Aussie Finch Forum

I have a pair of RFPF who have just built their first nest in a gouldian type box. The female is quite young and I wasn't expecting her to start breeding for a while. Have noticed that when the male is sitting he's out of sight, however the female often sits so that she can still look out of the opening, so guessing that while she may be in the box that she's unlikely to be sitting on the eggs. Do I intervene and see if the eggs are fertile? They've been sitting for about a week now.

IMO the cock is calling her when you are looking in the aviary so she sits at the entrance of the nest so as she can make a quick getaway if you enter the aviary.The same happens with cuban finches but usually the sitting bird is off the nest in a flash and flying around the aviary and you don't even know they have a nest. Craig

That would make sense Craig. I also have a pair of Cubans and know it's quite difficult to know when they start sitting. They are quite similar in many ways actually...it's always a race to see who's into the greens first and always wanting to know what all the other birds are up to. So how long do I leave them before having a look?

Why look at all? They usually build a very solid nest which would need to be damaged to view the chamber in a nest box. If they are still sitting & its within the usual incubation period, no need to intervene at all is there? If after another few weeks you don't start to see enthusiastic feeding on rearing foods followed by squeaking noise of young begging within the nest, there would be no need for interference. Young breeders or not, they are much better at it than we are & checking for any infertile eggs, etc. isn't going to make them fertile. You'll breed more of them by letting them do it all without opening the nest. If they are still diligently incubating after a month or so without extra rearing food eaten, begging calls heard or droppings accumulating at the nest entrance then may be the time to check but whilst all going to plan within the expected time frame of incubation, etc. best to just leave them be IMO.

That's good advice thanks. If this lot of eggs are unsucessfull would they normaly toss them and start again?

If unsuccessful, they will build another nest and start again. however RFPF on many occasions will refurbish the nest if successful, when the young have been reared. RFPF are very solid breeders, leave them be, you will know in about a month as tiaris said if you have young. the young are very loud when being feed. Birds learn very quickly, however us breeders at times don't.

OK. Will just keep out of it and leave them to it.

RFPF will breed from 6 months old, but I would not recommend this at all. Many breeders put them in at 9 months. I usually wait till 10-12 months.

Just bear in mind, if you ever intervene with any species, the chances are they will abandon the nest. It is best to leave them alone to figure it out.

And yes, a good breeding pair of RFPF will put 10-20 chicks on the perch in 12 months.

They love live food and sprouted seed / fresh seed heads. You get a lot more chicks with that diet.

BTW, I get chicks hanging (almost falling out) of the nest box in hot weather. But again, I leave them alone and have never had one fall out. If they did, I would use a warm (with your hand) teaspoon to pick them up and put them back in.

Nothing came of their first attempt but I've been away for a few weeks to find that they've built a new nest and are sitting tight, so might have success this time. Have had a few months to mature and it's feeling like spring here already.

My pair of RFPF just had their first 3 babies. They nested in a basket in a mixed aviary.
Last season their young was on the ground still warm when I found it, returned it to nest but found it dead on the ground later that day.
Good luck with yours.