Hens, Eggs, Food and Risk.

[itchyfeet]

So I was helping a friend the other day provide first aid to an ill bird, whom we thought may be egg bound, before her vet apt. Unfortunately it was an undiagnosed tumour that this 'tiel had hidden extremely well. It was pushing on an organ and eventually euthanised.

What I thought I knew about hens and eggs was that if there is sufficient calcium in the diet, that there would be no issues, and that the issues happened when the egg was too soft.

What I read a lot of, what that apparently too much calcium is also an issue, and therefore not necessarily the best thing to do for a hen.....

I don't know. Any clarification would be amazing.

 

[Comment]

Our avian vet told us the same. We have a cockatiel hen and she laid 5 eggs a month ago, and we asked the veterinary if we should give her some extra calcium. He said excess calcium was not good, and that she should be okay with her regular good quality pellets.

 

[Aquila]

I think the source of calcium is the most important. Offering vegetables like dandelion greens that naturally have calcium is better than a supplement. I rarely give any of my birds calcium supplements, and really just my Greys and Sydney who is a bit older. My cockatiel has a cuttlebone, though she doesn't bother with it much, same with my conure pair. My amazon pair has a mineral block that they chew every now and again. Unless they show some kind of deficiency, I wouldn't worry about supplementing with a regular healthy diet. I don't really know offhand about excess calcium in birds, but having a balance of vitamin d3 is important as well.

 

[Piasa]

I got to ask this question to several avian vets and their advice to me was to feed the best well rounded diet you can - make sure the bird is receiving all needed vitamins and minerals in a natural form through food. Then allow the bird as much time in sunlight as you can, this is how they absorb the nutrients.

The bird's body naturally balances its calcium, protein and energy. My understanding is it gives and takes calcium from the bones. The blood calcium levels don't have a relationship to bone density, they are only affected when there is a severe deficiency. Poor bone density can be improved by feeding seeds high in omega 3s.

Calcium does scary things with too little and too much. Best source is from leafy greens, like Aquila said.

 

[Taw5106]

Years ago I had a tiel, my Sam, who kept laying. Moving her cage helped to stop her egg laying, she laid 5 eggs total. Moving her cage was a big help. Now enter Venus, my Ekkie who has laid 6 eggs in under two months. I tried the same items. Didn't work. I rearranged her her cage, didn't work. I relocated her cage, didn't work. OK Venus.

Bottom line, I have her on a proscribed calcium supplement to assist with her calcium. I'm monitoring closely because as pointed out, there are issues. I'll post updates as received.


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[plumsmum2005]

I did put this up some time ago and may help

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/60552-calcium-some-facts.html