Zebra finches, cordon blues & white doves

Question
How do you breed zebra finches? how big should the cage be for a pair? Are they easy to breed? How many cluches do they normaly have a year?

How do you tell male from female is cordon blue finches? Are they easy to breed?

Can you tell male from female in white doves? Do they make good pets?  

Answer
Zebra finches are extremely easy to breed, and pretty much all they require is a nest basket.  I've seen zebras raise babies on a seed-only diet, but this is far from ideal--to have the healthiest babies, they require green food, sprouts and egg food.  They'll breed all year-round if you let them, but I limit my birds to 2-3 clutches per year, taking out the nest if necessary.  The cage for a pair should be at least 10" deep by 14" high by 2 feet long.

Cordon bleus are easy to sex, the males have a bright, solid blue color, the females a lighter, more washed-out color.  In red-cheeked cordon bleus, only the males have red cheeks.  They're not the easiest birds to breed - they really should have a large flight cage, or even a planted aviary.  They tend to be nervous while nesting and don't take well to nest checks, and the need live food (bugs) to feed their chicks.

Ring-necked doves are not terribly easy to sex, males make a cooing courtship song that the females don't.  The females are also usually smaller and have more delicate heads.  Babies are almost impossible to sex, though, since none of these traits are apparent yet.  They do make good pets if they've been handled as babies to accustom them to humans--they're very calm, very laid-back, maybe a little on the slow side.

- Lara