"my budgies" are actually school budgies, at the Agriculture Block.

for my year ten practical thingy, i 'manage' the aviary budgies.

animal husbandry, and all that.

we'll just call them "my budgies" to make things easier. =]

 

one of my two hens is egg-bound, or we think she is.

she'd been in one of the nesting boxes for a while, showing signs of nesting and all, but no eggs, and when we checked her we could feel the egg in her.

She[saphira's her name] was returned to the aviary. that was weeks and weeks ago.

 

she became very slow, and spent a lot of her time on the ground, and also didn't clean herself, and is very dirty around her vent.

 

in a budgie book it says to keep the hen in a cage near a heater or some other warmth[we don't have a hospital cage], and to massage oil oaround her vent. a kid i met on the net told me to use vasaline or petroliam[sp?] oil.

Miss doesn't have time to do all that, so i offered to do it at home. i got her two days ago.

i'm keeping her by the heater whenever it's on[morning and night, mainly] and today i washed her lower feathers clean and massaged some oil.

 

i just wanna know[and my dad, too] if this is the right thing to do, and if anyone knows anything else to help me and her.

thanks

Hello and welcome -

I looked after the school budgies when i was in primary school - was great fun

 

Your hen needs to be kept warm continuously with a lamp that has a 25-40 watt globe.

 

Here is a great topic about egg binding ---> HERE

Egg binding doesnt drag on over a few weeks like you seem to indicate this hen has. If she was eggbound she would be dead in two days or less.

Forget the vaseline or petroleum jelly...that gunk is not what you want to be putting all over the budgies butt.

Also, inexperienced people should not be feeling for an egg as you can break it inside of her.

If this poopy bottom has dragged on for weeks then something else is going on. If eggbound, she would have died by now like I suggested earlier.

Weeks acting this way should have alerted you to the fact she isnt well and needs a vet.

Any sick bird should be provided with warmth from alamp near her cage 25 to 40 watts of heat.

All the home rememdies you are trying for assumed eggbinding are not a good idea as weeks and weeks as you have said is not what eggbinding is about.

She really needs a vet. Will the school pay for a vet visit ?

Edited July 5, 200816 yr by KAZ

Hello and welcome - I looked after the school budgies when i was in primary school - was great fun Your hen needs to be kept warm continuously with a lamp that has a 25-40 watt globe. Here is a great topic about egg binding ---> HERE

okay, thank you:)

Egg binding doesnt drag on over a few weeks like you seem to indicate this hen has. If she was eggbound she would be dead in two days or less.Forget the vaseline or petroleum jelly...that gunk is not what you want to be putting all over the budgies butt.Also, inexperienced people should not be feeling for an egg as you can break it inside of her. If this poopy bottom has dragged on for weeks then something else is going on. If eggbound, she would have died by now like I suggested earlier. Weeks acting this way should have alerted you to the fact she isnt well and needs a vet. Any sick bird should be provided with warmth from alamp near her cage 25 to 40 watts of heat. All the home rememdies you are trying for assumed eggbinding are not a good idea as weeks and weeks as you have said is not what eggbinding is about.She really needs a vet. Will the school pay for a vet visit ?

ohkay, thanks so much.i'm not too sure if the school would pay, they might.the thing that sucks about that is the school holidays just started, but i can go over to school in a few days when they'll be checking on the animals.when we checked her for the egg, the Ag helper felt for it first, he's the one who knows budgies, and then he showed me how to.

Do you know how old the hen is ?

Edited July 5, 200816 yr by KAZ

Do you know how old the hen is ?

 

 

she's three years old

You need to put some calcivet in her water....at the very least it has glucose in it and is a pick me up for sick birds.

May I ask why the school has an aviary full of birds and nestboxes and doesnt seem to have any "real knowledge" of how to care for them or a contingency fund for vet fees ?

Edited July 5, 200816 yr by KAZ

rather than being egg bound which as Kaz said will not go on for weeks. Perhaps she has a tumour or a fatty mass that you can feel???? Do you have any photos of Saphira???

Good for you trying to help the bird like you have. Pity the school hasnt provided more knowledge or backup for things going pear-shaped.

I agree with Kaz, it has carried on far too long to be egg-bound.

Perhaps it's poopy bum by the way you're describing the dirty "un-kept" look.

Does she feel light and in bad body condition? As though she has no weigh to her?

Is her vent (bum) really dirty and are her poos runny?

If she's fluffed up that's even more of a sign of ill health... I would personally say small cage, warm lamp and a weeks dose of Sulphadim (avaliable from bird suppliers) to stiffen up her poos and hopefully help her

Warmth, glucose, calcium, TLC. Vet if able.

rather than being egg bound which as Kaz said will not go on for weeks. Perhaps she has a tumour or a fatty mass that you can feel???? Do you have any photos of Saphira???

uhuh, these two are take on the 23rd of June -

I agree with Kaz, it has carried on far too long to be egg-bound.Perhaps it's poopy bum by the way you're describing the dirty "un-kept" look.Does she feel light and in bad body condition? As though she has no weigh to her?Is her vent (bum) really dirty and are her poos runny?If she's fluffed up that's even more of a sign of ill health... I would personally say small cage, warm lamp and a weeks dose of Sulphadim (avaliable from bird suppliers) to stiffen up her poos and hopefully help her

she doesn't feel too light, she is eating.her vent was very dirty, i washed itoff this morning.her poos are a little larger than usual, and are greener than normal too.they aint really runny, some are, some aren't.i've got my log book here, and it says she was put with her male April 1st, and was written down as egg-bound on the 5th of May and returned to the aviary.she was bought from an english budgie breeder, and has always been "puffy", as well as one other bird we got from him - there's some photos on this page.she's in a little cage right now, with a lamp.i'm just concerned about the light it's giving off.what do you think would be the best position for the lamp to be? i'm not too sure.i'll talk to my Ag teachers on Monday about the Sulphadim.thanks for all the help!

