egg bound hen
Sometimes a hen is unable to lay an egg which is mid way between the shell gland and the vent,this is often the first egg.The reason is the muscles in the vent area are not relaxed to allow the egg to pass,this often happens during cold conditions.Remove a egg bound hen and place her in a hospital cage or under a infra-red lamp.If this fails to work immerse her up to the chest in warm water for about a minute and return her to the heat source you have.
The egg bound bird will be found sitting fluffed up on the cage floor showing abdominal straining and will have loss of appetite. Never try and expel any eggs your self,the bird will die.
I always have my birds in breeding condition and the tubular heating set at 10 F ,this will eliminate any cold snaps that may cause egg binding.Always supply plenty of calcium other wise soft shelled and deformed eggs can be laid which can also be the cause of egg binding.Lack of excerise,fat budgerigars and nutritonal deficiences all can contribute to egg bound hens.
egg binding
Complications of Egg Binding in Birds
Isn’t it interesting how your perceptions change with time! Once upon a time, when treating egg bound birds my first consideration was to get the egg out of the bird - the reasoning being that the egg was the cause of the problem and once removed the problem disappeared.
During many years of treating egg bound birds I have come to realise that the egg is not the only consideration when dealing with these birds.
The first thing to assess when you find a “ bound bird “ is whether it is actually egg bound! Often people jump to conclusions when they find a hen on the floor with a swollen abdomen - not all these are egg bound. You should be able to feel the hard egg in the lower abdomen.
Catching up birds that are in the process of laying may actually cause the egg to stop moving and then they become bound!! Be careful that you do not overly interfere with the egg laying process.
The next important consideration is the well being of the hen. If the bird has been bound for some time she may well be in a critical condition because of changes to blood flow to the kidneys. Birds that are bright and happy, but have an egg stuck should be treated conservatively (that’s vet speak for do nothing ). Many of these birds will pass the egg in due course. Often the larger the bird the more tolerant they are of egg binding. Many of the Ostrich we dealt with in the past few years would have a uterus full of old eggs that did not pass but they appeared very normal, yet a finch that is truly egg bound is an emergency.
Once the egg is removed the bird may not necessarily be cured. Many of these birds have underlying conditions that need treatment if the bird is to breed again (that is generally the aim!).
Getting the Egg Out: Removing the egg may be difficult or at worst life threatening to the bird. Applying oil to the vent is about as useful as applying it to the birds left ear. The egg will be lodged in the uterus or shell gland, oil on the vent only makes you feel better it does nothing for the bird apart from give it an oily vent!
The general approach is:
* 1 - get the bird in a warm environment - about 28 - 30 degrees
* 2 - raise the humidity to greater than 80% relative humidity
* 3 - crop needle the bird with a dose of Poly Aid with some added Calcivet
* 4 - monitor the bird for 24 hours. If there is no improvement then get help from your bird vet – sometimes we need to get the bird into surgery quickly to save it’s life!
When we have the egg out we must then think about what else could be happening in those birds. Often they have a severe uterine infection, proving this in the live bird is difficult so you should treat them all as if they have an infection. Give them either injectable antibiotics or crop dose with antibioitcs. Eliminating uterine infections will improve the birds chance of laying normally in the future.
The other medical problem these birds suffer is acute, severe inflammation of the uterus or shell gland. This may lead to scar or adhesion formation. I always give a large dose of potent anti inflammatory when treating these birds.
Prevention is always more economical than treatment, be prepared to change things in your aviary (or individual hens ) if you have a recurrent problem.
· 1 - over fat hens will bind more frequently than fit hens.
· 2 - birds that lack adequate calcium or Vitamin D3 will bind because their muscles are not strong enough to expel the egg. A bird that binds with a soft shelled egg generally has a calcium/D3 deficiency. Breeders should be on a Calcium /Vit D3 supplement ( Calcivet or D nutrical ) during the egg laying period.
· 3 - a multitude of diet factors can cause egg laying problems. Reassess your diet with someone who has knowledge of avian nutritional needs.
· 4 - recurrent infections (misshapen, malformed eggs are often due to uterine infections) - you need veterinary advice. Just as “oils ain’t oils”, antibiotics ain’t antibiotics, some are better at penetrating into the uterus than others.
· 5 - if a hen egg binds in two successive seasons, she should be culled from your breeding programme.
Egg binding is a very common occurrence in breeding aviaries and all birdkeepers should have a system they use when they suspect a bound bird. If in doubt check with your avian vet and have the things you will need at hand – the sooner you act the sooner the bird is back in the aviary.