Zebra Finch stopped laying eggs - is she sick or egg bound?

[Sir Bubbles]

My zebra finch Melody has recently stopped laying eggs about 4 or 5 days ago. Normally she would lay at least one egg a day if I had to guess, but suddenly this has stopped. She's been spending a lot more time in her nest and acting very quiet and not being as active as my other zebra, Sunny.

She will still get up to eat and drink and bathe regularly, and occasionally let out a peep, but its gotten very rare.

I've been trying to research egg binding and find out whether or not she's suffering from this, or if she's just sick, either way it's gotten me very concerned. Both of their diets consist of seed, water, fresh lettuce, the occasional bit of fruit ( I've tried grapes and strawberries a couple of times which they didn't seem to care for unfortunately ) and I've recently started to give them boiled mashed eggs. They also both have cuttle bones that they frequently use, but I think it's time for some new ones.

From what I've gathered, a lack of calcium can be the main source of the problem with egg binding, or just a poor diet in general. I wouldn't say their diet is poor, but it's certainly not as varied as I'd like it to be. So if diet is the issue, what sort of fruits and vegetables could I try introducing them to?

Another thing I've noticed is that at night when she's going to bed she'll sort of fidget around for a bit in her nest, and I assume this eventually stops and she goes to sleep. I've also noticed that her feathers seem to fluff out a little bit at the sides when she's lying down in her nest. And finally, I've also been noticing that her poops are a bit larger and fewer than they normally are.

I've been trying hard to figure out what the deal is, and most of these symptoms seem to point to egg binding which has gotten me worried, but I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts. And if it is egg binding, is there anything I can do to help her at this point? Does she need a vet, or a better diet?

[Sally]

Normally a bird will lay one egg per day, as it takes just about 24 hours for an egg to form and be laid. It is quite an interesting process, which you can read about here: http://www.finchinfo.com/breeding/eggs.php

When a hen is egg bound, she will go downhill very quickly, as it usually is a life-threatening situation. It is usually easy to diagnose, as the hen will be puffed up, often sitting on the bottom of the cage, droopy wings, squinty eyes--they look absolutely miserable.

Are you sure your hen hasn't started incubating? Are there eggs in the nest now? Her behavior sounds like that may be the case. Once incubation starts, she will sit in the nest for long periods of time, with her feathers fluffed out to the side to cover all the eggs, only coming out for brief spells. On those times out of the nest, she will poop and since she has been holding it for a long time, they will be quite large poops. She will eat, drink, stretch, eat/drink some more, and then go back in the nest, fluff her feathers, and settle down on the eggs again.

Is Sunny a male? If so, you may have fertile eggs. If Sunny is another hen and there are no males present, you can still get eggs, but they will all be infertile.

Your diet is fairly basic, especially for a hen that is laying eggs. A variety of veggies will supply good vitamins and minerals. Dark green leafy veggies are good--kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has little nutrition, so don't bother with it. Most of my finches don't care that much for fruit, either, but things like broccoli, corn, peas, carrots can all be offered. It may take them a while to decide which things they like, I just keep offering.

A mash-up hard-boiled egg is wonderful for finches, especially your hens, as eggs are full of protein and calcium, not to mention lots of other good things. At the Finch Information Center, there are several articles on nutrition, which can help you decide what to offer to your birds. Spray millet is a treat that is relished by all, and oystershell grit is a great source of calcium.

http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/index.php

[Sally]

I forgot to add, if you have hens, you should keep a small bottle of liquid calcium on hand. If a hen does get egg bound, one or two drops directly to the side of the beak can save a life. You can order liquid calcium for birds online.

[Corkysgirl]

Sally said it all! I think she's got some eggs she's hatching and at any point there will be chicks if she doesn't have them already. They may be there and you haven't yet noticed. Some are very good at hiding them with a tiny sliver of paper towel or such. Mine take one little piece and cover them. The "fidgeting around in her nest for a bit" could mean she's turning eggs or feeding hatchlings. I'd expect new arrivals!

[Sir Bubbles]

Thanks so much for the information Sally. I'm positive that there are no eggs in her nest, however the behavior you explained pretty much matches what she's been doing, so I don't know what's up with that. Is there any other explanation for why she might be acting that way? It sounds like she's not egg bound at least so that's a relief.

Sunny is a female, so there has been no mating - and I forgot to mention that they're both in separate cages of their own. I had to separate them some time ago since Melody was picking on Sunny, and she was losing feathers due to this, but now she's been much better. She looks and acts very healthy.

I'll give the veggies that you listed a try, and I'll be sure to look into the liquid calcium. Thanks again!

[Sally]

She was laying eggs before, right? Did you remove those eggs, or what happened to them? She does sound like a broody hen, but I'm surprised there are no eggs. Since she is not with a male, she may just be going through the motions. With no mate, you really don't need for her to be layiing eggs anyway, so I would give her a more varied diet, but I wouldn't give her egg every day, as that can stimulate egg laying. I'd concentrate more on veggies.

[Corkysgirl]

She might have laid them and then ate them. They do that sometimes.

[Sir Bubbles]

She was laying eggs before, right? Did you remove those eggs, or what happened to them?

Yeah she had been laying eggs frequently in the past, both birds have. It's very common for me to find them on the floor of the cage cracked open, I rarely see them in their nests. I can only really recall a few instances in the past ( a month or two ago at least ) where they had actually kept their eggs in the nest and sat on them, but it seems like nowadays they're always just on the ground.

I have seen them eat their eggs before but as far as I know they don't eat them entirely, there's usually still some shell remnants or a little bit of yolk.

With no mate, you really don't need for her to be layiing eggs anyway

I don't really know what people mean when they say this, am I in control of whether or not they lay eggs? I know that a nest promotes this behavior, but even without it I recall seeing Melody lay an egg only to have it fall right to the floor and crack open, and as I mentioned before, there were still plenty of cracked eggs laying around ( both with and without a nest. )

Also, is it okay to let them have a nest if I'm not trying to breed them? I feel like I just want them to have a place to cuddle up at night, which is exactly what they use it for, I'm not intentionally trying to get them to lay eggs or anything.

[Sally]

The only problem with letting them lay eggs is that hens are using up calcium from their bodies to form those eggs, and they can become depleted. This can result in egg binding. Nests can stimulate breeding behavior, just as the high protein content of eggs can lead to more egg laying. Some hens seem to be able to handle laying eggs continually, but it is not ideal. If you start to see soft-shelled eggs, like a yolk/some membrane/no shell, that is a sign of serious calcium depletion in the hen, and can also lead to egg binding. If you see soft-shelled eggs, she definitely needs liquid calcium.

[Corkysgirl]

And yes in the case that Sally just spoke of....

Nests can stimulate breeding behavior, just as the high protein content of eggs can lead to more egg laying. Some hens seem to be able to handle laying eggs continually, but it is not ideal. If you start to see soft-shelled eggs, like a yolk/some membrane/no shell, that is a sign of serious calcium depletion in the hen, and can also lead to egg binding.

I personally would remove the nest because it would hinder egg laying. Yes it's nice to have a nest to sleep at night but not worth the trade off. You can do this until you build up her calcium at least. Yes it's also true she may still lay eggs, but she's even more likely to if she has a nest. Increase her calcium level with liquid calcium, cuttle bone and then if you see her egg shells are harder, you can put dud eggs in the nest to prevent laying any more. You can save eggs she laid to use, or purchase plastic dud eggs.