HELP!!! My Conure is breeding and may have egg stuck

[JasonB611]

I have a proven pair of sun conures but this is our first set of babies.. She laid one egg last week and they both have been taking turns staying in their with the egg... But for about two days now she has an apparent egg down in position but it isn't coming out at all.... It is a tipple decker cage and I put some steam down in the bottom so it would go up to her when perched (Tested to make sure it wasnt to hot). She really seemed to like that... Tammy (my wife) went out and bought a ton of high calcium foods, calcium power for dusting their food, and calcium / vitamins for her water. I read when their egg bound that they are stuck to the bottom of the cage. She is not at all, she is climbing around like nothing is wrong.... I am not sure what to do... Is this normal behavior? Do they carry eggs in them for a couple days? What should I do?

[Valo's Moirana]

i've heard about the egg being visible days before it's laid, but i'm not a breeder either so my experience is limited to hear-say... i hope some of the more experienced people will chime in.

[Jan]

The best advice is to call an avian vet and ask them what to do. What makes you think she is actually egg bound? You can place her in a small bathroom and run the shower so it is hot and steamy (don't put her in the water) just so she gets the steam from it but not sure how long to leave her in there or how often. I'm sure there is some info on it on the web.

In my 23 years of being a parrot breeder, I have never experienced a egg bound hen. I do hear it can be more common in Cockatiels and I use to breed Cockatiels and never had any problems with egg binding.

[wildirish]

We have a B&G, JoJo, that was supposed to be a boy, LOL! Anyway a couple of years ago she was acting funny, not eating much and then I noticed her having a hard time going potty. I felt on her belly and knew she was trying to lay an egg, vet said give a day or so, but if she continued to not eat and strained to poop (this can cause a whole different set of problems), to bring her in.

We ended up bring her in as there was no way she laying the egg, it felt huge.

Jo's egg x-ray!

Just keep a close eye on her and watch for any signs that she is having trouble!

[xafsmom]

Is she pooping? If you see her poop fine, she's not egg bound. She'll have 'egg butt' for quite a few days during her laying cycle. It's quite possible that you guys are disrupting her laying intervals because you're anxious and poking around her too much.

If she's pooping, playing and doing normative things - leave her alone and give her some space for a few days.

If she is not pooping, then all bets are off - since you don't have the experience personally to turn an egg in a hen, get her to a vet. ONLY if she's not pooping fine.

[JasonB611]

Thank you for your posts and advice! We bought a bunch of calcium and have left them alone. She laid the egg last night. I have read so much and talk to breeders in preporation for this but now that it is here I feel like I forgot everything they told us. Sorry for pushing the panic button

[asulli]

Glad she is o.k. I know about the panic button. I have read so much and have done all this research and I am constantly calling the avian vet to ask silly questions.

The other day I just sent them some cookies and a thank you card!

[Lori~D]

Tammy (my wife) went out and bought a ton of high calcium foods, calcium power for dusting their food, and calcium / vitamins for her water

Please offer free choice Calcium and dont put it ON her food. DONT oversuppliment. Care must be taken with vitamin supplements not to provide too much calcium. It has been shown that calcium levels in the diet of over 1% decrease the utilization of proteins, fats, vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine, zinc and manganese. At a level of 2.5% in the diet nephrosis, hypercalcemia, hypophosphotemia, visceral and renal gout.

You have to REAL careful as vitamins and calcium can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Calcium should always be fed free choice in a dish (Oyster, egg shell) or via cuttle bone. A female laying will know what to do as long as it is there for her.

[JasonB611]

WOW! What great advise! Thank you all for the wonderful advice and help! We are so excited to be breeding them but also very nervous because we want to make sure everyone stays happy and healthy!

You all have been great!

Thanks again for everything!!! Tomorrow night makes three weeks from the first egg laid. So we are getting there!

Thanks again for everything!