help needed

She may be getting ready to lay an egg. They have a hard time with the process if they don't have enough calcium. Are you giving her oyster shell of some other calcium supplement?
Bring her in and put her on a heating pad, set no higher than the low setting. Give her 1/4 of a regular Tums. Put it at the back of her throat so she will swallow it. It you need to cut it into smaller pieces that's ok.

Appreciate the info I am sure she has not had the proper amount of calcium, she has not had grit too often. I have her on a hot water bottle covered in a towel. I put liquid calcium in her water but she is sleeping and not interested in drinking. She has had a couple of runny poops.

You must get the calcium into her. You are at risk of loosing this bird. The quickest way to to give her the Tums. I would give it to her for the next three days.
Pigeons need to have fresh grit and oyster shell, each offered in a separate dish from their food, available all the time.
When a bird is hunched over, it's in a lot of pain. You may need the assistance of a veterinarian that treats birds. If she isn't better in the morning, don't put it off...get her in to see a vet. This is a critiical situation.
Do you have a vet that see pigeons? If not, where are you located? I may be able to help you find one.

I have a Vet and will call first thing in the morning but he only works certain days of the week so I am not sure if I can get in to see him. I am in Hamilton,Ontario Canada. She must be in pain and I feel so bad and will do anything I can to help her. Thank you again and please let me know if you know of anywhere else I could take her.

Hello just came back from the Vet's office. He examined her and yes there is an egg but he said it is not in position yet, still a little high. He did tell me the egg is soft shell, so he has given me liquid calcium gluconate 23% to give to her 1ml twice daily. I am also to give her some critical care food supplement twice daily. He checked her over and listened to her heart and breathing and said they sounded fine. He would like to wait and see if she will pass the egg otherwise he said he would have to break it which I know leads to other issues. I will be keeping close watch over her and will keep you posted. Thank you

I'm so glad you took her in. I'm gald the vet was available to day. Do keep her warm and quiet.
From now on, always make sure she has oyster shell and grit.
Keep us posted. I'll be thinking good thoughts.

Glad you have such a knowledgeable veterinarian. Sure hope your bird continues to improve!

Thank you for the advice and kind wishes. I raised her from a baby, she is very sweet and I feel awful that her first experience with egg laying is so difficult. She has been spending most of the day in a nesting position. She does drink on her own and pecks at her food. Should I offer her the oyster shell grit along with the liquid calcium? I let her wander around the house a little and she seems to be looking for it on her own.

You can offer her oyster shell grit even if you give her calcium. They eat only as much as they need.

Glad you know what is wrong with her so you can watch her.

Reti

Yes, if she wants, it.

She is having some of the oyster shell grit and getting into her nesting position. She seems ready for bed, I will continue to watch over her through the night. Should I keep her on a heating pad?

Vesna said:

She is having some of the oyster shell grit and getting into her nesting position. She seems ready for bed, I will continue to watch over her through the night. Should I keep her on a heating pad?

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You can, just make sure she doesn't get too hot.

Reti

Set the heating pad on the lowest setting, towel on top and ample room for her to get off if she feels too hot.

I'm so glad you took her to the vet. She sounds like a sweet bird. I hope she gets better. min

Thought I would give an update on my bird. She has been spending most of the day in the nesting position but does get up to walk around every so often. She drinks well but she does not have a big appetite. I weighed her and she is 275grams. She picks but seems to only want certain seeds not really interested in the larger ones. I have both grit and oyster shell next to her food and continue to give her the liquid calcium from the Vet. No sign of eggs, her poops are runny. I have a followup Vet appt. Monday morning. I will watch her appetite tomorrow and weigh her again, I may have to give her some supplement. Is it normal for a hen to not have a big appetite when expecting?

I went through the same thing with my Jackie on her first egg laying. At the time her name was Jack.......I didn't know he was a she. I thought Jack was sick.....his appetite had dramatically dropped and his poops were very watery. This went on for about 4/5 days........then out of the blue there was an egg. That was the day that Jack became Jackie.

You are doing everything right, especialy with the extra calicum. You should see an egg in the next few days. I hope it all goes well for you.

Please keep us posted.

Good morning, my little one(her name is "Boots" because of her beautiful feathered feet) had a bath this morning. She followed me into the bathroom and as I was washing my face jumped into the sink. She has done this since a baby, every second day into the sink. I noticed this morning one poop had small undigested seeds while another more normal looking poop had some blood in it. Is that usually the case in a bird expecting eggs? Thanks again for the help and for sharing your experience with Jackie.

The blood can happen, but undigested seeds should not happen. Watch her, see if it happens again.
On the other hand if she is feeling good enough to take a bath, that is a good sign.

Reti

Hi Vesna...........Jackie didn't have any undigested seeds, just large watery poops. I did not see any blood prior to the egg laying, however on the first egg there were visable signs of blood. I guess she strained when passing the first egg.

If you are seeing blood and no egg, and bearing in mind the vet said there was an egg developing..........if she does not lay this egg by tomorrow morning I would definately bring her back to the vet.

In my opinion, the blood is a sign that she is straining trying to lay this egg.

Please keep us posted.