How to get zebra finches to stop eating there eggs?

[OMGIG]

I really don't know why but for some reason, my zebra finch female keeps on eating or dropping her eggs! I don't think she needs calcium since I pretty much offer the pair veggies and sometimes hard boiled eggs.... What could it be?!

Help would be greatly appreciated

[Sally]

Often, hens will eat their own eggs due to a calcium deficiency. Are you offering a mineral mix such as oystershell grit or crushed eggshells? Without D3, the hen is often unable to utilize the calcium she is taking in as well. When my birds are laying, I offer egg food every day, as eggs have not only calcium but D3. Another thing you can use is a calcium supplement, those all contain D3. Is this hen young? Sometimes it takes a young hen a while to figure out what that strainge new thing is. Since you are in Australia, you might want to try a supplement called Soluvite D, many of our Australian members use this with good results.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, where you will find articles on eggs and breeding, plus nutrition and species information on Zebra finches.

[MiaCarter]

There are a few different causes of this behavior.
Egg eating and tossing can arise as a result of a disturbance -- seems quite likely if both are occurring simultaneously.

Egg eating can, as you mentioned, be connected to a nutritional deficiency not just in calcium but in other nutrients. So I'd just ensure she has a good multivitamin and offer egg food too, as Sally mentioned above.

It can also occur for one of these reasons, and then, it just becomes habit.

I have a step-by-step writeup on how to inject eggs with bitter apple spray: http://wp.me/p4JWrl-8e
I've never had to do it, but I have a breeder friend who's used that method with lots of success.

Best of luck with your girl! And welcome to the forum!!

[OMGIG]

I give them grit but thats about it. I will try to give them eggshells more often.
Thanks

[daniel_b]

Hi omgig,

the only plausible explanation I have is a lack of calcium in the birds diet.
I do experience this from time to time with my finches also.
Although I always have shell grit and cuttlebone available.
I have tried liquid calcium - with devistating consequences, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. natural sources of calcium are by far the best, one that you may not of heard of
is a slice of bread soaked in some full cream milk (I prefer whole meal bread),
My birds go crazy for it. Just remember to give it in moderation

[finchmix22]

I use eggfood with hardboiled eggs, shell and all. I also have cuttle bone and use UVA/UVB lighting for the full spectrum benefit of Vitamin D.

[daniel_b]

I second the use of egg food - especially when breeding.
I am curious finchmix22, why do you need to supply artificial UV?
are your birds kept indoors?

[finchmix22]

daniel_b
Yes, I have several indoor flights and breeding cages. Without the UVA/UVB lighting, they would not stay healthy and breed as well. If finches are outdoors, no need for the full spectrum lighting. Windows screen out any UVA/UVB rays, so even when they are by a window, they are not getting the UVA/UVB spectrum of light.

[MiaCarter]

....is a slice of bread soaked in some full cream milk (I prefer whole meal bread),
My birds go crazy for it. Just remember to give it in moderation

Indeed, I'd definitely do this very carefully and in extreme moderation.

Honestly, I'm not sure how much good this would do as birds don't have the enzymes and gut flora to digest milk and dairy.
Could they still get some calcium out of it, even though they can't digest it? Not sure.
There's a high chance of diarrhea, though.

Though I do believe there are probiotic supplements that have at least some of the enzymes/flora required to process milk. So it may work nicely if you gave one of these supplements that enabled them to actually digest the diary.

Mine also love egg food. And I'll scrape the cuttle bone remnants over their food too.
We also have Calcium Plus, which I'll give in a few drops over their food during breeding season.

[daniel_b]

MiaCarter,
That is interesting, I've never heard that theory in the 17 years I've kept and bred birds.
I've also been told several times you can't feed hard boiled egg to finches as they can't digest the rubbery contents, I still do though, and I've never found undigested egg in their droppings.
I haven't experienced diarrhoea with the bread and milk either.
So I feel this occasional treat does my birds no harm - if it did I certainly wouldn't be giving it to them.
But for the piece of mind for OMGIG - if in doubt, go without.
Back to the lack of calcium, the good old cuttlebone is my favourite, as it contains other trace minerals aswell.

[finchmix22]

daniel_b
Mia is correct that birds do not have the ability to digest the lactose enzyme in milk, yogurt, cheese etc. Parrots can only have very small amounts of milk products without getting sick and damaging their liver too.

[daniel_b]

I honestly did not know that.
Thank you to both of you for bringing it to my attention,
I am going to do some research on the matter.
So can it be harmful to the birds? :S
I haven't experienced any ill effects.
Even with the experience I have I realise there is always something new to learn and that
Is why I've joined the forum.

Thanks.

[afinch]

It's correct that birds don't have all the necessary enzymes to efficiently digest milk. For example. birds don't have the enzyme lactase, which is required to break down lactose (primary sugar in milk). They never needed to evolve it, as birds don't produce milk and don't lactate. Thus, milk product that has been treated to diminish lactose content (such as fermentation to make yogurt which converts the lactose to lactic acid, or treatment with lactase to break down lactose into glucose and galactose) would be a better alternative for birds. Though without would be better, definitely in the long run.

I haven't heard or read anything about birds having trouble eating eggs. A lot of what birds eat is a lot harder than the rubbery boiled egg and their digestive systems seem to have no trouble grinding it all up into a pulp. I always give my breeders hard boiled eggs. They love it and they enjoy the shells too.

[daniel_b]

afinch,
Wow! Thank you heaps for your indepth explanation,
I totally understand with the information I have now received

[afinch]

My pleasure!

As a disclaimer, I'm a medical scientist and by no means a bird expert - this is purely a hobby for me- and in my opinion experience trumps book knowledge. So... If I ever extrapolate anything incorrectly, anyone please correct me.