Sick gouldian hen

[iaos]

Hi people,

I have a gouldian hen that isn't doing too well at the moment. About a week ago, she was egg bound but she came through it ok. I have since started adding a calcium supplement to their water.

After she was egg bund she started to look better, but not 100%. In the last couple of days, she has been lethargic, sitting low on the perch, slightly fluffed up and i noticed today a particularly large dropping.

I don't have a hospital cage, but i am able to sit a lamp next to her perch in the cabinet, which she is snuggling up to.

Any tips/ advice on helping her through this?

Cheers
Ian

[gomer]

Some spark in the water and cod liver oil in the seed may help.If her tail/back is bent she may be egg bound.The large dropping sounds a bit suss.could this be somthing which was bound up eg worms or even to much calcium ?

[Matt]

Did she lay a full clutch of eggs? If she is incubating, that would explain the large droppings. If not then I would be taking a closer look at the droppings. Are they smelly and green or overly watery? Has she got a wet vent?

As gomer said, electrolites and and cod liver oil wont do her any harm.

[jusdeb]

Probiotics helped my Quarrion through a very rough patch after becoming egg bound , she was given antibiotic injections by our vet but I think the probiotics made her recovery much easier.
Certainly give the spark especially now its summer and cod liver oil rubbed around the vent as well as orally can help any more bound eggs ( of course if this is gonna stress her to catch her then not such a good idea )
Good luck .

[iaos]

Their worming is up to date.

She didn't lay a full clutch of eggs. She laid 1, then was egg bound with the 2nd. After about 3 or 4 days i pulled the box as she hadn't laid another egg and she wasn't looking 100%, so i thought the removal of the box would discourage them to continue breeding/egg production. Is that correct?

The dropping was white and green. I tried to smell the dropping this morning, it didn't seem to smell but it had dried out.

She Vent doesn't look great, but it hasn't since she was egg bound.

There is electrolyte in the water and ill pick up some cod liver oil and probiotic today.

She still doesn't look great but is feeding this morning.

Cheers
Ian

[nixity]

There is a possibility its labor revolving around trying to pass another egg, or the possibility that she developed a secondary infection from the initial egg binding issue..

When my hens are laying I generally notice a few that get very melodramatic about it like it is just the most god awful thing imaginable, and others where only a slight tail bob tells me they have started laying (this seems to continue through the clutch production and then stops when incubation begins).

Is she paired up, or just producing infertiles?

[iaos]

She is looking a bit better this morning, she is sitting up much higher. She hasn't passed an egg that i can see.

Yes she is paired up, but i pulled the nst box out after she was egg bound as i figured this was a sign that she either wasn't ready or her diet wasn't up to scratch.

[iaos]

Well her mate doesn't seem to think that she is all that unwell, i saw him before busily doing is hopping dance for her, even without a nest box.

Would it be best to separate them until she is 100%?

Thanks for all of your advice and tips. It is much appreciated.

Cheers
Ian