Breeding Finches FAQs

Not at all, when housed, watered and fed properly they are very hardy. I raise my birds in outdoor aviaries year round here in Santa Barbara, Ca. with no heat. Temperatures have reached 27 deg.f. yet I have lost very few birds. Contrary to everything I've read tropical finches acclimate very well to colder temperatures. 2. How long do exotic finches live?

Most species live for six to eight years.

3. What size cages do finches require?

Many varieties can be housed in cages 30" wide X 16" h X 12" deep. They will live and breed comfortably in a cage this size. Other more active species must have larger cages or aviaries.

4. Where can you sell birds that you have raised?

I take them to Birdmarts ( Birdshows ) that are given several times a year in many locations. You can advertise in bird magazines. They can be shipped by air as long as it is a one- day direct flight.

5. What do Finches sell for wholesale at bird shows in California?

Finches sell from $10.00 up to $350.00 each depending on species, variety and color.

6. When and how often do finches breed?

Exotic finches from Australia, Asia and Africa breed in the fall in the U.S.A. because their spring is our fall. Some species that have been raised in captivity for many years will breed year round. Courting pairs will select or build a nest. When the hen is ready they will breed and the hen will lay one egg per day until her full clutch is complete, usually four to six eggs. Then the pair will sit the clutch full time in shifts until the eggs hatch (about 15 days). Then the pair will feed their babies in the nest until they fledge (about 21 days). The pair continues to feed the fledglings for about three more weeks then they are on their own. If you remove their eggs to an incubator or to foster parents the hen will recycle and lay another clutch in about 10 or 12 days.