How to Breed Cordon Blue Finches

Begin by picking your breeding pair. Your male finch will have a deep sky blue color on his head and breast, with light grayish brown on the wings back and underbelly. Your female cordon bleu has the brown color extending from her back to the top of her head, and is in general a duller sky blue when compared to your male. Both birds should have a good temperament and be seen by your veterinarian to be sure they are in good health before you let them breed.

Maintain the health of your birds through proper nutrition. Your female in particular will need a variety of calcium and protein rich foods to prevent her from becoming egg-bound and to keep up with the demands of raising the chicks. Cordon bleus are highly insectivorous and need live food. Offer your birds a variety of food including finch seed mix, ant eggs, small mealworms and waxworms and fruit fly larva daily. They will also need vitamin supplements and fresh food such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli tops, carrot tops, hard-boiled eggs, cornbread and chopped fruit. Your finches should always have access to fresh water, grit and a cuttlebone.

Prepare the breeding cage. You will need to keep the pair that you would like to breed in a large flight cage with several other species of birds. They will need several perches and lots of greenery for privacy. Your breeding pair should be the only cordon bleus in the cage, as they will become aggressive toward others of their species in their breeding season. You should not isolate your pair entirely, however, as they will become bored and may show aggression and feather plucking toward each other. You will also need to give them a safe place to lay and incubate their eggs inside the larger cage or aviary. Nests woven out of grasses and wooden enclosed bird boxes are available at pet stores that sell bird supplies. You will also need to provide your finches with nesting material such as shredded tissue, small pieces of rope, corn husks and other natural fibers.

Watch for when your male finch begins his courtship dance. He will carry a blade of grass or some other nesting material in his mouth and begin to dance on the perch. If your female is interested, she will follow him from branch to branch and sing to him. Check the nest or nest box daily for eggs. Your female will usually lay 4 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 14 days.

Monitor your birds carefully while they incubate and hatch their eggs. Some cordon bleu finches have a tendency to stop incubating their eggs, or stop feeding the chicks after they hatch. You should never attempt to handle or disturb the eggs or nest, as this may cause your finches to abandon their eggs or chicks. Keep cage cleanings as quiet and noninvasive as possible. It is best to keep a pair of Bengalese finches, also known as society finches, in the aviary or large cage with the cordon bleu breeding pair. The society finches will often act as foster parents and care for abandoned eggs or hatchlings.

Monitor the chicks' health as they grow. During the first few days, new parents may be awkward and not feed their chicks. Do not disturb them during this time. The hatchlings are still digesting their yolk sacs and do not need much nutrition for the first few days. The new parents will usually adjust and begin caring for their chicks. If they are not taking care of the chicks after 3 to 4 days, gently encourage your society finches to explore the nest area to encourage them to begin acting as foster parents.

Schedule a visit to your veterinarian when the chicks are a few weeks old to ensure that all the chicks are in good health. They may also be able to recommend how to find homes for the chicks. Now that their chicks are grown up, your male and female finch may begin to breed again. Frequent breeding is difficult and can cause illness. Remove the nest and all nesting material from your cage to ensure that they have a few months to rest before you allow them to raise more chicks.