Goldfinch eggs. How to look after cage bird’s nests.

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Once all the preparation for breeding goldfinches (such as correct cage size,,,,,,,, proper diet,,,,,,,,,,,,, introducing nests and nesting material) is done and the goldfinch eggs are laid, the birds should be left alone and intervene only when it is absolutely necessary such as feeding time, water time and cleaning.

Cleaning should be done only when it is really required. Cleaning done too often can disturb the birds and the female could stop building the nest or sitting on the eggs.

Laying goldfinch eggs

The goldfinch female will lay 4 or 5 and occasionally 6 bluish-white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are similar-looking to those of siskins, linnet except the size.

The hen will lay one egg per day and will sit on the nest when the last egg has been laid and this is done by the hen alone. In the wild, the male goldfinch will go to feeding grounds which can be very far away. He fills his crop and returns to feed the hen then sits on a nearby branch to sing his song and off he goes again to find food. I captivity it happens pretty much the same.

Breeding goldfinches.
Male feeding Female on nest

The hen leaves the nest too, a couple of times a day for few minutes to defecate, preen and bathe.

Handling eggs should be avoided as much as possible. If the eggs must be handled, then touch them as gently as possible as the shell is very fragile and they could get damaged.

Swapping eggs as they get laid with plastic eggs is done by most breeders. This process is to helps all eggs to hatch at the same time. Swap the eggs with plastic ones as they get laid. Store the eggs somewhere safe (in a bowl with cotton wool or in a bowl with seeds).

Breeding goldfinches
Laying eggs
Goldfinch eggs

When the 5th egg is laid, take out all the plastic eggs and return in the nest all the other eggs. This will prevent the chicks from hatching at a few days’ intervals. Having the chicks hatching on different days will decrease the survival chances for the last chick hatched. The last chick will be too small and weak to be able to put his beak out to be feed.

Always Remember!

Keep a lookout for the male as he can become aggressive when the female is laying. He can chase the female from the nest, damage the eggs or pull the nest apart. If any signs of aggressivity are noticed, then remove the male from the main cage and leave the female alone. Also, if the cage can be divided then a wire divider should be used to separate the male. The wire divider will keep the male away from the nest and will allow the birds to see each other. The female will be able to look after the nest and newborn chicks by herself. The male can be reintroduced when the chicks are around 13 days old.