Hi folks- have a Spice Finch that was egg bound on Oct 1st- took her to the vet- she passed the egg and is now back to her bouncy self (whew- lots of drama) - my questions are:
- When can she be put back into the aviary?
- I’d like to ID her- any suggestions?
- Can egg binding be genetically caused by siblings breeding? (the egg was deformed)
My background- I’m a newbie to birds- bought a couple of Spice & Zebra Finches as pets a few months ago- have done lots of reading on this forum about the causes of egg binding and have started making changes. I’m a longtime dog breeder- had no intention of breeding birds but the Zebra’s had three lovely chicks- everyone healthy and happy so I was surprised that the Spice hen had trouble.
Post egg binding
- cbrdogs
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Post egg binding
Owned by 2 Spice & 5 Zebra Finches...
- Sally
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Re: Post egg binding
I'm not certain if the eggbinding would be caused by siblingxsibling breeding, but it can cause deformities. But I have had the occasional deformed egg that was not a result of sibling breeding.
Once a hen has recovered from being eggbound, the best possible thing would be to rest her, as that takes a lot out of them. If that is not possible, I would keep a close eye on her. And be sure to have some liquid calcium on hand in case of future eggbinding, it can be a lifesaver.
And welcome to the forum! There is lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center linked at left, and there are articles on breeding and eggbinding.
Once a hen has recovered from being eggbound, the best possible thing would be to rest her, as that takes a lot out of them. If that is not possible, I would keep a close eye on her. And be sure to have some liquid calcium on hand in case of future eggbinding, it can be a lifesaver.
And welcome to the forum! There is lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center linked at left, and there are articles on breeding and eggbinding.
- nelloyello11
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Re: Post egg binding
I don't know whether or not breeding siblings can cause eggbinding, but my thoughts are
- it would not surprise me. Close breeding can cause many types of problems, both physical and physiological. It may be possible that inbred offspring could have unseen deformities in the internal reproductive system, or problems in processing calcium etc. do you know for sure this hen is inbred? Has she laid eggs before without issue?
- deformed eggs and egg-binding do have at least 1 cause in common- calcium deficiency. If she is not getting enough calcium, it is quite possible that this independently caused both problems.
If you are certain she is inbred, you should avoid breeding her. If she is not, then it is likely that with access to different types of calcium, she should do fine in the future.
As Sally said, having some liquid calcium on hand can be a life-saver in the future, and could save you the expense of a costly vet visit.
Very glad she is doing better! Hopefully she will rest up and get 100% back to good health!
- it would not surprise me. Close breeding can cause many types of problems, both physical and physiological. It may be possible that inbred offspring could have unseen deformities in the internal reproductive system, or problems in processing calcium etc. do you know for sure this hen is inbred? Has she laid eggs before without issue?
- deformed eggs and egg-binding do have at least 1 cause in common- calcium deficiency. If she is not getting enough calcium, it is quite possible that this independently caused both problems.
If you are certain she is inbred, you should avoid breeding her. If she is not, then it is likely that with access to different types of calcium, she should do fine in the future.
As Sally said, having some liquid calcium on hand can be a life-saver in the future, and could save you the expense of a costly vet visit.
Very glad she is doing better! Hopefully she will rest up and get 100% back to good health!
Nelissa

1 NG (Peter), 2 SF/FF (Astrid & Nina) and 2 BC (Desmond & Penelope) Zebra finches
2 Owl Finches (Hedwig & Fawkes)
Painted turtle (Keeker)
1 NG (Peter), 2 SF/FF (Astrid & Nina) and 2 BC (Desmond & Penelope) Zebra finches
2 Owl Finches (Hedwig & Fawkes)
Painted turtle (Keeker)
- cbrdogs
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Re: Post egg binding
Hi guys- thanks for the great answers! Don’t flame me- but I purchased my finches at a pet store (shame on me) so I have no idea if they are related.
My question stems from my many years breeding dogs where we “can” (not preferred) breed fathers to daughters- but have big troubles breeding litter mates (brother/sister).
As I observed the birds- the Zebra’s started nesting within a week of moving in- they were very active preparing the nest- eating and devouring the cuttle bone. Then onto laying eggs and caring for their new borns.
The Spice finches watched all the activity- the only thing they did do was try to overtake the Zebra’s nest with the eggs. I had to intercede and chase them out several times- relying on my animal behavior knowledge using the same negative experience (taping on the nest) to make them move on.
The Spice finches have not been interested in the cuttle bone or egg food- so yes- I’m betting there is a calcium problem with the Spice hen.
But interesting- they did not start any nesting behaviors until I removed the Zebra mating pair- I did leave the 3 Zebra off spring in the aviary- crazy cute teens- always exploring and getting into trouble and the Spices seem to tolerate them well.
So my question about inbreeding came from the Spices behavior (lack of interest in reproducing) as well as the deformed egg. I will try to get her on track with the calcium intake, rest her and put her back with the male and see how things go- if I get a breeding disaster then I will have to break up the pair and assume they are siblings.
In dogs- when we see the females having trouble conceiving, whelping (birthing) and odd mating behaviors we eliminate them from our breeding programs because normally it's a genetic issue and we don’t want to move that trait forward.
BTW I really didn’t purchase the birds for breeding- but now I’m fascinated- yikes!
The Spice hen is doing great- but hating being quarantined off from the crew- I’ve placed her in a small cage next to my large aviary (so they can hear and see each other)- it has quieted everyone down- the Spice male is singing to her and the young Zebra’s have stopped flying over to me- hanging on the cage to scold me!
Thanks again!
My question stems from my many years breeding dogs where we “can” (not preferred) breed fathers to daughters- but have big troubles breeding litter mates (brother/sister).
As I observed the birds- the Zebra’s started nesting within a week of moving in- they were very active preparing the nest- eating and devouring the cuttle bone. Then onto laying eggs and caring for their new borns.
The Spice finches watched all the activity- the only thing they did do was try to overtake the Zebra’s nest with the eggs. I had to intercede and chase them out several times- relying on my animal behavior knowledge using the same negative experience (taping on the nest) to make them move on.
The Spice finches have not been interested in the cuttle bone or egg food- so yes- I’m betting there is a calcium problem with the Spice hen.
But interesting- they did not start any nesting behaviors until I removed the Zebra mating pair- I did leave the 3 Zebra off spring in the aviary- crazy cute teens- always exploring and getting into trouble and the Spices seem to tolerate them well.
So my question about inbreeding came from the Spices behavior (lack of interest in reproducing) as well as the deformed egg. I will try to get her on track with the calcium intake, rest her and put her back with the male and see how things go- if I get a breeding disaster then I will have to break up the pair and assume they are siblings.
In dogs- when we see the females having trouble conceiving, whelping (birthing) and odd mating behaviors we eliminate them from our breeding programs because normally it's a genetic issue and we don’t want to move that trait forward.
BTW I really didn’t purchase the birds for breeding- but now I’m fascinated- yikes!
The Spice hen is doing great- but hating being quarantined off from the crew- I’ve placed her in a small cage next to my large aviary (so they can hear and see each other)- it has quieted everyone down- the Spice male is singing to her and the young Zebra’s have stopped flying over to me- hanging on the cage to scold me!
Thanks again!
Owned by 2 Spice & 5 Zebra Finches...