Also common:

Zebra finch (more restless, do not like other species of neighbors);
Japanese (calm like a boa constrictor);
Muscat, or in another way - scaly;
Malabar;
Rice;
Sharp-tailed.

They are also given a name for the color of the color:

Brown-breasted;
Yellow;
White;
Red-throated;
Red-headed.

And many, many others. In fact, they do not differ from each other in anything, except for colors.

Zebra finch

All color changes are the result of selection mutations.

Before buying a bird

First you need to prepare for the reception of a new family member - buy a cage. Today, the variety of designs, shapes, materials is amazed, but try to adhere to these rules:

Size - at least 50 cm in all directions. Amadins are very mobile, they need space;
The shape of the cage is just not a cylinder. The cage must have straight walls with corners, otherwise the bird loses its orientation and begins to panic;
Any material, but metal is better.

Double spacious cage

The cage should be located in a cool place, not in a draft, half a meter from the floor or higher, the air temperature is within 20 degrees Celsius. If the cage is installed permanently, then it is necessary that the sun's rays fall on it every day for no more than 2-3 hours (short-lived sunbirds are useful for birds). Be sure to install several feeders (separately for each feed), a drinking cup with clean water. Different perches, rockers, houses, etc. will not interfere. interiors.

Birds are very fond of swimming, so sometimes, once a week, install a bathing suit with room water.

Buying a finch

Considering that finches live up to 10 years, it is better to approach buying a chick somewhat more responsibly. This is not the most exotic animal, and they are sold in pet stores, but still find the nearest nursery of professional breeders.

Imitation for natural conditions

It is obvious:

Guaranteed professional care for babies, starting from the appearance of an egg;
Correct diet, temperature and humidity;
They will tell you about the chick's parents, about their habits, and, if possible, show them. As a rule, a lot of things are passed from parents to chicks;
The bird will be ringed and given all the necessary documents;
They will help you with advice, tell you about the conditions of detention, what is possible and what is not.

Moreover, the price for finches is about 4,000 rubles, the savings when buying at a pet store are minimal.

Amadin at home

So you've brought the chick home. Accept the new house rules right away:

No smoking in the apartment and no strong smells. The bird cannot stand it;
No loud, harsh sounds. In any case, the first week, while the finch will beat against the walls of the cage at the slightest fright. Then he will get used to it, become calmer.

When frightened, the bird will spoil the bottom of the cage and perches more often than it should be, here without comment, fright after all. After a week, when the toilet business will return to normal, it will be desirable to cover the bottom of the cage with a 2 cm layer of washed and dried sand.

Sand in a cage

Approach the cage slowly, talking to the birds in an undertone. They will get used to their new home so quickly. But keep in mind that they will never get used to your hands completely, or rather, they will never want to. They are very self-sufficient, they do not need human communication. Amadins can freely live alone for weeks, the main thing is that there is something to eat and drink.

Singing finch

Having mastered, they will begin quiet serenades.

Breeding birds

Amadines are just surprisingly good at bred in captivity. First, let's decide on the sexes of the birds, how to distinguish them.

Female and male finch

The male finch is brighter in color than the female and has orange cheeks. Also, the female finch is not as singing as the boys - she sings less often, quieter, less expressively. This is understandable - she must choose a partner by his voice, not the other way around, therefore males are more red-singing. Further - in males the beak is red, in the most it is lighter, something closer to orange. But there are two exceptions:

White finches - can only be identified by the singing and color of the beak;
Black-cheeked finches - the cheeks are also colored in females.

We decided on the gender, found out that you have a boy and a girl, which means we are preparing for offspring.

Conditions for starting a family

First, there is peace and quiet. In general, think about the birds when you need to clean the cage, or feed. When they are completely on their own, it speeds up the process.

Second - in the cage, equip a place for the nest. Rather, provide a comfortable place and building material.

A convenient place can be just a clean corner of the cage, or several cross perches if you want the nest to be higher. Material - hay, twigs, straw, thin silt twigs, in general, everything is like all birds.

Never give cotton wool!

