1 - How do I know when to set up my birds for breeding?

2 - How old do society finches need to be before breeding?

3 - How long do society finches live?

4 - When can babies be safely separated from their parents?

5 - What kind of twigs can I use as natural perches?

6 - How can you tell female and male society finches apart?

1- How do I know when to set up my birds for breeding?
This depends largely on the species and the condition of the birds. I will restrict my answer to Society (Bengalese) finches. With society finches it doesn't take much to get them interested in breeding so it is wise to keep males and females separated if you do not want babies or at least do not provide a nest box or nesting material. If and when you wish to breed you should get the birds in tip top shape by making sure their diet contains greens and some high protein supplement such as egg food, Protein 25, or Cede at least two times per week. Scraping some cuttlebone on the egg food will boost the hen's calcium and put less stress on her if she lays a large clutch. Using a liquid calcium/vitamin D3 supplement like Calciboost is highly recommended.
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2 - How old do society finches need to be before breeding?
Bengalese finches can be safely bred when they are 7 months old although most breeders would recommend that they are one year old since they are more likely to be successful parents then. I try not to pair up two youngsters but rather use a more experienced bird with a youngster.
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3 - How long do society finches live?
I will assume that you mean healthy birds that never get a serious illness or injury. In my experience the life expectancy is 5 to 6 years but breeding after 3.5 years can often fail. Birds bred often (especially hens) will not live as long as those never bred (pet birds).
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4 - When can babies be safely separated from their parents?
Baby finches are fed by their parents while in the nest box and for some time after they venture out of the nest. Most finches are capable of eating on their own 6 weeks after the day the egg hatches. For Gouldians, some breeders do not chance this and wait 8 weeks since gould chicks can take longer to figure out how to shell seed. Providing millet spray, soak seed, and sprouted seed will encourage them to try eating on their own. Back to top

5 - What kind of twigs can I use as natural perches?
Since finches do not do much perch eating most species of twigs are fine. But being cautious is always good so I will recommend what I have had success with. I would never use softwoods (pine, hemlock, etc.). I have used the following hardwood species - maple, oak, ash, beech, hickory. Since these species are plentiful near me, this is what I will keep using. I choose the "roughest" branches and try to vary perch diameter so birds feet will get exercise. Diameters probably vary from pencil thick to twice that. Back to top

6 - How can you tell female and male society finches apart?
Society finches are monomorphic. This means the two sexes look alike and there is no reliable means to tell them apart without studying their behavior. Males from the age of about 5 months (sometimes younger) will start playing around with a courting song. Their throats can be seen quivering. They stand upright and send out a soft unimpressive song. As they mature the song become stronger and they can be seen courting others (even males) by singing to them, puffing up and standing tall. Hens only chirp. Some respond to the male with a tail wag but this is uncommon. Introducing a new finch to a cage sometimes makes the males sing instantly. Once you know you have a male you should look at his legband code or color and write it down because you never know when he'll sing again. Back to top