Possibly egg bound

[Amber]

Hello all....long time no see! I have a hen, i believe she may be egg bound but i am not sure. She is very very thin. So thin i can see the roundness of the egg inside of her. I was wondering if they become egg bound do they not eat? Her cloaca is still closed so how do i know if she is definately egg bound? Thanks

[mike_m453]

I think I read a little about this.Egg binding right?When they cant lay the egg to to problems causing great strain on the hen.If so then this will be useful.:

Egg binding occurs when the egg gets stuck inside the hen and is not passing out when it should.Reasons for this:

1)stress such as chilling
2)Poor muscle tone
3)calcium deficientcy
4)soft shelled eggs
5)large or mishappen egg
6)over breeding
7)disease

How to treat egg binding:

This is an emergency and must begin immedaltely.Place the hen in a small darkened cage or cardboard box.Increase the temperature to 85-90 degrees and be sure to provide plenty of water.If within a few hours nothing happens get it to a vet a.s.a.p!

[ddpowell]

Has your hen had access to grit? They definitely need grit during breeding season, actually all the time, I recommend.

You can also give her a lukewarm bath. If that doesn't work, wrap her in a woolen cloth to where only the head is sticking out. The warmth will promote better circulation and help the egg come out. If this doesn't work..it's a medical emergency. They can die from this and it's very painful for the hen.

She shouldn't be so thin. I would definitely worm her after the waiting period for rearing young. Also, make sure she is actually getting pigeon feed and not just regular seed...high protein when breeding.

[Philip]

Amber

Your thread back in January has some good advice on egg binding particularly with regard to calcium deficiency which seems to be cited often as a major cause of or contributor to this problem. You need to get the bird to take up calcium rapidly and efficiently if she is in a bad state and the best way to do this mught be to try and get hold of some water soluble calcium with a vit D supplement (which enables the calcium to be utilised). In the UK Vetark do a product called ZOLCAL-D for instance which can be mixed with water or syringed I suppose (although you'd only need a tiny quantity). Also as has already been mentioned she needs to be kept warm and her strength built up if possible. If there is still no egg then you might try syringing in some olive oil to try and lubricate the passage, but this can be tricky as you must be very careful not to break the shell in the bird. At this stage a vet's help may be best.

Good luck.

Philip.

[maryco]

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/binding.html

This page might help you...

One of the first pigeons I rescued was egg bound, she could hardly stand- be sure to keep yours warm and in a quiet place

If you don't have grit you can use cuttle bone, it's soft and I think it digests pretty quick. My birds eat it like crazy when they are about to lay an egg.

If she doesn't lay the egg you must take her to a vet asap so they can get it out- Egg binding is very serious

Mary

[Amber]

Thank you Mary for that page it was very helpful. I will try some of those remedies as soon as possible. I am positive, 100% without a doubt know that it is not related to poor nutrition. My pigeons stay on a well diverse diet with 16% protein, with grit and oyster shell available at all times. Probably why I am here, because I have never had this problem, and i have 70 pigeons. It may be old age or overbreeding. I have tried to control the breeding with dummy eggs, however hey just get tired of them and build elsewhere. i will keep yall posted. I am going to try the warm water bath and lubricating the area. I am assuming that she is just not eating because she is egg bound and isnt feeling well, the rest of the pigeons are not underweight. Thanks again!
Amber

[ddpowell]

Yes, definitely over-laying eggs will cause them to eventually become eggbound. This is why it's important to separate your pigeons for at least 6 weeks, at least once a year. And make sure they are on wooden eggs to give their body a break. I doubt if this one is skinny just from being eggbound. It takes a while to lose that weight. My guess is parasites. When they are older, they don't lay any more eggs either. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Amber]

Okay...it has been 3 days since I have noticed that the pigeon wasnt looking right and thought that she may possibly be egg bound. She is doing well and eating and seems to be in no pain whatso ever. I have tried the warm baths and the humidity. And still no eggs. Is it possible that she is not egg bound but that she is getting close to layingand that she is just so skinny that i can see the eggs? Everyone made it sound like she would die in hours once egg bound and she is still fine? Im going to call vets tomorrow. There are no vets that work with birds anywhere near me. Any other suggestions of who to call or what els it may be? Oh and for over breeding, my pigeons dont breed much for about 5 months out of the year so could it still be over breeding? Thanks!

Amber

[Amber]

Also, I am sure that she and her mate had been building a nest. Now that I have her seperated in a box will she attempt to wait to have them. Can she wait? She has only a towel in the box will she nest on it? hmmmmm

[Amber]

Well i took her to the vet. Apparently the egg is HUGE! Almost chicken egg size, and they said they is nothing they can do. That surgery was not an option because of her weight and the prognosis of her recovery from it. He said she probably isnt eating enough because of the size of the egg pushing on everything. So all i can do is give her mineral oil injections 2x a day and if she hasnt passed it by wednesday then she will not pass it at all. He thinks that her oviduct is so stretched out that it cannot push the egg out. So inducing contractions will not help. Her spirits still seem well and she is eating a little every hour so i will continue to try the baths with the enemas. ill keep you posted.
Amber

Poor thing! has she had access to chickens? This is strange. i sure hpe she can pass this! I would guess the mineral injections/enemas will really help. Poor baby. Please keep us posted!

[This message has been edited by dpowell (edited June 16, 2003).]

[AZWhitefeather]

Amber,
Did the vet seem to think she was in any pain, other than the obvious of trying to pass this darn egg? If so, is there anything you can give her? This is so sad. You & your little pij are in our prayers.
Will be waiting for an update. Thinking Positive!!
Cindy

[Amber]

Nope no access to chickens. I dont think she is in any out of the ordinary excrutiating pain. Her spirits are good. Great attitude, and the vet said she was remarkably calm for a bird especially with everything going on. After her last enema I gave her a warm bath and she went in her cage and came back to the front just to watch everyone work and see what was going on. Every now and then she would fluff up and hunker down and then shake, like she was pushing. This evening i put her back n the breeder house with her mate and the other breeders. So she can have a little excercise and maybe a more comfortable enviroment i.e her nest and her husband. I'll keep you posted.
Amber

[maryco]

I'm hoping and praying that your pigeon will be ok, so sad.. I've never heard of a pigeon with a chicken size egg..

Mary

[Amber]

Hey guys...just thought i would let you know that she did not pass her egg and i had to put her down this morning. It had gotten so big and had hardened. She never would have passed it. thanks for your help and support.
Amber