Japanese finch chicks

After 20 days after hatching, the chicks will begin to leave the nest, and after about a month, the parents stop feeding them. Chicks can be distributed to friends and acquaintances.

Bird feeding

To the question of what to feed the finches, the answer is standard - cereals:

Millet;
Canary mix;
Oat groats;
Flax-seed;
Meadow grass seeds;
Porridge (rice, millet, buckwheat).

They feed 1 time a day, or rather in the morning they pour a mixture into the trough, about 1 teaspoon, and the birds themselves will eat as needed.

Finished food for finches

Do not forget to renew the water in the morning. Amadines are not prone to overeating and obesity, so you can add a little more if in doubt.

Also, sometimes you need to feed with natural food (the picture is clickable):

Power Modes

Sometimes you can even give live food - a mealworm or bloodworm. Especially useful when feeding young animals.

Diseases of finches

Very often, the onset of the disease is asymptomatic. If there is a suspicion of a finch disease, immediately transplant the bird from all other birds into a separate quarantine cage. The quarantine period is at least 2 weeks. If the disease is confirmed - "punishment cell" for 40 days.

For any of the symptoms, the first thing we do is isolate the bird and call a veterinarian, better than an ornithologist. Self-medication is unacceptable - the slightest overdose with a seemingly safe drug will lead to her death.

And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!

Undoubtedly, the most popular caged bird of this family is the Japanese finch.

It is believed that the breeding of the Japanese finch was facilitated by the desire of fans to have nursing birds conscientiously feeding both their own and other people's chicks. For several centuries, there was an artificial selection of Japanese finches according to the "parental instinct". Indeed, these little birds turned out to be excellent "foster parents" who conscientiously hatch eggs and feed the "thrown" chicks of other types of finches.

Many types of finches and astrilds nest in cages or aviaries, but for a number of reasons, things usually do not go further than laying eggs. Then they lay these eggs under a pair of Japanese finches, which often raise other people's chicks together with their own. True, this is possible when one or three eggs are laid. If the abandoned clutch is larger in number, then the eggs of Japanese finches should be removed from the nest, placing a full clutch of a more "rare species" under them.

In the brood of most finches and astrilds, there are four to six chicks, and Japanese finches usually feed this amount. There are cases when a pair of Japanese finches fed eight to ten chicks in one brood, but this is an exception to the rule, since providing all chicks with a sufficient amount of food is very hard work for these birds. Usually, in large "broods, not all chicks are well developed. The weakest die at one of the stages of the transition to independent life, and if they do survive, then later they hardly tolerate molting or give offspring inferior in many characteristics.

During the time of keeping in the cages, several color variations of the Japanese finch were bred, as well as the crested form. The main colors are considered to be dark brown, fawn and white. The rest are combinations of the first two with white, that is, variegated or different in intensity colors: bronze, light pale yellow, sand and others.

The females of these birds do not sing, they emit only a characteristic "urge" for the species. And an adult male also "dances" at the moment of singing: lifting feathers on his head and fluffing them on his belly, he jumps in one place and turns in one direction or the other, and at the same time chirps softly.

Sometimes in the song of the Japanese finch, you can hear the knees borrowed from other species of birds. As a rule, finches from one collection have a similar type of song, somewhat different from the song of birds of another lover.

Japanese finches are fed with millet of all varieties, oatmeal and canary seed. These are the main grain feeds. In addition to them, you can give sprouted grains of oats, wheat, greens and weed seeds of various degrees of maturity, such as dandelion, plantain, shepherd's purse, etc. Sometimes, especially in the autumn-winter period, they need to be given finely chopped cabbage or grated carrots, slices of apple, fresh cucumber or lettuce. In spring and summer, one or two dandelion leaves or a little woodworm grass, which grows in abundance in humid shady places, even in the city, is quite enough for them. The daily rate of grain feed for poultry is a teaspoon.

In the cage, there should always be a separate dish with mineral feeding - coarse river sand, crushed eggshells or crushed old lime plaster. Once or twice a month, the feeding is changed or a new portion is added.

