Aussie Finch Forum

I've been looking for a new Canary hen for months and was given one by a friend 3 weeks ago as she doesn't want to breed This year.This hen however had made a nest on the floor of her aviary and laid 4 eggs. My male has been singing all winter and is chasing her but she's still showing no signs of nesting. They're getting plenty of green seeds and tonic seeds as well as chopped vegies. Is there anything else I can do to encourage her. I've got 2 nests for her to choose from and lots of nesting material.

Until he starts feeding her not much will happen...try egg and biscuit mix... plus boiled egg and madeira cake (plain)

She may just need a little time to accept him, as he is a stranger. Arranged marriages don't always click as quickly as those between birds that have been sharing an avairy for some time.
LML

Thanks for the advice was starting to think it wasn't going to happen this season.

Thanks again for the advice. I made up a batch of my breeding mix with blended boiled egg and vegetables and he immediately ate some and fed it to her. That was on Friday afternoon and she's been nest building all weekend! So fingers crossed now for some chicks.

Mine are laying, hatching and vanishing. Mums started the same as mine, but seem to have settled down now. Good luck with yours.
LML

Thanks Finchbreeder, think there might even be an egg today.

The good news is that I've got 3 eggs already but she she seems to have some kind of skin condition. When I got her she had some feathers missing around her eyes. My friend said her previous mate also had some missing and she thought they'd done it to each other. Just to be on the safe side in case it was mites I treated her with Ivermectin before putting her in with my male. The feather loss is now also above her beak. Any ideas and suggestions of what to do?

Could be scally face? It should respond to Ivomec I would think. But they rub the mites onto the perches, so if you use branches for perches change them. If you use dowel clean them with bleach.
LML

Thanks Finchbreeder, I haven't seen her rubbing and the skin looks clear... just no feathers and certainly has lost more since I've had her. It's now a bit hard to change any perches as she's sitting on eggs. I usually catch them up and change all the perches at the beginning of spring. Don't think it would hurt to give her another dose of Ivermectin though, what do you think?