The Java Sparrow is considered a fairly easy bird  to breed.

Like all bird species, there are several basic factors that, if adhered to, will result in successful captive breeding.
 

Requirements
1. The most obvious….You must have a true pair…..Cock and Hen.
2. Both birds MUST be in breeding condition with no signs of moult.
3. The Hen should be at least 12 months old.
4. Provision of an adequate sized nest box and nesting materials.
 

Pairing Up

As mentioned above, the cock and hen must both be in breeding condition. You will soon get to know when your birds are fit enough to breed by their behaviour and appearance.

The cock and hen will appear to be more active and lively in the cage, the cock will be singing almost continuously and the hen will be ripping the paper on the cage floor...the cage will look like a bomb site!!!

You will also notice that the birds will have immaculate plumage.

One of the striking characteristics of the Java Sparrow is it’s stunning appearance, the feathers will be tight and seamless when they are in condition.

To select natural pairings in the run up to breeding, I put a wired divider between the cages where my cocks and hens are housed separately.

I soon learn which hen likes which cock as they tend to mirror each other in movement i.e. when one comes to the wire, the other will follow more or less instantly (I always check my records too as I have a pair that behave like a true pair, but they are brother and sister).

When pair are selected I introduce them to a double breeding cage together.

At this point I have already started off the nest for the birds by half filling the nest box with meadow grass. I shape the grass by pushing and twisting my fist into it to create a nest like bed.

I offer the birds 3 types of nesting material to build their nest with.

Meadow Grass,  Coconut Fibre and Shredded Paper.

The cock bird builds the nest, and if he is a proven breeder you will know which material he prefers.

One of my cock birds will only use meadow grass, and another will only use paper.

I get a little concerned if they use just paper as the nests appear very messy and are not at all “nest shaped”.

However, having said that, I have had no problems!!!
 

Nest Box

When I was researching information on Java Sparrows it became clear that many breeders use Budgie Nest Boxes to accommodate their Java's when breeding.

I took this information on-board and have been successful.

However, these boxes are very large and when you take a look at the nest with young birds in, the vast majority of the nest box is wasted. 

I also find with Budgie boxes that, due to their size, they can cast large shadows inside the cage making them very dark......I don't know if this is a problem or not, but I try to get as much light as I can into my birdroom and cages.

A couple of Java breeders I know use nest boxes that are designed for Gouldian Finches.

These are smaller and have an offset entrance but, apparently, Java's breed successfully in them.

They next few pairs that I put down will hopefully be using Gouldian nest boxes.
 

Nest Box Preparation

 
Here are the main materials offered to my birds.

 
Meadow Grass ........................ Coconut Fibres


Shredded Paper

I always ensure the nestbox I am going to use is totally clean before I let a pair of birds use it.

This is how the nest box looks when I hang it on the cage front, it doesn't look much like a nest but it does help encourage the cock bird to start building.

I fill the nest box with about 2" of Meadow Grass (or shredded paper, depending which birds I intend to use) to create a base for the nest.

I then grab a handful of Coconut Fibre and put this on top of the Meadow Grass.

The "bowl" shape is created by pushing and twisting my fist into the nest material.

Then the next stage is to leave a handful of Meadow Grass and Coconut Fibre on the cage floor and then leave the birds to it!!
 

Incubation

Eggs should appear within 6 to 14 days, the average clutch is 6 to 7 eggs but I have heard of Java’s laying up to 13.

The hen incubates the eggs, although the cock bird takes his turn for short periods whilst the hen feeds, bathes and exercises.

One important factor to consider whilst in the incubation period…..bathing!!

I always give my birds access to a bath through the incubation period. This allows the birds to not only keep themselves clean, but to create the perfect humidity levels when they return to sit on the eggs.

Correct humidity is essential to egg development!!!

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I count 18 days from the 4^th egg to predict the hatch dates. Sometimes they hatch a day either side of this but generally this is a good estimate.

When the hatch date comes, both parents start on the hard work of rearing their chicks.

Java’s are excellent parents and both play an equal role in rearing their young.

(You can see in these two photo's how much paper some Java's will use to build their nests. The top photo shows large pieces of newspaper that was ripped up off the cage floor and used to line the nest).
 

Rearing Food

Many breeders will swear by offering live food and soaked seed to their birds when rearing.

I don’t use any live food or soaked seed at all.

As well as the standard foreign finch mix, greenfood and millet sprays, I give my birds 2 extra dishes, 1 has E.M.P. dry eggfood and the other is Japanese Millet (the richest of all the millets).

I have successfully bred Java Sparrows by offering these foods to the parents and have encountered no problems.

Ringing

When the young Java’s reach seven days old I start checking them to see if they are big enough to have their closed rings fitted.

I was advised by a Java pal (Steve Nesbitt) that I should check the chicks around the time when the quills in their wings were around 3mm or 1/8” long to determine when the rings should be fitted.

Once the rings are fitted and my records have been updated I leave the parents to get on with the task of rearing their babies. Java Sparrows are quite a tolerant bird and tolerate nest inspections.
 

The correct ring size for the Java Sparrow is "K".

I get my rings from AC Hughes who provide a next day service.
 

Fledging

At around the age of 35 days old (give or take a few days) the young Java chicks will start leaving the nest and exploring the cage.

Some are more confident than others and will spend longer periods of time in the cage.

As a guide, when all of the fledglings are seen together in the cage I count on 2 weeks to mark the day when I will separate them from their parents.

Over this 2 week period they will have learned to forage for food and discover where the water is located.

On separation day I move the young to my flight cage where they can now enhance their skills and moult through to their adult plumage. It also allows the parents to start on the next round.

Along with the youngsters in the flight cage I will put in a couple of adult hens as they tend to give guidance to the young in the first couple of weeks of independence (another tip given to me by Steve Nesbitt).

At around 3 months old I will fit plastic split rings to the young Java's.
This helps to identify the young birds, particularly at this age as the cocks should be becoming more vocal.

 

I hope you have found this page interesting....maybe even useful too!!!