Breeding Strawberry finches: For Sale, Awesome Advice
Nancy Ingram, one of our Premier magazine subscribers, is the expert on breeding Strawberry finches.
This article is published in our August 2019 Premier edition.
Breeding Strawberry Finches in Captivity by Nancy Ingram
This blog post is now in video format with a deep dive conversation: (Click on photo.)
Introduction to Strawberry finches:
I have been successfully breeding Strawberry Finches (Amanda amandava) since 2011. I have written 10 articles for the Journal of the National Finch and Softball Society, 2 for the Bulletin of the Avicultural Society of America, I was a guest speaker on Strawberry Finches at the 2014 Convention of the American Federation of Aviculture, and I wrote a book on Strawberry Finches in 2017.
Strawberry Finches disappear from the bird trade within 8 years in the absence of importation. I have been successfully breeding this species since 2011. Several facts became apparent. Initial breeding success can give a false sense of mastery of the breeding requirements of Strawberry Finches. I needed to start my breeding program with enough birds to have multiple bloodlines. Other successful breeders should be found to trade stock with. The birds must feel hidden and safe enough to build a second and third nest every year. To rationalize continued breeding I have to have buyers. I sell them at a reasonable price.
Nancy’s methods:
It took me 6 years to figure out how to breed Strawberry Finches. I started in 2005. Nothing I do with this species is a secret. I use a combination of simple things in a consistent manner. Some of my methods are not commonly used with other finch species. I breed my birds on a sun porch. I have two composts in there, over which I raise fruit flies.
This results in smells of decomposing plants, fermenting fruit, and lots of insects. Unless I am careful to balance the number of fruit fly bowls with the number of birds on my sun porch I end up with too many spiders. For a couple of years, my granddaughter wouldn’t go out on my sun porch because of all the “bugs.” My methods are out of the comfort zone of many people.
My goal was to create a place in which Strawberry Finches would feel secure enough to build a nest and raise their own chicks. The missing breeding trigger in my sun porch for 6 years was a nesting structure I call a “wall” in which they can feel hidden and safe. I make it with 2 lath sides cut 2 feet by 2 feet. The sides are separated by baskets 4 inches deep to create a hollow interior space.
The baskets form a shelf 4 ½” from the top of the lath. I am careful to cut, bend, and smooth all sharp wire ends to keep birds from catching their bands on the metal or injuring themselves on sharp edges. I cover the outside of the lath with artificial foliage and set the “wall” on the floor against the side of the room.
Cages for breeding Strawberry finches:
Most people breed their birds in a cage. Start with a single pair in a huge cage. You can always add other compatible species later if you are successful. Tie a canary nest inside a loose structure covered with lots of artificial foliage. Attach the structure to the back or far corner of your cage.
Provide 2 or 3 additional hidden nests to give them a choice. Never have 2 pairs of Strawberry Finches in a cage. In time one male usually kills the other male and sometimes the extra female by keeping them from food or water. House extra adult birds in cages based on sex. I put newly independent chicks, too young to determine sex, together in a cage.
Problems to be avoided:
Some simple problems to avoid include trying to breed birds that are too young or too old. Strawberry finches 1 ½ to 4 ½ years old are the most fertile. Their lifespan in captivity is 5-7 years. It is impossible to tell the age of un-banded birds or imports. Close-banded birds give you an assurance of their age. Use the largest cage or flight you can. Unlike canaries that have been bred in cages since the early 1600s, Strawberry Finches are relatively new to cages. Wild birds spend most of their day foraging for food. This activity cannot be duplicated in a small cage.
Conclusion:
Strawberry Finches don’t look that hard to breed. They seem content in cages with other finches. I have heard a lot of stories about how successful some people were with this species in the past. Many people can get them to breed once but not again. The trick is to get subsequent nests. These birds are hard to breed so we need to help each other by sharing methods to ensure this species stays in the bird trade.
I also breed Orange-breasted waxbills and green singing finches.
Strawberry Finches for sale:
Date: 20/07/2024
Location: Roodepoort, Gauteng
Contact: info@worldwidepets.online
Content creator: Petrus A. van Tonder – I hope I have sparked your interest in breeding Strawberry finches. If you are interested in more information, please become a Premier magazine subscriber and I will supply you with all the back issues about breeding Strawberry finches.
Your subscription will also include the following benefits:
https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/what-do-you-get-for-premier-magazine-subscription/
You might also be interested in:
https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/common-waxbill-breeding/
https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/fostering-finches/
You can also follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/petrusvantonder/?hl=en
