 |
|
To read any issue of Flock Talk, use the links below.
ISSN 1492-8132
Issue 142, © 2006
No reprints without permission
Check out our bird-lover's products, in order of popularity!
Visit our Products Page For a full list of all our products and services!
Sponsor's Space
Table of Contents
The folks at Bird & Cage aim to provide bird keepers with a great selection of good quality birdcages and accessories for great prices, along with some of the best customer service you will find anywhere. The newest cage might just be one of the best up-and-down small flight cage combos you'll ever see!
Then save 20% in the Sidewalk Sale of overstocked cages. There are some great cages deals, and on the rest of the site you will find breeding cages, cage accessories, stands, and some great flight cages. There's even free shipping if you live in the continental US!
A recent customer says,"We just wanted to thank you for the wonderful service with our previous order for the wrought iron cage in egg shell white and the set of two breeding cages. We are delighted with the quality and price of these cages and with the excellent customer service we received when we called to inquire about delivery date. In fact, we are so pleased that we have ordered an additional set of breeding cages for our lovebirds! We cannot praise your service too highly and will not fail to recommend you to other bird fanciers."
For a full selection of cages and cage accessories, visit BirdandCage.com.
Links
Table of Contents
- Home
- Products
- Articles
- Basic Care
- Breeding
- Photographs
- Flock Talk
- Birds Board
- Canary FAQs
- Canary Cam
- Canary Cam DVD
- Canary Song CD
- Books & eBooks
- Probiotics
- Tug 'N Swing
- Care Sheets
- Bird Cages
- Cage Accessories
- Questions?
- Links Pages
- Privacy Policy
- Testimonials
- Site Map
"I love your website, your information has made me a very well-informed canary friend/owner. Thank you."
"Thank you for your love of birds and your commitment for helping those of us who are learning to share our lives with our feathered friends!"
"Robirda's website, bird board and e-zine are invaluable tools for any birdlover."
"I ordered 'Canary Tales' by Linda Hogan last year...Although I fully recommend buying the book, I find Robirda's book much more complete, easier to read with less difficulty finding information."
Welcome to Robirda's Companion Bird eZine
For breeder or pet bird owners who care.
Feature Article
Table of
Contents
Egg-Binding
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © Mar 2006
Every springtime you'll hear them; stories of how a female bird suddenly looks to be at death's door, when the previous day she was happy, active, and building up a nest. As often as not, the cause of such sudden 'illness' is not really a disease at all, but the result of her inability, for whatever reason, to lay her egg. This is most commonly known as 'egg-binding', and it can be deadly; if she is unable to lay her egg, she will die.
In order to understand egg-binding and how to prevent it, it's necessary to first know a little about how birds form and lay their eggs. We'll use the canary hen as an example; there's some variance between species, but the process itself is similar in all birds.
The yolk develops in the ovary, as part of a group of immature yolks resembling a tiny cluster of grapes. Each yolk slowly matures until it is released in turn into the upper area of the oviduct, where it will meet the male sperm and hopefully become fertilized.
The new egg then moves to an area known as the 'magnum', where a layer of albumen (egg white) envelopes the developing yolk. At each end of the yolk, thin strands of albumen twist together to form 'chalaza', rope-like strands which will act as support. These strands cradle the yolk in the center of the albumen as it continues its travels down the oviduct, keeping it protected from bruises and bangs during the process of formation.
Once the chalaza forms, another layer of albumen is wrapped around the yolk, and the whole mass proceeds down the oviduct to the 'isthmus'. Here the egg will be wrapped in two loosely-fitting membranes, before the whole affair proceeds to the uterus, where the final stages of development occur. The shell membranes begin to tighten around the albumen-surrounded yolk while the eggshell is secreted over the entire mass. As the new shell hardens, the egg proceeds to the cloaca, and is laid.
In canaries this process takes only 24 hours or so, but if the hen is not able to lay her egg, trouble is inevitable; with the egg in the way, the entire digestive system is blocked. Once egg development has proceeded to the final stage, a hen HAS to be able to lay her egg in order to survive.
There's several possible causes for disruption of this process, but perhaps the most frequently seen is due to a sudden shortage of calcium. Ironically, this can happen if there is too much calcium being supplied regularly, as well as not enough.
If too much calcium is being supplied too regularly, what happens is that the hen's body will begin to rely on the supplies of calcium carried in the blood for its day-to-day needs, and her body will temporarily lose the ability to regulate its own levels of calcium, including the ability to mobilize calcium from the bones at need.
When the need to form an eggshell creates a sudden demand for calcium, the bloodstream can't possibly supply enough, but if she has been receiving calcium in her feed or water daily, she may not be able to mobilize enough calcium from her bones to cope with the sudden demand.
Once the blood supply of calcium runs out, her body will attempt to fill the need by removing calcium from her muscles and nerves. These require a certain amount of calcium in order to function properly, so once the calcuim begins to be withdrawn, her muscles will no longer work normally.
The result? Although the body's drastic measures allowed the shell to be formed, without proper use of her muscles she won't be able to lay her egg. She has become a classic egg-bound hen.
