Freyja and her egg... finnaly!

[Suz Stickville]

Freyja finnaly laid her egg this am... .. after 3 days of spending most of her time with her butt in water dish for the past 3 days...

I took her out to check her over when I first saw this.... distended vent.... so I thought that she might? be with egg again....

After several days of this.. was getting real worired... so this am... .. got a small bowl and put some olive oil in it... got her out of cage (she would not step up and had to pick her up out of water dish)......gently dryed butt and VERY gently spread a small amount of olive oil over vent area... and put her back in cage on the platform by cage door....

She immediately climbed down side of cage... ran to a corner... hicked her tail high in the air... and let out the strangest squawk.... and wala egg...

She then turned around ... checked it out... climbed up to one of her toys.. and chewed a finger trap in half... went down to floor of cage... draged both pieces of finger trap over by egg and proceeded to shred them up and make a nest for the egg....

She is now sitting on egg... in nest... and hissing like a POed cat ... if i get within 2 ft of cage......

A little over 8 weeks ago ... she laid her first egg... hovered over it and sat on it for about 2 weeks before abandoning....

I hope this is how it goes this time.... the egg is not fertile... I have not housed her and Tweety in the same cage and time out together is supervised... and they still don't get along very well...

I tried to discourage the egg laying... by rearanging cage and moving location... cutting down on seed ... and increasing dark hours to 13....but I guess I did not help/work...

Tried to keep her from feeling secure enough in her cage to lay....unless she thinks the birdroom is just one big cage....

She eats alot of dark greens... and goes thru a small cuttlebone about every two weeks... so hopefully she is ok with enough calcium....

I hope there is only one egg this time also..... watching her carefully...

Suz

[svolk]

I hope this is the last egg for her too.

I've never heard about this olive oil trick, care to share on that?

[Suz Stickville]

I heard from someone recently ... that they had had a problem with their hen and an egg... and they had put oil on vent area... to help the lubircate the hen with passing of the egg....and this was recomended by someone in the "know" and her hen was able to pass the egg....

I could not remember what type of oil she had said that she used...but figured olive oil was more bird safe than any of the other oils I have... and any petrolium products/oils were a BIG no no..... so I grabed the olive oil...

More experianced people and breeders may give a better oil to use in this case... and I would like to hear if there is...

I was just sooo worried about my tiel brat... and that is what I had at hand... that seemed the best option at the time... she was straining and getting distressed.... and I needed to do something right then.... and the vet was not open yet....

Suz

[Monica]

Suz, glad she layed the egg! And smart thinking too, as I'm sure the olive oil probably helped!!!

[bustersbuddy]

Olive oil (or any light cooking oil) on the vent is an old breeder's trick. I learned it from Mrs. Holt in the late 60's/early 70's. Her canaries always started to breed early and the cold New Mexico winter nights seemed to cause egg binding in the hens. Check out the old books from the 50's and 60's and you'll find lots of things we "modern" folks have forgotten about.

[Suz Stickville]

I left the house a little after high noon... was gone for over 3 hours....

I poked my head in birdroom... to check when got home... to make sure everyone was OK..

After putting up groceries... went into bird room... to change water and change food dishes for fresh...

When I opened the door on Freyja's cage.... to change water and give new food... she came off the nest... trying to get me for entering "her" territory...

Saw then... that there are 2 eggs now... she laid another while I was gone... ... less than 7 hours after the first..

Glad to see the other egg... in a way... it lets me know... that she WAS egg bound... and the oil helped...

It really scares me in a way... it made me realize ... how close I was to loosing her... with egg binding... due to my ignorance of hen care....

I would have lost her... due to my ignorance.. if not for this bb ... and the people that I have met thru bb....

I can not thank anyone enough... my little girl is still here... whom ever I got the info from...

I am fairly new to bird companionship ... and have done the best possible for the tiel brats... over done it in some ways... spoiled brats...

This ... with the eggs... has really scared me....

I don't know how breeders can do this....

Have alot better respect (and some fear) for the persons who breed birds... that supply the majority of our fids.... much less the hand feeding involved... plus socialization..

My hat is off to breeders at this point...

Suz

[bustersbuddy]

Yeah, it's a hairball experience all the way. That's why I don't have any real interest in breeding birds. I'll keep my birds as companions and stick to breeding orchids. At least they don't talk back when I do something wrong! LOL!

[Suz Stickville]

I was planning on letting them have a clutch next year...

Wanted to have a complete tiel family... but with males and females seperated by divider...... so no unplaned breeding....

I am definately reevaluating that now...

If I can get her out of breeding mode.... and keep her from egg laying this year.. will be VERY happy...

I have a breeder friend.... who is/was going to help me with handfeeding a clutch and teach me to do on own...

I have already spoon feed older chicks....

But I am having second thoughs now... I have a year to make up my mind...

Freyja was only hatched this last May... and is to young for breeding yet....

But she sure does not think so..... the hissing, egg sitting wench....

[Monica]

Cockatiels should be at least 2 years old before breeding... Hopefully though you do get her out of the egg laying cycle!

[Suz Stickville]

This May she will be one year old...

Was considering May or later of 08....

After this scare... it would not bother me in the least... to never see her lay another egg....

I am scared of losing my "feathered magnet"...... and companion...

I am just so thankfull right now... that she is doing alright..

Even if she is a hormonal wench at present..... no lovings for me while she is guarding her eggs... but she is still HERE.... with me...