Experience of breeding bullfinches

DIET
Thanks to its sturdy beak, the bullfinch is able to crush large, fairly hard seeds. Successfully rearing this magnificent passerine requires a balanced, nutrient-rich diet both during the winter and the breeding season.
The composition of the seed mix provided is as follows: canary seed, sweet turnip seed, linseed, hemp seed, a mixture of tree seeds, a mixture of wild seeds, niger seed, small striped sunflower seeds, shelled sunflower seeds, dried berries, round millet, red millet, cardy and buckwheat.
The daily ration per bird is approximately one and a half tablespoons.
During the winter months, once a week, I provide a few defrosted mealworms or pinckies (2 to 3 per bird), a few pyracantha berries, rowan berries, millet on the stalk, and a few pieces of apple with seeds. To prevent diarrhoea caused by excessive consumption of the berries that bullfinches love so much, I give each pair a small twig bearing around thirty berries.
Pyracantha or rowan berries can be given fresh, dried or frozen. Dried berries are moistened for about a quarter of an hour before being given. Frozen berries are defrosted an hour before being given.
Throughout the year, depending on what nature has to offer, various wild grasses are provided. Here is a list (for further details, consult a guide to wild plants and grasses, and refer to my webpage on plants and berries):
Dandelion: it can be given whole to the birds or the roots can be cut at the base to release the milky sap contained in the plant. Bullfinches love to eat dandelion hearts, particularly when these contain unopened flower buds. They can also be fed when the flower heads are ripe and the white fluff is about to blow away.
White chickweed: this grass can be found all year round, except during periods of extreme drought. I feed it to the birds when it is half-ripe or ripe, depending on the time of year. Be careful, however, of red chickweed, which is toxic and grows from June onwards alongside some white chickweed plants. (See photo on the ‘Plants’ page of this website.) After nearly 19 years of breeding, I have never yet observed any cases of poisoning caused by red chickweed. I believe that a bird with access to all sorts of fresh grasses will make its own selection when feeding. The danger arises when a bird, which has been deprived of grasses for some time, is given this toxic plant. I must admit, however, that I remain extremely cautious when harvesting white chickweed. The symptoms of poisoning observed in a canary breeder who accidentally fed red chickweed are comparable to those caused by tetany attacks. The bird spins round and round, loses its balance, and then dies.
· Ragwort: this plant, which can be harvested in cultivated fields, is only suitable when the seeds are ripe.
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· Shepherd’s purse: also moderately favoured when half-ripe or ripe.
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· Garden sow thistle: highly favoured during the breeding season; a prime food source as it covers the breeding period in May and June. I cut the heads off the garden sow thistle and place them in the aviaries. The sow thistle has the ability to regrow quickly, which means you can get more grass from the same plant (do not cut the stem, only the heads bearing the flower heads).
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· Donkey’s-tail: this is the first grass I give to my birds. Its flower heads resemble those of the dandelion. The flower heads are ripe when the scales covering the stems are bent downwards. Feed the birds the ripe grass.
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Nettle: nettles are very popular when the seeds are ripe.
Persicaria: Persicaria is also very popular (as are all types of knotweed). Feed it when half-ripe or ripe.
Chicory: a common sight in our gardens, chicory should be fed when the seeds are ripe.
Sorrel: to be fed when ripe.
Meadowsweet: to be fed when ripe.
Chneropodium: appreciated when the seeds are ripe.
Biennial evening primrose: ditto.
Lanceolate and broad-leaved plantain: appreciated when half-ripe and ripe.
In addition, to get the breeding birds into peak condition, fruit tree buds (apple, peach, pear, etc.) are placed in the aviaries. Sprouted seeds of hemp, turnip, sunflower and niger are also provided,
During the breeding season, it is essential to provide the parents with animal-based food; the survival of the brood depends on it.
It is pointless to attempt to rear colour-mutant bullfinches without animal-based food for at least the first week. After that, the amount given can be reduced. Young birds deprived of this food, if they do not die in the nest, suffer from serious and irreversible growth disorders, preventing them from completing their first moult under favourable conditions. Depending on the birds, feed them mealworms (select the white larvae that are in the process of transforming), bee moths, caterpillars, ant eggs, small slugs, small snails, aphids, moths and spiders. A pair of bullfinches with a brood of five chicks consumes around 200 caterpillars a day during the first week.
