Eggbound gould hen

[maureen_g]

My WB gould hen is eggbound for the third time in a week. She looks awful - huddled on the floor of the hospital cage. I am concerned that she isn't eating or drinking. I have added calcium and spark to the water but am wondering if I can give her some of the calcium direct from the bottle. Is there anything else I should be doing? Each time I am afraid of losing her as she looks so bad.

[Redwing]

HI Maureen
Hope someone answers who knows more than I do, but know how distressing it is when you just don't know what to do next. When you say this is the 3rd time this week, do you mean she has passed 2 eggs already?
What temperature have you got her in your hospital cage as she probably needs to be at about 30o. The only time I've had an eggbound hen I not only put her in a warm hotbox but put a small warm wheat pack in with room to move off it if she wanted to. The spark and calcium is also good. Hope she recovers for you.

[maureen_g]

Thanks redwing! Gosh I was wondering if people didn't think my question worth answering!!! She's still alive at 8am. I don't know the temperature in the cage. It's just a small cage which I cover and have a lamp with a 60 watt globe pointing to the floor area where she sits. Yes she has passed 2 eggs. The first I accidentally broke and the 2nd I put in the nestbox and the male immediately started sitting. He only comes out to quickly eat or to terrorise other birds in the aviary who he thinks are too close (which they aren't!!) There are just a pair of stars and 2 double barred pairs. I've had a very anxious night with the poor hen. I saw her pass the last egg and she was immediately fine and I put her straight back in the aviary. I also have a heat mat which I could put under the hospital cage or I can try to get a small wheat pack somewhere.

[BrettB]

Hello Maureen
I am no expert, but it sounds as though the crisis has passed. However, I would be concerned that the problem has not been corrected.
We need to consider why she has become egg bound in the first place.
You have been giving her calcium, which is good, but the calcium is poorly absorbed if the bird does not have adequate Vit D. At this time of year it would probably be wise to supplement it. There are other possible causes of egg binding, is this her first clutch? Has it been particularly cold, etc.

I would have grave concerns about letting her continue to breed this winter. I think if she was my bird I would move her into a small cage for a month and provide some extra warmth/protection, calcium (egg shell) and a Vit D supplement. Hopefully this would give her plenty of time to fully recuperate and correct any deficiency .

Cheers
Brett

[Craig52]

My WB gould hen is eggbound for the third time in a week. She looks awful - huddled on the floor of the hospital cage. I am concerned that she isn't eating or drinking. I have added calcium and spark to the water but am wondering if I can give her some of the calcium direct from the bottle. Is there anything else I should be doing? Each time I am afraid of losing her as she looks so bad.

Hi Maureen,in my experience some gouldian hens are prone to egg binding no matter what you do,in other words every time that hen is about to lay she will get egg bound and you will have to catch it up and put it in a hot box.
It can also cause the problem in the next generation of its young hens,so it should not be bred from and disposed of.Sorry to be so harsh but doing this will save you from a lot of heart break and a hen that could end up with a prolapsed vent. Craig

[maureen_g]

Thanks Brett. I've only been giving her calcium over the last few days but certainly will continue with it. I had also only been giving egg shells over the last few days. I have had her for a few months and have no idea how old she is. She was bought with a batch of birds from a deceased estate. At the moment I'll give her supplements and keep a close eye on her. I sure wouldn't want to breed from her if this continues even with supplements!! I would keep her though just not breed.

Thanks also Craig. If the problem is just a lack of calcium in her diet then I will be happy. If it's anything else then she will just become a pet bird as I don't have the heart to kill her and I couldn't sell her either with that problem.

[SamDavis]

This is a bit off topic, but it's something I've always wondered. Whenever I've had an eggbound hen pass her egg the egg has almost always been completely normal. In particular, the shell has been fine. This makes me wonder why there's this obsession with feeding extra calcium to egg bound hens? It seems the problem is with the muscles and other structures required to pass the egg. Or have I missed something?

[maureen_g]

Interesting theory Sam. Apparently calcium also helps with the expulsion of the egg/contractions. I read it somewhere This morning at 9.30 she looked a lot brighter so I risked putting her back in the aviary even though she hadn't passed the egg. Now she has laid in the nestbox and looks as though she is just fine!!! After spending yesterday afternoon and all night looking as though she was at death's door (and keeping me awake stressing and checking on her!!!!). I have added more than the recommended amount of liquid calcium to the water plus vitamins so hope that does something good!!!

[BrettB]

This is a bit off topic, but it's something I've always wondered. Whenever I've had an eggbound hen pass her egg the egg has almost always been completely normal. In particular, the shell has been fine. This makes me wonder why there's this obsession with feeding extra calcium to egg bound hens? It seems the problem is with the muscles and other structures required to pass the egg. Or have I missed something?

You are absolutely right Sam, there are often other factors involved in egg binding. As Craig has said, some birds do seem to be more prone to it despite adequate Vit D/calcium. However, calcium is critical for muscles as well and low calcium levels will result in muscle weakness.

Cheers
Brett

[Finchman18]

I provide my birds with a mixed calcium grit i make myself:
10%Crushed cuttle bone
20% Charcoal
40% Crushed eggshell
20%Fine shell grit (canunda shell)
10%Pigeon breeders grit

I get very few eggbound birds, however i had a painted hen awhile back who was having some troubles, so i gave 1ml of Calcivet (a product by vetafarm) direct to the beak, and she passed the egg within an hour,a few days later she began laying a clutch of eggs, 5 in total which were all fertile and hatched/fledged nicely, if you are not comfortable administering supplements to the beak, most can be readily mixed with seed or water.

And i almost forgot to mention different birds will of course have different calcium requirements so make sure you always have a calcium source available.