FINCHforum

One of my young (just over a year) zebra hens was very fluffed up yesterday afternoon. They do this occasionally, so I decided to see if she would tighten up, but I put a heat lamp over one corner of the cage while I was at work. My boyfriend came home later, to find her on the cage floor, puffy. A couple hours later, when I got home, lights were already out, and she was sitting under the lamp, sleeping, head tucked into her shoulder. She woke up and seemed to be having trouble perching well, and seemed a little off-balance, kind of tipped to one side on the perch.

I immediately set up a hospital cage and moved her into it. Once she settled from the stress, she seemed much tighter, and curious about her new surroundings. Today she has gone back and forth between puffy and not puffy. At least a couple times, I have seen her having a little trouble on the perch, with her head and body tipped to one side a little, or tipped pretty far forward on the perch. But then a few minutes later she will look completely normal. She has been happily eating millet and regular seed mix. Pretty sure she is drinking out of the shallow dish on the floor as well.
She has been calling and responding to her cage mates on the other side of the room. Poop looks normal.

Humidity between 40 and 50 percent, temp 68-72 F.

I have on hand: tetratex, Amoxitex, megamix, calcium plus, Ronivet, and vitalize.


Not sure if I should treat her because her symptoms seem to come and go throughout the day.

Any suggestions?

Is there a possibility that she can be egg bound?

bugaboo5 wrote:Is there a possibility that she can be egg bound?

I wouldn't say that it's definitely not a possibility. All of my hens do regularly eat cuttlebone, ground oyster shell, and/or crushed eggshell.
But it could still be possible.

Seems like the heat does her good but she reverts back...it sounds like eggbinding, have there been any eggs laid lately or eggs you are finding at the bottom of the cage?

Can you see under her tail in the vent area, is it heavy and rounded?

Is there a possibility that she can be egg bound?

I thought the same thing. You have calcium plus so I would give that to rule out being egg bound then go from there.

Neliss, I would keep heat on her throughout the night as well. Has she ever had eggs before?

cindy wrote:Neliss, I would keep heat on her throughout the night as well. Has she ever had eggs before?

She has had the heat lamp at all times since about 2pm yesterday. She goes back and forth between sitting under it and moving all the way to the other end of the perch, away from it.
She has laid eggs, pretty regularly, since she was about 3-4 months old. She will lay 2-4 days in a row, then not lay any for a few weeks, then do it again.

debbie276 wrote:

Is there a possibility that she can be egg bound?

I thought the same thing. You have calcium plus so I would give that to rule out being egg bound then go from there.

I mixed some in with her water and she has already been to it for a drink.

Hopefully it works! is this one of your ss/FF hens?? I think the little girl is ready for a mate! I think it is easier to have them sit on the fake eggs as a pair (if you don't want chicks) so she is not laying as much, good luck, Nelissa! keep us posted!

cindy wrote:Seems like the heat does her good but she reverts back...it sounds like eggbinding, have there been any eggs laid lately or eggs you are finding at the bottom of the cage?

Can you see under her tail in the vent area, is it heavy and rounded?

I have been checking her vent, trying to tell if there's anything going on there. It looks puffy, sometimes, so it is tough to tell. Comparing her to her sister who is the same size, it looks like it might be a little bulkier than normal. But I can't be sure.

I'm going to give her a little soaked seed to, with a splash of calcium plus on it as well. I would try to put it on her beak, but I'm scared the egg may break inside her if I try to catch her.

DanteD716 wrote:Hopefully it works! is this one of your ss/FF hens?? I think the little girl is ready for a mate! I think it is easier to have them sit on the fake eggs as a pair (if you don't want chicks) so she is not laying as much, good luck, Nelissa! keep us posted!

Yes is is one of my silvers (my favorite one). Unfortunately, none of my birds falls for fake eggs. They will lay in a food dish, and I will swap them out. They will actually push them up and out of the dish!

Oh wow! Smart birds! If you get her a mate, and don't want chicks, (I keep infertile eggs my hens lay) and swap them for the fertile ones, they look the same, just no new birds!

DanteD716 wrote:Oh wow! Smart birds! If you get her a mate, and don't want chicks, (I keep infertile eggs my hens lay) and swap them for the fertile ones, they look the same, just no new birds!

I have done that before, but currently, all my cages are mixed sexes, so I have no way of knowing if they are fertile or not.

Nelissa, you can put the Calcium Plus in her water. Try a little wheat germ oil on a bit of seed as well.

Oh, I see. Well good luck with your hen! do yo plan on setting your ss/FF to breed?

No egg as of yet...
I did notice that some of her poops look to be mostly white, which would be urates. Is this because she can't pass the feces past the egg maybe?

Anything else I should try??.....