It is normal for Japanese finches, as well as for many other species of weaver, to nest two to three times a year. After that, the birds should be given a rest for at least 6 months. With good care and feeding, a pair of Japanese finches can produce up to five to six clutches per year. But it is better not to allow this, since the birds are greatly depleted physically, and the chicks from the last broods are not always full-fledged.

Reproduction of Japanese finches is best carried out in the spring-summer period, when a long (up to 15 hours) daylight hours are established and vitamin green food is abundant. Subject to these conditions, there are almost no unsuccessful clutches, of course, if both birds are physically healthy.

In general, these birds can reproduce at any time of the year, but for this it is necessary to artificially lengthen daylight hours using electric lighting up to 12-14 hours and germinate grain to introduce vitamins into the diet of birds. It should be borne in mind that the offspring obtained in the autumn-winter time is often weakened.

It is not recommended to mate two crested birds, since in this case the offspring are often weak or with physical disabilities - crooked legs, deformed beak, etc. and crested, and the appearance of "freaks" will be eliminated or will be much less frequent.

Japanese finches for the most part nest in semi-closed artificial nests, so a house made of thin boards or plywood in the shape of a cube (face size 12 cm) is hung in a cage to them. The front wall of the house is closed by half or 2/3 - Sometimes, instead of such a house, they use a coconut shell, for which they carefully cut off its upper part and make a round or oval hole with a diameter of 3-4 cm on the side.The upper part serves as a lid, which facilitates cleaning and control behind the nest.

A little hay is placed inside the artificial nest, giving it the shape of a nest. A small amount of hay is also placed on the floor of the cage, since some birds are quite active in building their nests themselves. For the majority, however, the instinct for building is lost or weakly expressed. With a sufficient amount of hay, some birds arrange a spherical nest with a notch in front of it, and some simply make a depression in it, where they lay their eggs.

The eggs of Japanese finches are white, like most of closed nesting birds, and the female lays them one at a time every day. Since the appearance of the first egg, the birds spend most of their time in the nest, incubating the clutch one by one, and at night they are in the nest together.

Chicks hatch on the 14-15th day of incubation, usually all chicks hatch in 1-2 days, although several days pass from the moment the first egg is laid to the last one. Apparently, incubation begins with the second or third egg, and the first is simply warmed up, and not really incubated.

As soon as the chicks hatch, the parents will need a so-called "soft" food. Usually it is brewed egg, grated and sprinkled with breadcrumbs in a 1: 1 ratio. A week after the chicks hatch, grated carrots are added to this feed and the proportion of crackers is increased so that the mixture does not stick to the hands and becomes crumbly. One or two tablets of calcium gluconate or calcium glycerophosphate are added to the mixture, after grinding them into powder.

The rate of "soft" feed depends on the age of the chicks and their number. Greens in the diet of birds include no earlier than one week of age of chicks.

With normal feeding, the chicks leave the nest at the age of 23-27 days, but the parents feed them for another 10-15 days, after which the young become independent and must be separated from their parents, who, as a rule, proceed to the next clutch. If the young are not placed in another cage, then, climbing into the nest with their parents at night, they stain the eggs of the new clutch with droppings and can damage them due to the large crowding in the nest. Sometimes there are cases when parents pluck chicks of the first brood and use feathers for bedding in a new nest.

Young birds, separated from their parents, soon begin to molt, changing their dull chick "outfit" to a brighter one - an adult one. At the same time, young males begin to "try" their voice - they puff up their neck and chirp softly. Singing is the only sign by which the sex of Japanese finches is determined.

If you decide to have a feathered friend at home, do not limit your choice to common parrots and canaries. An unusually beautiful and interesting bird finch will be able to delight you with a melodic song and bright plumage. They are somewhat demanding to care for, slightly shy, but these birds will be able to bring a piece of the holiday to your home.

What kind of bird is a finch?

Amadines are small, cheerful and extremely funny birds. They are very mobile and active. In addition, they have a ringing, melodic voice. Nevertheless, they gained popularity among bird lovers due to their bright plumage.