One of the breeding problems observed in bullfinches is a lack of calcium. It is therefore advisable to provide a supplementary calcium intake in various forms: commercially available calcium powder or snail shells (or live snails, which are much appreciated); grit, sand and dried bones should always be available.
HOUSING AND BREEDING
The bullfinch is a very tame bird but is nevertheless nervous and shy during the breeding season (this shyness fades once the young have hatched).
It is recommended that the breeding pair be kept in a well-sheltered aviary in a quiet spot that is not too sunny.
A communal aviary should therefore be avoided. Good results are achieved in aviaries with the following dimensions: 0.80 to 1 metre wide, 1.60 to 2 metres deep, 2 to 2.50 metres high.
The front section is fitted with wire mesh, so the birds are more at ease whilst breeding.
The aviaries should be lined with branches of pine, thuja, heather or broom. The concrete floor is covered with sand.
Breeding can also be carried out in a planted aviary. Be wary, however, of the problems posed by earthen floors, which are conducive to the development of various parasites, particularly coccidia, to which the bullfinch is extremely susceptible.
The bullfinch uses steel or wicker nests for breeding but is particularly fond of old blackbird or thrush nests. These materials are used to construct a simple structure, not particularly attractive (compared to the nests of goldfinches or siskins), lined with animal hair. Several basic nests should be suspended in the aviary (height: 1 to 2 metres).
The following materials are provided: fine rootlets (from grass or dunes), coconut fibres, horsehair, cowhair and rabbit fur.
In captivity, the first signs of nest-building can be observed around late March or early April.
In early March, the bullfinch’s courtship display can be observed. The female dominates the male and chases him around the aviary (beware of particularly aggressive females). A few feathers (down) can then be found on the sand every day. The male appears to submit and moves away, as if frightened.
The female is then very imposing and opens her beak, uttering hoarse cries. She sings songs similar to those of the male but less powerful.
As the days go by, the behaviour of both birds changes. The male sings more and more and begins to perform courtship displays characteristic of the species.
With a twig in his beak, he hops towards the female, puffing out his plumage. The female, less aggressive, only timidly pushes the male away. She utters little cries and also begins to hop about, moving back and forth towards the male.
The two birds give the impression of dancing (the courtship display takes place on the ground but also on the perches in the aviary or on the large suspended branches).
At this stage, it can be observed that the male’s tail, like the female’s, spreads out to the side, forming an angle. Several matings take place, indicating that breeding is well under way.
The clutch consists of 4 to 6 bluish eggs. Incubation lasts 13 to 14 days, with the female incubating the eggs alone. The male is responsible for feeding her at the nest and stands guard around the nest whilst singing.
The chicks in the nest are adorable little black balls when they are of the standard colour, and much lighter in colour for the pastel colour variants.
When the first droppings appear on the edge of the nest, it is time to ring the chicks (on the 7th or 8th day). Caution! As the nest is kept extremely clean, it is best to wait until this stage, otherwise you risk finding them on the floor of the aviary without their rings.
The rings used are 2.9 or 3.02 mm in diameter, depending on the subspecies (peony or ponceau).
Around the third week, the young leave the nest and are fed by the male. The female then begins a new brooding cycle. In aviaries, an average of two broods per season is observed, though there are exceptions where up to three broods may occur. Upon leaving the nest, the pastel-coloured young are very easy to distinguish: head and chin – young bullfinches never have the cap and bib of the adults, but their colouring is noticeably paler compared to that of the wild-coloured young.
The back and wing feathers are pale but with a predominantly greyish tinge.
The tail feathers and undertail coverts: predominantly grey, giving the bird a striking uniformity. Rump and part of the underparts: white.
Breast, underparts and cheeks: very pale grey.
Legs and beak: colourless.
Pastel-coloured juveniles, with their pastel grey hues, contrast beautifully with the reddish-brown tones of the standard-coloured species.
Breeding colour-mutant bullfinches requires a great deal of passion, time, care, patience and luck.

Jean-Michel EYTORFF