FEATURE
The Start of the Zebra Finch Breeding Season Some keen zebra finch fanciers will have started their breeding seasons early in the year. However, many others – particularly those without electric lighting and heating in their bird rooms – will be pairing up their birds by the end of March / beginning of April. Any breeding season has its share of disappointments – and most have some successes. The starting point to any successful breeding season is the laying of eggs. Zebras get off the mark quite quickly and some hens lay their first egg within four days of being paired. We would normally expect eggs to appear between four and seven days. There is no need to be too hasty if a hen does not lay within that time scale.
We leave a non laying pair for three weeks before taking any action. If neither of the partners is showing any interest, we transfer both birds into flights or flight cages with groups of birds of their own sex. They stay there for two or three weeks before being reconsidered for pairing. If both birds appear to be breeding fit but just not compatible – perhaps with one spending most of its time on the perch while the other is on the floor of the cage – we would consider finding new mates for both cock and hen without them going through the rest period. Zebra finches are generally peaceful and friendly birds and only on very rare occasions do they attack their mates. However, you still need to be vigilant when putting two birds of the
BIRD SCENE 17
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