By appearance they are divided into three large groups. The first group is African, or wax-billed weavers. It is easy to guess that they got this name due to their beak, which resembles wax in texture. The second group is characterized by a less bright color - brown, cream, coffee. The third group is Australian herbal finches. Their bright plumage can contain five or more different colors. Often, males and females are identical in color.

Since these are flocking birds, it is better to keep a couple of finches at home, or more, if conditions permit.

Types of finches

In the wild, there are about more than thirty species of finches. The most famous of them not only live free, but are also kept at home.

Japanese- seemingly simple and nondescript finches. Maintenance and care of them also will not require special efforts... They have adapted to life in captivity, and in natural conditions are no longer able to independently obtain food and build nests. Their plumage can range in color from dark brown to cream. Crested Japanese finches are sometimes found.
Zebra finches... The maintenance and care of this species of birds is practically the same, with the exception of one feature. Breeding of birds should be strictly controlled and not allowed to nest frequently. This is done to avoid depleting the females. By nature, zebra finches are noisy and active. Sometimes males of this species can even show aggression towards other birds.
Panache- a kind of finches, domesticated several centuries ago. These birds are large (up to 20 cm in length), active and loud. They should not be kept together with other small finches, as they can be aggressive and injure roommates.

Other popular domesticated species are red-throated, diamond, parrot finches. Care and maintenance are non-specific, based on correct selection diet and equipment of cells.

Amadines in the wild

Under natural conditions, birds nest in large flocks, 50-70 individuals each, and do not fly far from nesting sites. Their habitat is open country and forest outskirts. Most often they can be found in South Asia, the Malay Islands, Australia and Africa. Depending on the habitat, finches are divided into mainland and island. Birds are accustomed to hot climates and often require long-term adaptation during transportation to European countries.

We buy birds. How to choose the right one?

If you decide to start breeding them or just have a few birds at home, you need to responsibly approach the choice and purchase of finches. Keeping and breeding, as well as the well-being and health of birds, directly depends on the state in which you acquire them.

When buying, first of all, you need to pay attention to the activity of the bird and its fatness. If the finch is frail and sluggish in movement, this is the first sign of illness. Such birds may not survive adaptation in a new place of residence. A healthy bird is active, with clear springy movements and a sonorous voice.

It should be quite natural for the seller to be asked to catch the finch and let the buyer examine it. Holding the bird in your hands, you can determine the degree of its fatness. Thin and bony birds, or vice versa, too obese - this is already a deviation from the norm. It is better to refuse to buy such finches.

How demanding are finches? Keeping these birds at home involves some hassle. Creating optimal conditions for birds to live in captivity is not an easy task. And if you want to see the offspring of exotic birds, then you will need to work hard.

Perhaps the cleanest birds are finches. The maintenance and care of the cage in which the birds are located implies regular cleaning. Amadins love warmth and sun rays. The cage should be placed in a bright, heated place, away from drafts. In summer, in hot weather, it is advisable to take them out into the sun, but be sure to create a shade in which the finches could hide from direct rays. In winter, when daylight hours are reduced, birds require additional lighting. In a damp, cool and dimly lit room, birds lose activity, begin to hurt and wither.

Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the drinker and the freshness of the water. The water is changed daily, and the drinking bowls are washed as needed, but at least 3-4 times a week.

Which cell to choose

What cells do finches live in? Keeping these birds at home involves the use of spacious cages or aviaries.

If your plans include the maintenance of a flock of finches, you cannot do without an aviary. Being in a cramped cage and not being able to fly, finches begin to gain fat quickly, which causes the development of concomitant diseases. For a couple of birds, a cage with parameters 30x40x60 cm will be enough. The material does not really matter. It is better to choose rectangular in shape. The most inappropriate option for finches would be a round cage.

For convenience, the cage should be equipped with a removable tray. This will allow you to easily carry out hygienic cleaning without disturbing fearful, restless birds. When arranging the cage, they additionally buy a feeder, a drinker and a bath for bathing.

