Things You'll Need
- Aviary with one solid side and partly covered roof
- Wooden planks
- Hammer
- Nails
- Trees
- Shrubs
- Dried grass
- Coconut fiber
- Living trees
- Assorted small branches
- Perches
- Four food dishes
- Large, shallow water dishes
- Seed mixture for finches
- Fruit fly larvae
- Ant eggs
- Waxworms
- Young mealworms
- Broccoli tops
- Eggfood
- Spinach
- Carrot tops
- Chickweed
- Bowl of grit
- Cuttlefish bone
Instructions
Construct an aviary at least 7 feet long by 5 feet wide by 5 feet high.
Cover a section of the roof to protect your birds from rain. Nail horizontal wooden planks against one side of the aviary, as a wind barrier and to offer the finches some privacy.
Plant a number of shrubs and trees in the aviary. These little finches will seek protection in the shrubs if startled, and will choose to nest in them rather than in a nesting box.
Provide the birds with coconut fiber and dry grass during the breeding season for them to line their nests. Cordon bleu finches will also make use of feathers as nesting material.
Attach numerous small branches to the aviary mesh to serve as perches, but include three or four actual perches as well. Position these under the covered portion of the aviary and place them high up in the aviary to allow the finches to feel comfortable.
Place two seed bowls and two bowls for soft food in the aviary to ensure that all the finches have an opportunity to feed without being dominated by older birds.
Place a large, shallow water bowl in the aviary. Choose a position in the shade to keep the water cool. Rinse out and re-fill the water bowl on a daily basis.
Provide your birds with a high-quality finch seed mixture, which includes seeding grasses and millet.
Feed the birds fruit fly larvae, ant eggs, waxworms and young mealworms, as the cordon bleu is highly insectivorous.
Provide soft food in the form of broccoli tops, chickweed, egg food, spinach and carrot tops in a separate bowl to the seed.
Provide your finches with a small bowl of grit and attach a cuttlefish bones to the aviary mesh.