a good weight for a hen?

[felisdomesticus]

What's a good weight for a 2-ish year old female Ekkie? I took a good long hard look at her and decided that she looks like she's gotten fatter since she's lived here!

I feed her twice a day with fresh food--any combination of: cooked rice, birdie bread, hard boiled egg (half at night only a few times a week), cooked oatmeal, cooked kidney beans, aloe slices, fresh: lettuce, snow peas, summer squash, zucchini, jalapenos, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, red cabbage, etc. I have never worried much about her carb intake as she eats a lot but seems to love shelling and ingesting veggies while ignoring the carbs. oh yeah--sprouts too that she barely touches. I sprout chick peas, pigeon peas, red and yellow lentils, white northern beans, barley, and that may be it. I forget. But she eats like 4 sprouts and is done.

she does have a dry mix in her bowl that came with her from the rescue. It consists of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, peanuts, zupreem colored and uncolored pellets, etc. Many people told me to take out the colored pellets but she seems to do that herself. She throws them all out of the dish and onto the bottom of her cage. She only really chows down if she doesn't like whats in her dish for some reason. Otherwise she eats the seeds rarely.

what's a good weight for them? I'll have to go into school and "borrow" a gram scale this week.

[Carolyn]

Hi there,

I apologize for missing your question earlier! I thought I had a system in place to get questions sent to my email program but it didn't work so here I am VERY late! :)

You're right. You do need a gram scale0 -- or you could stop by your vet's office and ask them to weigh her. Your vet could determine in a few minutes of examining her whether her weight is excessive or just right for her body without even weighing her.

Many publications use a general weight range which includes all the
eclectus parrot subspecies that are commonly available. There is so much
overlap in weights between subspecies that a specific range for each is
less than helpful and causes Eclectus owners to worry. In fact, the
most common "worry questions" that I hear are about whether birds are
"normal" weight.

Normal is the weight at which our birds are healthy -- not overweight nor underweight. "Average" weight is the illusive question because of the overlap between subspecies. There is so much variation within the range of each subspecies that the numbers are basically meaningless.

Large Solomon Islands' weight range overlaps the range of the Grand and small Red-sideds. Large Red sideds' weight ranges overlap the small
Vosmaeris' weight range so you can easily see the problem with weight charts.

My favorite reference book for eclectus parrots is PSITTACINE AVICULTURE by Schubott Clubb and Clubb, researched and written mostly by Dr. Susan Clubb, avian vet and staff doctor for many years at the Avicultural Breeding and Research Center in Florida. They maintained many eclectus pairs and raised hundreds of eclectus babies and kept weight charts from hatch to maturity. Finally, they lumped together all the subspecies to determine eclectus weight ranges.

Here is the general weight range of the eclectus parrot as listed in
PSITTACINE AVICULTURE. Keep in mind that it is a compilation of all the
commonly available subspecies (Solomon Island, Grand, Red sided, and Vosmaeri):

MALES:
Average -- 430 grams
Range ---- 388 to 524 grams

FEMALES:
Average -- 452 grams
Range ---- 383 to 549 grams

Note that generally the eclectus female is a little chunkier and heavier,
and the male is somewhat more streamlined and lighter weight. (She is designed to incubate eggs and brood chicks in the nest, while he flies long distances to gather food).

Weight ranges that new owners might find helpful include both sexes and all
commonly available subspecies:

7 weeks -- 318 to 477 maximum weight (before loss of baby fat at fledging)
12 weeks -- 312 to 422 grams
14 weeks -- 321 to 422 grams

These ranges are general, and even so, there are exceptions in birds that
are perfectly healthy. I consider this a realistic general range of
weights and one that does not cause new owners so much worry. New parrot owners fret about weight because they want to give their birds a diet
that encourages optimal growth without the damaging effects of making them
fat. Fat is not healthy for human babies but it is especially detrimental
to the health of birds. They are designed to be a lean, streamlined flying
machine. Birds have hollow bones and sinuses to keep down their weight for
more efficient flying. They are designed for the strenuous activities of
flying and climbing. Fat does not belong on -- or in -- their bodies. In fact,
excessive fat shortens their life span. The main reason that birds are fat
probably is a lack of sufficient exercise but another reason, I suspect, is
WORRY by the owner about the weight of their baby being "normal".

We should be more concerned about other indicators of health. If a bird is bright, alert, inquisitive about its surroundings, active, wth a good appetite and shiny eyes and feathers, more than likely they are exactly the right weight for their individual body. One can feel on either side of the keel bone (breast bone in the middle of the breast area) and if there is spongy tissue there, the weight is not likely to be too low for the size of the bird. If you feel no spongy tissue on the breast beside the keel bone, the bird might be underweight and the diet should be examined. If the diet is determined to be adequate with sufficient calories, a vet check is in order.

Remember that young, growing birds DO need calories from healthful whole foods. Some new owners feel the KEEL BONE itself and find that it protrudes slightly and feels sharp and they worry, but it is perfectly natural in a young bird. Indeed, any parrot with "deep cleavage" around the keel bone probably is overweight, but this usually happens in older birds.

