Proven Ways to Feed a Baby Finch

If you have a breeding pair of finches, chances are they will abandon their young in the nest or simply nudge them out of the nest. I have found countless finch babies laying on the floor of my finch aviary over the years. I suspect this is the way a finch disposes of imperfection or perhaps the parents just don't want to be parents. After all, they can't put their young up for adoption or let the grandparents raise it!

Some younger finches don't know what to do when their chicks hatch out of the eggs and are sitting in the nest crying for food or warmth. The parents simply respond to this by nudging or throwing them out of the nest. You know...that thing we wish we could do sometimes do when our kids won't hush! However, most finch parents do eventually catch on and figure out how to raise their chicks. Zebra and Society finches make excellent parents.

Whether you believe this or not, finches are likely to experience stress just like humans. They don't understand why you might check the nest on a daily basis to see if the eggs have hatched. If there are several in the same aviary or cage they may compete for territory. Overbreeding can also be stressful. If you see them sitting on eggs non-stop but chicks never hatch then the eggs may not be fertile. Take the nest away and let the birds rest for a couple of months.

Now... if you happen to see a chick on the floor, return it to the nest. Watch the chick from afar to see if the parent nudge it out again. There have been times when I've put the chick back in the nest and the parents begin to feed it. Then again there are other times when they just don't want it. Rather than subjecting the chick to multiple rejections, I would take it out of the aviary after it is rejected the second time. Roll up a cotton sock into a sock ball. Use your thumb to make a divot in the sock. I place the sock on top of a heating pad with a low setting. I usually put this in a box with sides in case the chick accidentally falls out. Next I place the chick in the sock ball divot in a box under a small table lamp. I place a light weight handkership over the top of the box (not touching the chick) to shield the chick from the bright light. He gets some light but not harsh light. This should keep the chick nice and toasty.

To feed the chick you will need to get some baby bird food from the pet store. The clerks at any pet store will help you find this. Because finches are so small and don't eat much, take some out and put in a baggie for immediate use and put the rest in the freezer. It will keep a very long time this way. I put a pinch of the food into a tablespoon. I use a medicine dropper to put drops of warm water on the food. I use a toothpick to stir the food to an applesauce consistency. Sometimes I try to hold the chick between my thumb and forefinger to feed it but often times the way he's laying in the sock ball is good enough so I don't pick it up.

Tear off the end of the toothpick so it's not pointy. Use the blunt end and dip it into the food. Touch the toothpick to the chick's beak. He may only get a tiny bit on his beak. Try this again. After two or three tries, let the chick rest. It's very tiring for him to try and figure out what this foreign object is going next to his mouth. After about 30 minutes, try again. It will only take once or twice of him actually swallowing some of the baby food before he realizes he should open his mouth and take the food. They don't eat very much and usually stop when they are full. Do not reuse the food. Make a new mixture each feeding.

Since finches are not birds you can bond with and hold, I try to touch them very little. I feed the bird from the sock ball as long as he will allow. If he survives, and hops or flies out of the sock ball divot, he's ready to join the others and can fend for himself.

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