Too much calcium is not the only cause of egg-binding, of course. Research on canaries showed that a hen's bones can usually produce three to three and a half eggs, so without an outside source of supply, trouble can occur when an attempt is made to lay a fourth, fifth, or sixth egg, as many hens will do.
What is needed is a large influx of calcium into the system at the right time, so that the body can quickly replace what it has withdrawn from the bones. Most hens seem to know exactly when this needs to happen, and will take advantage of and use a supply of calcium in one or more of several forms, if presented in a fashion they find acceptable.
For hundreds of years now, bird keepers have been allowing their hens access to supplies like cuttlefish bones, crunched-up oyster or other shellfish shells, or even baked, crunched eggshells (usually from chickens). These may go untouched for long periods of time, but when the extra calcium will soon be needed, most hens will be found diligently chowing down their calcium in whatever form it is presented.
It should be noted, however, that a hen cannot properly digest her calcium without adequate vitamin D also being present, along with other trace elements. Lack of a necessary element in the proper proportions can render some or even all of the calcium indigestible.
Many, but not all, of these essential elements are found in food - but one important vitamin is often lacking. Vitamin D is not found in foods, but is produced by the action of unfiltered sunshine on healthy feathers. If unfiltered sunshine is not available, then the missing elements need to be supplemented. Usually this is done through use of a dietary supplement made specifically for birds.
It should be noted that there are specific supplements intended to assist in the egg-laying process. Often these supplements offer a liquid form of quickly digestible calcium. The better ones include the associated trace minerals and vitamins needed to insure proper digestion, and if careful attention is paid to their labels, it will be noted that the instructions specify NOT to offer such a supplement daily, but instead to offer it once or twice a week.
This is because daily offerings will cause the problem mentioned above, where due to the constant presence of calcium in the bloodstream, the body temporarily 'forgets' how to mobilize calcium from the bones when needed, causing eggbinding problems.
Offering these supplies on an on-and-off basis avoids this problem, and allows the body to regularly exercise its ability to regulate the calcium levels naturally. This in turn allows plenty of calcium to be available for maintaining high bone calcium levels, allowing the hen to be able to easily lay large clutches of eggs. The 'off' days offer opportunity for the body to remove excess calcium from the kidneys or other organs where it would otherwise be deposited, eventually causing damage.
So, now you have an idea how eggs are formed, and why egg-binding can sometimes happen, even in situations where plenty of calcium is available. But, what should you do if one of your hens suddenly becomes eggbound?
There is a lot of advice about various procedures to try, in order to assist the egg to pass. Unfortunately, most of these procedures amount to nothing more nor less than the torture, however well-meant, of an already suffering creature.
One frequently heard recommendation is to apply grease or oil to try to help the egg slip out. This seems reasonable to a human, but in actuality is one of the worst things you could do to an eggbound hen. Oil or grease will chill the vent and cause the feathers surrounding the vent to lose their insulating ability, in turn causing more chill.
Eggbinding is often caused by extreme contraction of muscles which are not able to operate normally. This reduces blood flow, which itself causes a certain amount of chilling, but a greater rate of chilling will almost certainly make matters even worse!
Another common piece of advice is to hold the bird's vent over steam. This is a very bad idea - steam burns! You'll not only stress the hen, you're liable to burn her vent - and your hand!
Another bit of frequently-heard advice, is to gently massage the area just above the vent in an attempt to assist in pushing the egg out. This too sounds reasonable, but is in fact a bad idea.
That's because even a little too much pressure on the abdomen can cause the egg to break while still inside her. If that should happen the shards could cut her internally, in which case you would be almost certain to lose her.
Instead, take her off her nest and put her in a separate cage with a layer of towelling on the floor. Don't add any perches - if she falls off a perch, she could break the egg inside her. The towelling will help to provide traction as well as comfort.
Warmth makes it easier to relax, so it's a good idea to offer her some extra warmth. Do be careful, though, not to offer her too much heat! She needs to be able to cool off if she gets too hot. A good way to meet this need is to put a heating pad underneath one end of the cage, so she can choose her own comfort zone. Put water, greens and a little seed at the cool end of the cage.
You can cover the back and sides of the cage to offer her some privacy, but be careful not to cover the entire cage, which will darken it too much. More than one well-meaning owner has lost a sick bird simply by covering the cage so thoroughly that it could not see to eat or drink!
The next step is to get some calcium into her. Any form of liquid calcium will hit the bloodstream quite quickly, and will help to smooth the muscle action that caused the egg to bind in the first place.
Usually an eggbound hen will not easily eat or drink, so it is often necessary to administer the calcium orally. This is not as difficult as it seems, if you have a small plastic-tipped syringe such as dentists use. You can also use a small dropper or the tip of a tiny spoon, and I've even known people to use the blunt end of a toothpick. Whatever works for you!