You need to put some calcivet in her water....at the very least it has glucose in it and is a pick me up for sick birds. May I ask why the school has an aviary full of birds and nestboxes and doesnt seem to have any "real knowledge" of how to care for them or a contingency fund for vet fees ?

aiite, i'll try that out.uhh, good question.they should, i've just never asked.

Honey, she cannot be eggbound also as there was only 4 days between being put with the male as you said and someone pronouncing her eggbound. You see it takes a week to 2 weeks for the first egg. No way would she have produced an egg and have it stuck in just four days. AND as stated if eggbound she would be dead by now.

Its possible she has caught a bug from the male. Its also possible she has got a bug from her water or food. The aviary doesnt look all that clean on the floor...time for a clean up. Also be very sure her water and water containers dont get fouled by poop or get slimy. Daily changes of food and water and cleaning of food and water dishes is essential.

The warm lamp will be good. If you have no meds...see if you can buy some pure raspberry cordial ( not the cheap red stuff ) and put a teaspoon or so in her water. It will help

 

Cheers Kaz

Totally agree with the Egg bound thing !!!!

Would have been dead by now ...

 

Like mine the avairy floor does need a clean up - ( as birds like to Forage for food off the floor)

 

( also looking the the feed dish Looks like empty husk in there too ?

 

Also do you wash your gum leaves and nuts before putting them in with the birds!!!

 

This is how mine got sick when i first started out ...

 

P.S Who is looking after them while the school is on Holidays ??? If she is left alone, I wouldn't

expect to see her still there if left for 2 weeks without treatments

Honey, she cannot be eggbound also as there was only 4 days between being put with the male as you said and someone pronouncing her eggbound. You see it takes a week to 2 weeks for the first egg. No way would she have produced an egg and have it stuck in just four days. AND as stated if eggbound she would be dead by now. Its possible she has caught a bug from the male. Its also possible she has got a bug from her water or food. The aviary doesnt look all that clean on the floor...time for a clean up. Also be very sure her water and water containers dont get fouled by poop or get slimy. Daily changes of food and water and cleaning of food and water dishes is essential. The warm lamp will be good. If you have no meds...see if you can buy some pure raspberry cordial ( not the cheap red stuff ) and put a teaspoon or so in her water. It will help Cheers Kaz

yea, i know now that she aint eggbound.i don't think it would have been from the male, because the hen that was with him before her is fine, and the hen he's with now is doing great too.it could have been from the food or water, but i'm around there every day to clean up and change everything.i know, the aviary isn't very clean, there's a little clan of quails down there. the guys who are supposed to look after them don't do a very good job. either do the guys who look after the other budgies.don't worry too much, they're going to get verbally abused when school begins again. they only do Ag to get out of other school work.and the aviary and budgie cages were cleaned out in the last week of school.thanks so much for all the help, i'm going to the school tomorrow to tell them about Saphira, and check on a soon-to-be-hatched clutch of eggs.

Totally agree with the Egg bound thing !!!!Would have been dead by now ...Like mine the avairy floor does need a clean up - ( as birds like to Forage for food off the floor)( also looking the the feed dish Looks like empty husk in there too ?Also do you wash your gum leaves and nuts before putting them in with the birds!!!This is how mine got sick when i first started out ...P.S Who is looking after them while the school is on Holidays ??? If she is left alone, I wouldn't expect to see her still there if left for 2 weeks without treatments

like i said to Kaz, the dirty floor is from quails and them not being taken care of properly. i feel like they're a part of my "management", too. the floor and shelf in the aviary has been clean since then. ahh, i've never washed the leaves, i've always cut off the dodgy ones, thanks for the tip. i'll make sure to do that.the Ag hand is the husband of the Ag teacher, very handy, and he'll be around over the holidays. i'm going there tomorrow to tell them about Saphira, and checking on my nesting hen. Saphira's not at school, in the last week i offered to take her home, and she's in my room right now.

So how is she looking now???

Have you got her in a " hospital cage" Heat/warmth Cage ???

So how is she looking now???

Have you got her in a " hospital cage" Heat/warmth Cage ???

 

from a distance she wouldn't look sick, she eats and sings out and other healthy budgie things, but close up you can see she's dirty, and her vent is pooey.

her poo aint that runny, but it aint in that little pile like they usually are, it's kinda...stringy, like, long.

hard to explain :glare:

does that mean anything?

we don't have a hospital cage, but she's been in a small one with a lamp since Kaz told me she wasn't eggbound.

How long since the budgies have been wormed ?

How long since the budgies have been wormed ?

 

 

not that long ago, last month, month before last?

Here is a very interesting site ALLLL about budgie POOP - Just in time for dinner hehehe ---> here

 

is it any of thoes???