Would a Saluki make a good candidate for agility?

I know they have energy to run and chase things, but do you think that they would enjoy agility as a good outlet for their energy? Also, would a pair of finches in a cage be safe in a Saluki household, or would the Saluki constantly want to kill them?

Any dog can enjoy agility and any breed can be good at this sport. Realistically, the dogs that are best candidates for finding agilty to be a fun experience are:
--dogs who don't have structures that make jumping problematic (bulldogs, dachshunds are examples of dogs that are challenged in this sport--but I've see both breeds compete)
--dogs with drive (who can become focused on something and are willing to work to get it)
--dogs that are not reactive or intimidated around any other dogs (because an agility trial--especially indoors--is noisy).

None of this relates to winning titles and trials. And you won't win much if your dog doesn't find it fun. So the first pre-requisite is for the dog to find it fun (which is a factor of the 3 things I mentioned above).

As for Salukis, here are a couple of things to consider about that breed and agility.
--they're sighthounds. There are lots of visual distractions at agility trials so that will be something that will challenge you. It's not impossible, just something that this breed brings to the agiity table.
--they're not considered "biddable." Herding dogs (BC's, Aussies) are biddable dogs. That means they work best with direction. Saluki's are a breed that is more independent and thus less consistently obedient. Again, doesn't mean agility won't work, only that this is another challenge to deal with.
--It's a tall dog. In agility, jumps change with the height of the dog. But the tunnel doesn't change. I saw an Irish Wolfhound do an agility run and he had to crawl through the tunne. So really big dogs have trouble getting through a tunnel fast.

Now, those are reasons why a Saluki isn't likely to be on the US World Team. But they're not reasons against doing agility or owning a Saluki. If you love the breed and also want to do agility--go for it. But if you want to do agility and are looking for a good agility dog, than there are other breeds that are likely to be easier to train for the sport.

I think it would make a great agility dog, they were originally hunting dogs anyways. I would just make sure the cage was not on the ground or easily accessible - but I think this applies to any breed.

Sure. why not. I took my Boston Terrier to several agility classes and he was keeping up just fine with a Sheltie. The classes are really fun. My daughter-in-law who is a vet has also taken her high energy dog to classes and competed too. I don't know about the finches, but most dogs except bird dogs pretty much leave birds alone, especially when they have training to not bother another pet.

Another thought is luring since they are sight hounds

Agility classes are great for any dog that has a lot of energy. Where I grew up, we also had these events called flyball competitions. It is a "team-scored" event, so you would have to look into what's in the area. But it's basically a high speed race to get a tennis ball and bring it back. It does take a lot of distraction training as well, but long legged dogs do great. It was a lot of fun and my old border collie mix did it for several years before he lost his stride.

See if you can find it. And I wouldn't worry about the birds, unless you have the cage sitting on the floor or accessible. Dogs aren't exactly interested in birds unless trained to be.

Good Luck!!

In the hands of a good trainer who understands sight hounds, the right saluki could be awesome. The best dog, hands down, I've ever watched in agility is a borzoi. He's an amazing dog, exciting to watch. A saluki can do it too and would love it!

As for the birds, sight hounds don't typically go after birds, and caged birds, once the dog's used to their presence, won't be of much interest. My vet's office has a zebra finch in the office and my greys love watching it - I think it's the unique sound they make, but they've never acted like they wanted to go after it - they mostly like listening to it.