Although the tiny Owl Finch is not among the more brightly colored finches, it has a charm and fascination all its own. With facial markings reminiscent of the barn owl, it provides a curious and pleasing contrast when grouped with Gouldians or Cordon Bleus.

Care and Breeding: Place your birds in a secure location away from drafts or too much direct sunlight. In a mixed collection or aviary, they will get along well with most Australian and African finches as well as canaries. If housed with Zebra finches there is the possibility that they will interbreed. Owl Finches like to sleep in a nest and will appreciate being provided with a covered finch basket and some shredded paper or dried grass. They are also enthusiastic bathers and you may find it easier to put their drinking water in a tube drinker designed for birds. On the bottom of the cage, you can periodically put a shallow dish of water (1/2'') for bathing. Frequent baths will keep their feathers tidy and prevent their tails from becoming tattered.

Owl Finch pairs are very affectionate and cooperative most of the time. You may observe them sitting side by side and pecking each other's necks. This is a sign of affection, not aggression. Occasionally "martial spats" may occur with one of the pair chasing the other about the cage. These arguments usually cease when egg laying begins. Always active and busy, the male Owl loves to build nests, sometimes in a standard finch nest and sometimes on top of it! Both partners of a pair well spend endless time searching out likely new nesting spots. They can be very nosy and will investigate other bird nests as well as unclaimed sites. Some are diligent sitters while others just enjoy laying eggs without the responsibility of parenthood. If your pair will not sit, the eggs can be readily fostered to Society Finches.

Your hen will lay from four to six small pinkish white eggs, and begin taking turns sitting on them with her mate when the third or fourth egg has been laid. The eggs hatch in about 14 days. The young birds will be ready to eat on their own in about 35 days and may be removed to a separate cage.

Determining the sex of young owls is difficult and perhaps it is advisable to consult an experienced breeder for help when the birds are from four to six months of age.

Suggested Diet: Daily- Finch seed mix, a supplement such as petamine, Nutricare, ABBA Green 92, etc., vitamins sprinkled on seed or in water, mineral/grit mix. Cuttlebone should be in the cage. 2x per week -fresh greens such as broccoli, spinach, or watercress, washed and clipped to the cage bars. Most owls also eat SMALL live mealworms with relish, but they are not necessary for breeding or general health.

Once a week - Finely grated or chopped hard-boiled egg in a treat cup. When birds are feeding babies, give them the following egg mix and soaked a small seed every day: One hard boiled egg grated or chopped fine in food processor mixed with one tablespoon nestling food or baby cereal and one haft teaspoon powdered vitamins. Do not leave in cage for long periods of time as it may spoil quickly.

CEDAR HILL'S EGG FOOD RECIPE
For every four (4) WARM freshly HARD-BOILED eggs you will need:

One small carrot
One handful of fresh (washed & dried) spinach, broccoli, kale and/or watercress
Heaping 1/3 cup ABBA Green 92 nestling food, CeDe Egg Mix, Petamine or similar product
One teaspoon of vitamin powder.

Hard-boil the eggs and rinse in cool water. They will grate better and have a less gummy consistency if you grate them while they are still quite warm. Peel the eggs (if you wish, add crushed sterilized eggshell to the mixture; it is not advisable to use the shell from the eggs.). Put the washed sliced carrot in a Cuisinart or similar food processor and chop it very fine. Add the greens and chop fine. Set vegetable mixture aside and grate the eggs. Add to vegetable mix and stir together with dry ingredients using a fork. The end result should be fluffy or grainy, not gummy. Put daily portions into Zip top sandwich bags, force out most of the air, seal, and freeze. Each morning a portion can be thawed in the microwave (5 seconds for a treat cup full, or about one minute for a stuffed baggy full). Remember, THAW it, don't cook it! When ready to serve (it should be room temperature), we often add some soaked seed or sprouts. This will increase their interest in it and they will eat more especially if it is new to them. This mixture is fed to birds feeding babies, birds being conditioned for breeding, just weaned birds, birds laying eggs etc. every day. All other get some about 2 or 3 times a week.

This recipe was developed by Sarah Stuart of Cedar Hill and produced generations of healthy, beautiful birds. This basic recipe may be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled to suit your needs.

Caution: This mixture should not be left out in your bird's cage until is sour. Be especially careful when the weather is warm. We usually put it in the cages in the morning, remove it in the afternoon, and have not experienced any problems. However, our mix is fairly dry, our dishes are disinfected everyday and we are certain that enough fresh seed is in the cage so that the bird are not tempted to eat any spoiled food. Some authorities believe than a mix like this should not be left out for more than 2 hours for optimal safety from the growth of dangerous bacteria.

Reprinted with permission of Sarah Stuart and the Aviary and Bird Cage Society of South Florida.