Choosing a diet for birds

The main forage for finches is millet. To prepare a complete mixture for feeding these birds, it is necessary to add 100 g of rapeseed, 100 g of chumiza, 100 g of lettuce, 250 g of meadow grasses, 150 g of oatmeal, 300 g of canary seeds, 100 g of hemp, 50 g of seeds to 1 kg of millet. flax.

The diet must contain cottage cheese and boiled eggs. In the summer, it will be useful to feed the finches with chopped plantain and dandelion leaves. Birds should have access to mineral supplements at all times (chalk, crushed egg shells, sea sand).

How to get offspring of finches?

In their natural environment, amadins breed in hollows, so those who want to get feathered offspring should prepare a special nest box. This is a wooden house measuring 12x12x12 cm, in which the finches will make a nest and lay their eggs. During this period, it is necessary to provide the birds with improvised material for building a nest - this is dry grass, straw, etc.

To obtain offspring during the courtship period, you need to plant the male and female in a separate cage. A week later, a nest box is installed there. It takes another week to build the nest. Then the female lays eggs. There can be 4-6 of them. Interestingly, both male and female hatch eggs one by one. After 13-15 days, small finches appear. Maintenance and care of birds during the breeding season have their own specifics. You need to take care of it especially carefully, at the same time, unobtrusively. In no case should you look into the nest or touch the eggs during the incubation period. Since birds are very shy, they can leave the clutch.

Nutrition during the breeding season should be complete and balanced. It is necessary to include in the diet of live mealworms, bloodworms.

Features of caring for chicks

If all the conditions for breeding birds are created correctly, then after two weeks of incubating eggs, tiny chicks, finches, begin to appear. Keeping and caring for chicks is a responsible task even for experienced poultry breeders. Chicks are in the nest for three weeks. During this time, they grow up significantly and can leave the nest. For some time, adult birds feed young animals.

Amadines are considered adults 45 days after emergence. Birds at this moment already become sexually mature and are able to reproduce offspring themselves. The plumage of one and a half month old finches is still a little dimmer than that of older birds. Over time, it will acquire bright colors.

Amadins - care and maintenance, reviews

Despite the fact that there are a lot of finches, they are not widespread in our country. Most often, poultry farmers keep rice or zebra finches. The maintenance and care of these birds is a frequent topic of discussion on thematic forums. There is enough theoretical information about the breeding of finches, but many are interested in the practical side of the issue. How finches live at home, care and maintenance, photos of birds, aviaries, cages, devices - all this can be seen in messages and learn from reviews and comments happy owners exotic birds. Most poultry farmers are happy that they chose the finch. The virtues are called friendliness, activity, colorful plumage. The disadvantages of birds are a controversial issue, some say they litter a lot, demanding to care for, noisy and loud. Some people call the voice of birds beautiful and melodic, while others cannot stand their chirping.

Before bringing these amazing birds into the house, weigh well all the pros and cons of such, try to create the most comfortable conditions for their living and reproduction. Only healthy and happy finches will be able to please you and will not cause much trouble.

Breeding Japanese finches is not a complicated process, but creative and a bit troublesome (compared to just keeping). These birds can reproduce at any time of the year, but it is easier for them to provide all conditions in the spring-summer period.

The whole cycle takes 50-55 days or a little more, if you count along with the preparation process, and consists of several time stages, smoothly turning into each other:

Preparing for breeding.
Oviposition and incubation.
Development of chicks in the nest.
Departure from the nest, and the transition of chicks to independent feeding and existence.

Preparing for breeding.

The birds must be healthy and free of any physical defects.

The birds should be old enough, but not old. The age of the female is more critical than the age of the male.
Most often, it is recommended to start breeding Japanese finches for at least 9 months. Which is quite reasonable, but personally it happened to me that birds began to breed even at 8 months without any noticeable harm to health.

