Zebra finch eggs - need answers before 5/21/2017

[Nissili]

Long story short, my coworker is going to bring home 5 zebra finch eggs, as they have to be discarded otherwise. Coworker is sure they're fertilized, I haven't gotten to look personally. I'm directing them here for the brooder resources (pinned thread) - but I'd greatly appreciate advice to give them.

I am not an expert by any means on incubating eggs or rearing chicks, and I desperately don't want to lead them wrong. If I remember right, when hand feeding a parrot, the syringe goes on our left, their right side of their mouth? I may have it backwards - is this the same with finches? I don't want them to asphyxiate.

I will not be present at their house to help with these feedings, either, and would immensely appreciate any video resources to present to them to help them try to keep the babies alive.
Also, the only baby food we have at our store is kaytee's parrot formula - not sure if this is any good, or if it'd help a finch at all, considering different dietary needs. If no, what do you guys recommend?

Any and all help is immensely appreciated. They're determined to try to rescue the babies, and asked for my help picking up the supplies that would actually work. I can put together a good setup for an adult bird, and I can pick out the brands in our store that are actually going to work and not set fire or suddenly stop working without warning, but I am not versed in this otherwise in the least.

 

[AvianCrew]

How To Handfeed Finches - Articles on finches, parrots and birds
ladygouldianfinch.com - Hand Feeding Finches by Myra

 

[Featheredfuffs]

Long story short, my coworker is going to bring home 5 zebra finch eggs, as they have to be discarded otherwise. Coworker is sure they're fertilized, I haven't gotten to look personally. I'm directing them here for the brooder resources (pinned thread) - but I'd greatly appreciate advice to give them.

I am not an expert by any means on incubating eggs or rearing chicks, and I desperately don't want to lead them wrong. If I remember right, when hand feeding a parrot, the syringe goes on our left, their right side of their mouth? I may have it backwards - is this the same with finches? I don't want them to asphyxiate.

I will not be present at their house to help with these feedings, either, and would immensely appreciate any video resources to present to them to help them try to keep the babies alive.
Also, the only baby food we have at our store is kaytee's parrot formula - not sure if this is any good, or if it'd help a finch at all, considering different dietary needs. If no, what do you guys recommend?

Any and all help is immensely appreciated. They're determined to try to rescue the babies, and asked for my help picking up the supplies that would actually work. I can put together a good setup for an adult bird, and I can pick out the brands in our store that are actually going to work and not set fire or suddenly stop working without warning, but I am not versed in this otherwise in the least.

I really wouldn't suggest doing this again, finches are not like parrots and there is a very high chance of death to the babies unless a parents feeding/ caring from them. Especially with an inexperienced handfeeder. Did any of the eggs hatch?

 

[Nissili]

I really wouldn't suggest doing this again, finches are not like parrots and there is a very high chance of death to the babies unless a parents feeding/ caring from them. Especially with an inexperienced handfeeder. Did any of the eggs hatch?

She ended up buying the parents as well, in hopes that they'd care for the eggs, but after being moved to her home, they were too anxious to even sit on them. She carried them around in a container in her shirt to keep them warm, and from what little she told me, some hatched, but they didn't survive.

I had tried to warn her, but again, determined and couldn't be talked out of it. I'm hoping she won't be doing this again, and I'll be doing what I can to talk her out of it if it comes up again. I get that she means well, and I don't blame her for that, but it seems more humane to not hatch the eggs to begin with than hatch them and have them not survive when they're already awake and somewhat aware.

 

[Featheredfuffs]

She ended up buying the parents as well, in hopes that they'd care for the eggs, but after being moved to her home, they were too anxious to even sit on them. She carried them around in a container in her shirt to keep them warm, and from what little she told me, some hatched, but they didn't survive.

I had tried to warn her, but again, determined and couldn't be talked out of it. I'm hoping she won't be doing this again, and I'll be doing what I can to talk her out of it if it comes up again. I get that she means well, and I don't blame her for that, but it seems more humane to not hatch the eggs to begin with than hatch them and have them not survive when they're already awake and somewhat aware.

Yeah... I thought that would happen...

She sounds like a nice lady, and if you have her talk to some finch experts (finch forum online is a good place), they'll say the same thing, and I bet she doesn't want to keep hatching and killing poor babies.


If she wants hand-tame finches, I'd suggest having the parents hatch more babies and to separate the babies from the parents once weaned. That way, she can try handling as long as she associates herself with treats (especially millet!)