Aussie Finch Forum

Just curious if anyone has bred Java finches and how difficult it is?
Thanks.

I bred them for the first time this year. I got 6 young birds lat year and they took a year to mature and take an interest in breeding. They are monomorphic so from the 6, I only got 2 pair. They chose 1/2 open nest boxes and raised 2 clutches of 3-5 eggs. I lined the boxes with dried grass to encourage them and they added a little more but didn't use any feathers or plant down to line the nest. Their eggs take longer to hatch compared (14-16 days cf 10-12days) to smaller finches and likewise the babies take longer to fledge (25-28 days cf. 18-22 days) too. While in the nest the birds were given green seed (they liked rice and Barnyard grass - in Canada you may be able to get Zyzania - wild rice), sprouted seed, mased boiled quail egg, mashed vegetabled (broccoli, carrot, beans) and mealworms (I think their cut-throat cage mates actually ate all of them) in addition to their dry seed mix. My birds were wild-caught from the feral population here in the Philippines so if wild birds take to breeding so easily I'd say you'll have no trouble other than sexing them.

I bred them as a kid with my dad and they were our first birds to breed wer not hard at all.

Pretty sure i may end up with a pair soon instead of my zebbies in the breeder cabinet as my wife thinks the javas are beautiful. So may get some soon also.

Definatly wont be putting them in with my other birds tho. DOnt think they would go down well with cordons gouldians a redbrows. Not to mention timind plumheads, painteds, a double bars.
Ben

This year has also seen my first success with Javas due to trouble in sexing them. Also used a half open box. I didn't put anything in the box just supplied large quantities of mixed grasses which they used. Only supplied them with dry seed, mixed seeding grasses of every type I could get my hands on. There are fruit/vinegar fly in the avairy at all times for those that like them but don;t believe the Javas ate them or the soft food I was supplying for the other birds. The cock was always the first to the grass while they had young in the nest. Only one chick, but mum was definately a first timer as I had got her as a fledgling. No problems with the other birds in the avairy and I have both the gouldians and painteds in the same avairy, as well as canaries and orange bresteds.
LML

Im new to breeding java finch's, im using bottle neck nest's that are made out of a cane type and im supplying them with swamp grass nesting matterial.

is swamp grass safe for them?. and should i use a more spacious nesting box instead of bottle neck nest.

the bottle neck nest i purchased said its for finchs and canary's.

You might like to check out Rob Salems Java site. He more into chickens than Javas these days but his Java site is very comprehensive.
http://www.javafinch.co.uk/sex/sexndx.html

Tammy wrote:Im new to breeding java finch's, im using bottle neck nest's

Had them once. Blue's, Pied's,White's and fawns I sexed them buy under the beak The males are rounded and the hen is more pointed where the beak attaches. Breed them in budgie boxes.Got rid of all of them they took over, they breed like, well sparrows.They laid in each others boxes 6 to 8 hatched and fledged per box.

Had them as a kid watching my fathers mixed finch aviary , huge aviary but the Javas took over and made a nuisance of themselves with the smaller finches.
Nice robust bird on their own or in small numbers , when they breed they breed like rabbits.

I never got over how huge they looked compared to the zebs, magpie robins, weavers etc. in Peter mandry's aviaries and so I don't think I'll be keeping them

In my opinion the Java Sparrow is one of a very very few true winter breeders.
They have an aviary to their own and the nest boxes are generally not used until late March.
Once they start to breed they will turn out clutch after clutch right up until the warm weather arrives.
Five chicks fledged from a nest is common.They don't require anything special to rear their chicks,apart from dry seed they get soaked seed when young are being fed.
You will find them long lived and rather tough but I wouldn't put them with delicate birds as they will dominate.