Finch Care Sheet
Incubation figures, feeding by life stage, and the things that actually go wrong with this species — on one page.
Read the full finch breeding guide →- Incubation
- 14 days
- Incubator
- 99.3–99.5°F
- Humidity
- 50–58%
- Lockdown
- 65–75%
Finch Incubation
Forced-air figures. A still-air incubator runs about 101–102°F measured at the top of the egg — setting 99.5°F at the wrong height is one of the most common causes of a full-term chick that never pips.
| Where | Temperature | Humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator | 99.3–99.5°F · 37.4–37.5°C | 50–58% |
| Last 3 days | unchanged — stop turning | 65–75% |
| Breeding room | 60–78°F · 16–26°C | 40–60% |
Finch eggs are rarely incubated artificially — fostering to society finches is far more common and more successful. Treat the incubator figures as a fallback and the room figures as the ones that matter.
The honest check on humidity is not the hygrometer — it is the scale. An egg should lose roughly 13–15% of its lay weight by the time it pips. Too little loss means the air is too wet; too much means too dry.
Feeding Finchs
What the diet should be day to day, and what changes when a pair goes down to breed.
Every day
A quality finch seed mix as the staple, with egg food offered regularly.
Fresh food
Greens such as chickweed, dandelion and spinach, plus sprouted seed.
While breeding
Egg food daily, cuttlebone and grit available, and live food for species that take it.
Feeding chicks
Egg food morning and evening; many finches will not rear well without soft food available.
What goes wrong with finchs
- A high metabolism and a tiny body mean food and water must never run out, even for a day.
- Nest inspection is poorly tolerated by many finches — keep it brief or expect abandonment.
General guidance used by breeders, not veterinary advice. Conditions vary by climate, setup and individual bird — watch your birds first and consult an avian vet for anything health-related.
← All species care sheets