It is better to breed Japanese finches in a separate cage, although they will do their job without any problems in a common room. But at the same time, firstly, if other species of birds live in the room, then they can interfere with your finches (to be honest, I did not see that someone was able to interfere with them), and secondly, pairs are formed randomly, and talk about some then selection is difficult, thirdly, due to their sociability, all Japanese finches will strive to climb into one nesting house and several females may well lay eggs in it, while incubating and feeding chicks, all the birds will also try to take part in the process and the whole crowd will push in one house. All this mess can end well, or maybe not.

The main stimuli for reproduction are the length of daylight hours, a varied diet containing animal proteins, the presence of a nesting house and nesting material.

Therefore, even a few weeks before breeding, birds should be provided with high-quality and varied food - increase the amount of "green food" and sprouted grain provided, the latter should be given daily during this period. The presence of sources of calcium in the cell is very important - pay attention to the mineral feeding (sepia, coarse sand, ground eggshell, chalk, limestone, shell rock, etc.). To improve the absorption of calcium and the correct calcium-phosphorus balance, you can take a course of giving vitamins (especially vitamin D3), but it is very important to observe the dosage, since hypervitaminosis is much more dangerous for birds than hypovitaminosis, which can generally be avoided by abundant feeding of fresh herbs. vegetables and fruits.
Gradually, you should bring the duration of daylight hours to 12-16 hours (in the summer in this regard - no worries).

Nesting house options

Finally, you need a nesting house with nesting material inside. As a nesting material I use soft hay, cut 3-5 cm long bundles of coconut fiber, cut into noodles 5-10 cm long white paper.
As a nesting house - a wooden cube box with internal sides of about 12 cm is quite suitable, with a removable top cover and the front side closed only by half or two-thirds, so that there is a notch in the upper part - a slot 4-6 cm high. to the side, for the convenience of the birds, it is a good idea to attach a perch or shelf on which they could sit before climbing inside the house.

Houses of a different shape are also used successfully by Japanese finches. These birds can also be bred in spherical wicker baskets with an entrance of sufficient size and two knitted canary nest bases fastened to each other in the form of a ball, and even in rectangular milk bags with a cut-out entrance (option for the very poor).
It is better to hang the house on an open door from the outside of the cage, so as not to reduce its space and at the same time have access to control what is happening inside the house through a removable cover (Japanese finches are loyal to the control of the nest, but know the measure and do not disturb them once again in vain).

The nesting material in the house should be laid with a layer of 1.5-3 cm, and it is better if you take care of yourself and take a hole with bumpers, since Japanese finches do not differ in their diligence in building a nest and will lay eggs on a flat surface, as a result of which they can scatter them in the corners of the house and lose. After hanging the house, start adding the "egg mixture" to the birds' food along with the aforementioned "green food" and sprouted grains, remembering that the "egg mixture" can quickly deteriorate, especially in hot weather, do not forget about mineral feeding (calcium is very necessary females during egg formation).

After getting used to and arranging the house, which can take from 3 days to 2 weeks for Japanese finches, the birds begin to mate and the female lays 4-6 white eggs, one every day.

This is one of the most critical periods, since the female can get stuck (fail to pass) the egg in the oviduct, which is fraught with the death of the bird. Fortunately, this happens rarely. This can happen for several reasons: unsuitable age of the bird (too young or, on the contrary, old), weakness as a result of frequent clutches, illness or poor diet, lack of vitamins, lack of calcium in the diet, a sharp change in room temperature, etc. At the same time, the bird leaves the nesting house and sits crumpled on the perch, and more often even on the floor, in severe cases it practically lies, with half-closed eyes, its abdomen is swollen.
It is difficult to do something, but if the bird cannot lay an egg, it is doomed. The first thing to do in this situation is to place her in a so-called "hospital cage". A small cage, it is better if it is a box type, perches are not needed, a not bright incandescent lamp should be placed at the front wall, which will provide warmth in the cage. It is necessary to try to bring and maintain a temperature inside the cage of about 35 degrees Celsius and provide increased humidity. From time to time, in order for the bird to saw, it should moisten its beak with cool water. Sometimes only the creation of these conditions already helps, and the bird lays an egg within an hour.
If this does not help, you can try to inject a few drops of vegetable or petroleum jelly into the anus to facilitate the exit of the egg, this can be done with a small pipette, but you need to be very careful not to damage the bird and not break the egg inside the oviduct, so both are usually fatal.
An episode was described on the site in one of the articles devoted to the episode when the breeder of Japanese finches, himself "also" Japanese (I am quite serious), without interrupting the conversation with the author of the article, saved a bird with all the signs of egg stuck in 2 minutes with the help of " two-finger "(also called" Swedish ") massage. At the same time, the egg did not even break, and the bird's health returned to normal. If the described case is true, then it is "aerobatics".