If your "two year old" is overweight, remove the free choice dry foods and offer them only at the end of the day after she has eaten all the fresh foods that you have offered. She should be getting colorful veggies, fruits, and leafy greens first thing in the morning along with a quality protein three days a week. I give hard boiled egg quarters several times weekly to meet protein needs.

I hope this is helpful. Let me know when you learn your little redhead's weight. Also, her subspecies would be helpful if you know it.

Carolyn

Originally Posted by felisdomesticus

What's a good weight for a 2-ish year old female Ekkie? I took a good long hard look at her and decided that she looks like she's gotten fatter since she's lived here!

I feed her twice a day with fresh food--any combination of: cooked rice, birdie bread, hard boiled egg (half at night only a few times a week), cooked oatmeal, cooked kidney beans, aloe slices, fresh: lettuce, snow peas, summer squash, zucchini, jalapenos, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, red cabbage, etc. I have never worried much about her carb intake as she eats a lot but seems to love shelling and ingesting veggies while ignoring the carbs. oh yeah--sprouts too that she barely touches. I sprout chick peas, pigeon peas, red and yellow lentils, white northern beans, barley, and that may be it. I forget. But she eats like 4 sprouts and is done.

she does have a dry mix in her bowl that came with her from the rescue. It consists of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, peanuts, zupreem colored and uncolored pellets, etc. Many people told me to take out the colored pellets but she seems to do that herself. She throws them all out of the dish and onto the bottom of her cage. She only really chows down if she doesn't like whats in her dish for some reason. Otherwise she eats the seeds rarely.

what's a good weight for them? I'll have to go into school and "borrow" a gram scale this week.

[felisdomesticus]

I still need to steal a scale from work, at least overnight, so I can get her weight.

I have noticed that I can feel her keel bone which is kind of freaky but then I look at the chunky monkey and know she can't be underweight.

As for subspecies, we're all stumped. She doesn't have a yellow band at the end of her tail but she does have some light coloration there. Her eyes are yellowish and I've only just recently noticed that she *should* have a blue eye-ring though she scratches most of the feathers around her eye off and it's always bare. I saw yesterday some baby tiny blue feathers around her eyes. Her chest feathers are lavender though I do see violet-blue feathers on her wings and on flight feathers. Her body feathers are more maroon or burgundy than red like her head.

I also posted a few pictures of her in this thread: http://www.birdboard.com/forum/thread12111.html

[felisdomesticus]

She was at the vet today and weighs 386 grams. That seems to be on the lowest end of the female weight range.

[Carolyn]

Hi there,

Your Eclectus obviously is the proper weight for her bone structure. I hope you won't try to put extra weight on her to meet any particular "weight range" since you have described her as a chunky monkey. If we could actually see her, it would be helpful, but since we obviously cannot, your best bet to put your mind at ease is to ask your vet's professional opinion of her weight. You can't beat an avian medical professional's opinion. If your redhead truly is a "chunky monkey", your vet is likely to suggest a lower calorie diet or an increase in exercise, or both. If her keel bone truly is sharp, with no spongy tissue on each side, your vet is likely to discuss with you a diet with more calories. Let's hope she's "just right" as I suspect she is. Again, weight ranges should not make us feel anxious about our birds' weight as each specimen has its own perfect weight.

Carolyn

Originally Posted by felisdomesticus

She was at the vet today and weighs 386 grams. That seems to be on the lowest end of the female weight range.

[felisdomesticus]

thanks for your input! She is a good eater and the vet says that everything looks normal so I guess she is, in fact, an appropriate weight.

[Carolyn]

EXCELLENT! Thanks for letting me know, and I hope that your information will be helpful to others who worry about their bird's weight fitting into a "weight range". I really wish that NO ONE would publish these statistics, but of course, wishing doesn't make it so.

You are wise to take your vet's word for it that your redhead is the exact weight she is supposed to be. Fat has no place on the parrot body because they are designed to be lightweight for flying. Fat only causes problems for parrots so kudos to you for a great attitude!

Carolyn

Originally Posted by felisdomesticus

thanks for your input! She is a good eater and the vet says that everything looks normal so I guess she is, in fact, an appropriate weight.

[Vankarhi]

I just had a look a this and I checked out your pictures. I did not see any front on pics, but my girl is said to be a red sided and from the 2 pics I saw of your girls back and tail she looks like my girl and her weight is about the same as Skye's. She has a blue front but it has a lavendar hue to it, and in my ekkie book it says that is perfectly normal for some red sided birds. Skye weighs about 380-390 grams before she eats and at the end of the day after eating she weighs about 415 grams (I do not weigh her at night often but was curious how much she had eaten). I was worried about Skye's weight at one stage and then thought she might actually be a solomon island, but I am sure she is RS, just on the smaller side of scale. No matter I love her anyway.