FINCHforum

I just lost one of my juvenile Lady Gouldian Hens to egg binding. She was 5 months old. Her two brothers are almost finished with their first molt and showing their colors, but she had not even really started molting yet. After she passed, I found that the egg was breech (big end trying to come out first). I've been keeping Lady Goulds for years now, but this was my first experience with egg binding, and it was horrible.

I feed them a wide variety of foods: seed with vitamins mixed in, egg food, fresh millet, oats & greens, lettuce, apple, etc. They also have and use their cuttlebone.
Parents are both black headed and green normals (in appearance), one their males (the egg-bound bird's brother) is a blue so they must both be split to blue.

I am worried now about the genetics in the group. Could this be just a freak ordeal?

Thank you all for any help, glad to have found this site. I could not find any information on a juvenile with egg binding. Suzy

So sorry you lost your little hen. I don't have a lot of experience with Gouldians, but I would say she was eggbound because of her age, not a genetic flaw. Five months is a baby still, and she probably just wasn't developed enough to be successful.

So sorry you lost her to egg binding.

I found that the egg was breech (big end trying to come out first)

Though the egg travels through the oviduct small end first, it is laid large end first. I think she was just too young like Sally said.

So there's no way to prevent this in young hens???? Why would they start laying so young??

I am so sorry. Bless you both. :'(

I know she was too young and small, and that is why she became bound, but I guess my question is more: Why did she produce an egg in the first place? Has anyone else had experiences with egg bound juveniles? I was by no means trying to breed her.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think when you have a nest in the cage it makes them broody and they lay eggs,whether thay have mated or not. Like humans the have the eggs inside already, but it takes the fertilization from the male to make the egg fertile.

I can't answer your question as to why they would try this so young, but lyzzyjayne may have the answer. I had three Owl sibling juveniles in a cage with a nest. I thought they were far too young to produce, but the hen in the group laid one egg, and the trio incubated, hatched, and raised it. I thought they were just playing around with the nest, had no idea they had an egg in there. I was fortunate that the hen had no problems.

Sally wrote: I can't answer your question as to why they would try this so young, but lyzzyjayne may have the answer. I had three Owl sibling juveniles in a cage with a nest. I thought they were far too young to produce, but the hen in the group laid one egg, and the trio incubated, hatched, and raised it. I thought they were just playing around with the nest, had no idea they had an egg in there. I was fortunate that the hen had no problems.

WOW Sally! Now that is something!! Whew!

So funny! The EXACT same thing came out of my mouth after I read Sally's post! "WOW Sally!" Then I scrolled down and lyzzyjayne had already said it!

She WAS in a cage with a nest, with parents feeding a new baby. Some online research had suggested to leave the previous brood in with the parents so that they could "learn" how to properly raise their own, since Lady Gouldians are notorious for not being such hot parents. I now have the remaining hen (1) & cock "babies" (2) separated from each other, and the parents.

Thank you for all of your help, Suzy

I had an owl hen start laying at only 3 months old. There were nests in the cage and as soon as I removed the nests she stopped laying. She laid about 7-8 eggs though before I removed the nests! (I had removed each egg after it was laid.) She is now 7 months old and still no eggs since.

It may have to do with diet and temperature also and not just a nest. I have 5 nests in with my owls in the aviary and they haven't laid since they weaned their chicks in December. They seem to be on the same seasonal schedule as my gouldians. It's way too cold outside for any chicks now so I'm not disappointed.

I had some trouble with binding in my Zebras as well, until I got some liquid Ultracare Nutrimin mineral supplement and started adding some to the water everyday. No more problems.