I didn’t set out to breed birds for profit and that is still not my intention. My birds are a great source of happiness for me, so to let go of some is difficult…necessary at times, but difficult.
I allow the birds to select each other in the flock. They breed in a large, mixed colony setting. This works better for some breeds than others.
There is a wide selection of nest sites available. I’ve been slowly changing over to use all wooden box nests. In the past I’ve also used closed wicker and bamboo finch nests as well as open ones. I’ve heard some horror stories about birds being injured by getting their toes and feet caught in those types of nests, so that’s when I decided to switch to wooden boxes. The birds have been quite receptive to the new nest boxes.
When I do my thorough weekly cleaning, I do nest checks. After the baby birds are about one week old, I briefly take the nest out and family band each baby. Then, when they come out of the nest, they are already marked. I’ve found this is easier for me and less stressful for the fledglings. It also eliminates the confusion if there are multiple nests of babies that fledge at the same time.