Possible egg binding..

[poohbear]

This is ongoing as I type..

A new pair of gouldians in a quarantine cage were displaying so vigorously to each other I decided to put a box on and see what happened, rather than release them into the aviary.
That was a week ago...they were very interested in the nest box, in and out all day.
This morning I saw what we all hate to see...the hen in a corner on the floor all fluffed up and panting.The cage is indoors and warm so I decided to leave things in the lap of the Gods and let nature take it's course.
I checked an hour ago fully expecting her to either pass the egg or be found dead.I was amazed that she had disappeared into the box along with her mate.I never thought she would make it off the floor.

She has just come out the box and it doesn't look like she's laid...I'm not going to check yet as I don't want to panic her.I'm 99% sure it's binding...but will have to wait and see..

To be continued...

[L in Ontario]

Poor girl. Would you consider putting a heatlamp on and cover the cage with a hot wet towel (not touching the heatlamp) - for humidity? A drop of liquid calcium to her beak (and in the water) won't hurt her any either.

Best wishes!

[poohbear]

Poor girl. Would you consider putting a heatlamp on and cover the cage with a hot wet towel (not touching the heatlamp) - for humidity? A drop of liquid calcium to her beak (and in the water) won't hurt her any either.

Best wishes!

Thanks for your comments but I don't see that added calcium will make any difference at this stage.I've never used a liquid source anyway so even if I wanted to I have none... There is a heat source close to the cage.

Just took this and she's eating vigorously along with her mate ????? Most unusual for a sickly or eggbound bird.

[apachetear]

Poor thing. When my first female zebbie was eggbound she was for over 24 hours, in a really bad state.
we put a very shallow warm bath in and she struggled and got in it, she perked up a bit afternd struggled up to the top perch to see her mate who hadnt left her side all day. Next day she was still pretty bad then after a while i checked on them and she was racing around found a weird shaped egg on the floor. I do believe the warm bath helped her a bit.
She does look ok eating in that second pic but mine was for a few hours while she was eggbound, so it is possible that eggbind is the problem.
I hope your finch's help improves.

[L in Ontario]

Poor girl. Would you consider putting a heatlamp on and cover the cage with a hot wet towel (not touching the heatlamp) - for humidity? A drop of liquid calcium to her beak (and in the water) won't hurt her any either.

Best wishes!

Thanks for your comments but I don't see that added calcium will make any difference at this stage.I've never used a liquid source anyway so even if I wanted to I have none... There is a heat source close to the cage.

Just took this and she's eating vigorously along with her mate ????? Most unusual for a sickly or eggbound bird.

It could be she is 'going light'. I'm sorry.

[G8love4finches]

Hope she gets better for you!...Poor thing!

[nixity]

Thanks for your comments but I don't see that added calcium will make any difference at this stage.I've never used a liquid source anyway so even if I wanted to I have none...

Liquid Calcium undiluted straight to the beak has saved two egg bound hens for me. I very rarely add it to the water but kept it on hand specifically for emergencies like this.. it may not seem like it would do much good but IMO it can be a life saver.

[poohbear]

Thanks for your comments but I don't see that added calcium will make any difference at this stage.I've never used a liquid source anyway so even if I wanted to I have none...

Liquid Calcium undiluted straight to the beak has saved two egg bound hens for me. I very rarely add it to the water but kept it on hand specifically for emergencies like this.. it may not seem like it would do much good but IMO it can be a life saver.

Certainly a subject much discussed..A well known avian vet over here disputes that there is any way calcium administered at this stage could make any difference.His knowledge of the anatomy and reproductive systems of birds is second to none and not to be discounted.

But as in so many aspects of bird keeping, sometimes the experience of breeders cannot be ignored.
I'm still undecided on this subject,and if breeders are adamant that this treatment has worked for them I see no reason not to at least try for myself.As I mentioned I have none available at the moment so it's academic whether I should try it or not.

Over the years I have read of the problems folks have had with egg binding with gouldians...I have to date after decades of breeding them only had cases you could count on one hand.I guess I've been lucky.
The birds I have now are from new sources...unfortunately I had to part with my stud of birds that I had bred from for years, due to a house move...so maybe I'm going to have to get used to the problems off chick tossing and bad habits that my previous birds had bred out of them.

It's just getting dark here now and she is on the perch with her mate...I'll have to see what the morning brings.

[CandoAviary]

So sorry that your hen is in distress.
I also recommend that you give a liquid calcium and vitamin D suppliment orally. I have also had it save hens lives. They need calcium for their muscles to work properly to expell the egg. Too much calcium is a bad thingalso.... but this hen may have depleted her supply producing an egg.
Here is an interesting read on the muscle/calcium connection
http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/ ... lcium.html
Could be a soft shelled egg also, of worse. Sure hope she is well in the morn.

[poohbear]

Well this morning slightly fluffed but extremely active.Flitting from perch to perch as normal.No signs of any egg.
If there was a bet on the table I would have put my money on her not making it.This bird was on the floor with it's eyes shut heaving and breathing rapidly.Maybe the next 50 years of birdkeeping will provide some answers..

[lovemyfinch]

Glad to hear that she is feeling better this morning

[poohbear]

If she was human...the relatives would have been arguing over the will yesterday..

An amazing recovery..

Before and after...

[cindy]

Paul...glad your little gouldian is doing better. I read an article (book) by an avian vet that birds can actually get adhesions that attach to the egg and it keeps the eggs from actually being passed. This could be one of the reasons some, given medications and heat still pass away. Usually the adhesions are from repeated egg laying, there really is no way to perdict a bird getting this, it just happens.

Hope she continues to do well for you, she is a pretty little thing.

[CandoAviary]

Could of been that constipation thing... I have had that happen and would of sworn it was an eggbound hen except it was a male
Same symptoms...It did not recover by himself..I massaged his belly, wet his bottom with warm water... My first "bird fart experience" and then out popped an eggshell (from the grit mixture) and lot's of backed up poop. Within a couple of hours you couldn't tell anything was wrong with the bird...
I though he was a gonner also but nope...just over gorged on mienral grit and got a shell blockage.
Glad to hear she is doing so much better.

[nixity]

Could of been that constipation thing... I have had that happen and would of sworn it was an eggbound hen except it was a male
Same symptoms...It did not recover by himself..I massaged his belly, wet his bottom with warm water... My first "bird fart experience" and then out popped an eggshell (from the grit mixture) and lot's of backed up poop. Within a couple of hours you couldn't tell anything was wrong with the bird...
I though he was a gonner also but nope...just over gorged on mienral grit and got a shell blockage.
Glad to hear she is doing so much better.

I seriously crack up every time I think about this story of yours..