Gently pick her up, being careful to avoid placing any pressure on her abdomen. Get some liquid calcium into the syringe, and see if she will open her beak. If she will, place a few drops on her tongue. Be careful to not to deliver more than a drop or two at a time, as you don't want her to accidently breathe in liquid - in her weakened condition, such an accident could kill her!
If she won't open her beak, as is often the case, turn her head sideways, and place the liquid calcium a drop at a time on the 'hinge' of the beak. Make these drops as tiny as you can manage, and most should be drawn into the beak, rather than running off.
If you don't have any liquid calcium handy, you need to come up with a substitute. Don't even bother with milk! It doesn't have enough calcium in it, and is indigestible to birds anyways. If she is still eating, sesame seeds are high in calcium, and may help, but too often we don't realize a hen is eggbound until she is too already weak to eat or drink.
In a pinch, you can grind up a calcium tablet with a little water, and place the mix into her beak - whatever it takes to get that necessary extra calcium into her!
I like to try to keep some Calci-Boost around, myself. This is a liquid calcium supplement made by the Bird Care Co in Britain. It offers a form of highly bio-available calcium, including all the trace elements needed for proper digestion, and is readily available through a great many online retailers.
Whatever form you use, once you've given her warmth and a few drops of calcium, leave her be for a half hour or so, then check how she is doing. If she still looks miserable, 'disturb' her gently, forcing her to move a little.
Her tendancy will be to huddle in a miserable little heap, but you want her to keep moving every now and again if at all possible. This will help the blood circulation to get the calcium to her muscles, and the movement may assist her to expel the egg.
Continue checking her every half an hour or so throughout the day, and every time you check her, give her a few more drops of liquid calcium; something like Calci-Boost, that also has vit D, magnesium, etc, is best. But any kind of liquid calcium will do!
If you've caught it in time, your assistance should help to her lay her egg, and in most cases, she will bounce back to health and vigor with remarkable rapidity, once the egg has been laid.
Egg-binding can be very scary, especially if you've never dealt with it before. But once you know the causes, prevention really is quite simple. Learn them, and with any luck, neither you nor your birds will ever have to deal with a bound egg ever again!
by R C McDonald
www.robirda.com
Copyright © Mar 2006
"Everyone always asks me why my birds are such beautiful singers and breed such magnificent babies...I tell them that I learned from Robirda! While they give their birds all kinds of 'magical' formulas, I just follow your guide to 'keep it simple.' My birds are now very healthy, and there has been no recurrence of the infection. Thank Goodness!" R.C., Florida
Canary Book
Table of Contents
We're thrilled at the great response readers have been giving the latest edition of Robirda's book, Brats in Feathers, Keeping Canaries.
One recent customer says, "I'm just starting on your fabulous book 'Brats In Feathers' and have learned a ton of things... I'm stunned at how much I have learned in so very few pages! I will devour the information in no time flat! Thanks again. I can't wait to get all the way through... It really is so very complete and informative!"
Brats in Feathers, Keeping Canaries is available in a cost- effective black and white format, or you can choose to have a special full-colour insert included. Learn more here!
Help Needed
Table of Contents
Do you know of a great bird site which deserves a review? Maybe you have a favourite tip or trick that you like to use, or know of a product that has made your bird's life better or easier to manage in some way? Why not share them with other Flock readers? Send us tales of how you cope, or how your birds confuse and puzzle, interest and amuse you, and we will share them with the rest of our readers in a future issue. Just send an email here.
For You
& Your Birds,
With Love
Table of
Contents
We rely on YOU to help keep this publication and its associated websites alive. If you find help you need in this ezine or on one of our websites, please consider joining our sponsors.
Read testimonials or find out more about becoming a sponsor. If you're looking for something different, check our home page for links to all our great products!
Our next issue is due Sunday, April 9th. We hope you and your birds stay safe, well and happy in the meantime, and we look forward to seeing you all then!
"You have the most informative and helpful small bird site on the Web. I have found your information priceless and inspiring."
"I cannot thank you enough for your kind and considerate responses to all of our questions. Your website has really been a wonderful find for us! And we absolutely love your canary CD!"
"Just a short note to tell you how great your ezine is... As a long time bird lover I thank you for your wonderful mag. Keep up the great work!"
"Hi Robirda! Thanks for your thoughts. My little one is singing as loudly as ever. He looks much better today. Your advice was most welcome; I'm particularly grateful about the recipes! I sent you the same amount the vet charged me; you have done no less than he did. You are a real blessing to all of us canary lovers the world over."
"Thank you so much for the book on canaries. That is a really nice book. I needed one, because I bought my Mom two canaries, a male and a female, we don't know anything about them. I'm so glad to have this book, I couldn't believe how much was in there. Thank you so much!"
home Back Mar 26, 2006, Issue 142 Next
Flock Talk Archives 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Dedicated to all those who try to help others on our journey to a better tomorrow.
Copyright © 1994-2008 by Robirda Online. All rights
reserved.
Home | Products | Articles | Basics | Breeding | Health | Moulting | Photos | Flock Talk | Birds Board | FAQs | Questions | Contact | Personal | Privacy | Wings-Up Seal | Testimonials | Links | Map