Oviposition and incubation.

Japanese finches incubate eggs, as a rule, very conscientiously, and there are no problems.

Females begin to hatch eggs tightly after laying the fourth egg, before that they only warm them up from time to time.

After laying eggs, it is better to remove the "egg mixture" from the diet, and continue to give greens and sprouted grains to the birds.

After the female has firmly sat down on the clutch, incubation lasts about two weeks or 2-3 days more. The male at this time can incubate with her, can replace her when she leaves the nest (for feeding, for example), or maybe just hang out around and sing songs.

Development of chicks in the nest.

After a couple of weeks of incubation, or a little more, the fun begins. Despite the statement in some books that all eggs, as a rule, are fertilized, I have never observed this, and it was always interesting: how many chicks will hatch this time? Of course, you can preview the eggs in advance and more or less determine which ones are developing and which ones are not (it makes sense to do this no earlier than 7 days from the start of incubation).

Question: To remove or not from the nest eggs from which no one has hatched?
In my humble opinion: Let them lie, there will be something for the chicks to put their heads on.

Chicks aged 1-2 days

Chicks at the age of 5-7 days

Chicks of Japanese finches hatch blind and naked (I read that sometimes they are covered with down, but I have not seen it myself). From the very first day, you should immediately provide the parents with "egg mixture" and sprouted grains for feeding the chicks (now your task is to keep these types of feed in the cage constantly and fresh), "green food" should be removed from the diet during this period. The parents feed well, and the chicks grow quite quickly, after 5-7 days their eyes open, in 7 days the rudiments of feathers appear on the wings.
Starting from about 7 days, little by little we add grated carrots to the "egg mixture", and after a couple of days we begin to add to the feed and herbs. We are gradually increasing their number.
By 18 days old, chicks are almost completely covered with plumage and at the age of 21-23 days they usually fly out of the nest. Since the age of chicks in the nest may vary, the process of leaving the nest, as a rule, takes several days.

Departure from the nest and transition of chicks to independent feeding and existence.

After the chicks leave the nest, the parents continue to feed them for some time, and the chicks themselves often climb back into the house for rest and lodging.
The time has come - to gradually reduce the amount of "egg mixture" in the diet to zero, we continue to give greens and sprouted grains every day and a lot. 2-3 days after the flight, the chicks begin to try to peck food and after 10-14 days they will fully learn to feed on their own, although some will continue to beg from their parents.
At the same time, the parents can start the next clutch, and the chicks become a hindrance to them (I even observed how one amadine father drove out of the house children who were trying to get there for the night, and for some reason not all, but only certain ones) , therefore, it is better to plant independent chicks in a separate room. Although once it happened differently for me: only one chick hatched in the first clutch of a young couple, when the parents laid down the second clutch, the chick was not removed and incubated eggs with its mother, and after hatching 4 chicks of the second clutch, actively participated in feeding younger brothers. By the way, several times I observed that even their brothers (or sisters, who will understand them) from the same brood, but more independent (and probably very kind), feed the most furious beggars.

At the age of 1.5 to 3 months, young Japanese finches undergo their first molt, at the same time the males begin to slowly sing, and it becomes possible to distinguish them from the females.

After 3-4 broods, the breeding process should be stopped to allow the birds to rest until the next year. This can be done by removing the house, reducing the length of daylight hours, changing the diet, placing the birds in a common cage and finally separating the female and male, if necessary.

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