Soooo Monkey is going to have eggs soon...

[riddick07]

I figured this was going to happen soon since she has been very hormonal no matter what I did. Plus, the whole throwing her butt around and being caged with Monster. She has gotten grumpy with my mother and is only letting me mess with her right now.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else's bird doesn't fly quite as well when they have an egg. It's not that she can't fly but she struggles more right now. I'm guessing she is going to lay tonight or early tomorrow. If she doesn't I'll start to worry a bit. I was trying to remember what my cockatiel did when she was with egg in regards to flying but can't recall. I'm guessing part of the problem is that Monkey is very very tiny for a gcc and the egg is weighing her down a lot.

She's eating just fine and made herself a nest. I still have the fake eggs from the cockatiels and will switch them out. I'm guessing Monkeys the type to keep laying if she doesn't see her eggs so the fakes will be needed instead of just removing them. I'm hoping they will be around the same size but can order smaller ones if they turn out to be smaller. I'm guessing the eggs won't be fertilized though since I've never seen them mating.

Definitely makes me a little nervous to see that she has an egg since she is just so tiny:52: So back to the question! How does your bird fly when she has an egg?

 

[greencheekachick]

-I can't really answer how my hen flew because she is handicapped (left wing is messed up and she can fly but only if absolutely necessary, otherwise if/when she does she crashes sometimes)
-Anyways I would think your girl is trying not to fly or being as careful as possible when flying so as not to break the egg inside of her. I remember Meeka being very careful and taking it slow going from the nest box to food/water and vice versa when she was with egg.

 

[Sterling1113]

I can't speak for conures since neither of mine have laid eggs, but I vaguely remember when I had an older 'tiel hen when I was younger, I never noticed her moving any differently.
Maybe it's just cause it was so long ago and I was quite young, but it was just one day she was her normal self and the next day there was an egg on the floor of the cage.
She never incubated though. So it was just as simple as removing the egg for her.

 

[hacatta]

I went last year trough this and know how worrying it is.
Kiva didn't fly or move any different,she laid 4 eggs.
Funny enough is is the fact that she was a very bitey bird until then after hope was born she never bit me again.

 

[MikeyTN]

Shouldn't allow her to fly if she is going to lay an egg!!! IF it burst within her, she can die from it! Perhaps think about separating Monster away from her if she is acting like this.

 

[SilverSage]

Did the fake eggs work?

 

[MonicaMc]

I've actually read that flight has a lot to do with the muscles required to lay eggs, therefore a flighted parrot is less likely to become egg-bound than a clipped parrot, or a parrot that doesn't fly/doesn't get to exercise.



I can't say I've ever noticed any flight difficulties in my egg laying hens (cockatiels, bourke hen and budgies in the past), and both of my first conures were/are males.... my third conure is a hen, has supposedly laid eggs before, but she's never laid any eggs for me.... so no experience with conures and egg laying! (yet)

 

[jenphilly]

I've actually read that flight has a lot to do with the muscles required to lay eggs, therefore a flighted parot is less likely to become egg-bound than a clipped parrot, or a parrot that doesn't fly/doesn't get to exercise.



I can't say I've ever noticed any flight difficulties in my egg laying hens (cockatiels, bourke hen and budgies in the past), and both of my first conures were/are males.... my third conure is a hen, has supposedly laid eggs before, but she's never laid any eggs for me.... so no experience with conures and egg laying! (yet)

We read the same thing!! Thanks for letting us know you came across same thing. I really don't think egg binding will be an issue, I ordered the red raspberry herb soon as the shelter gave me the info on teas! And I made her a nutribullet mix of egg and shell, some pellets, bee pollen and fish oil, so we are making triple sure she gets all she needs. It cooked up into an alnost a pancake or crepe texture.

We had read so much, having so many girls, worry that sooner or later we would have someone laying!! Monkey is just so tiny we worry... think I checked her a dozen times and asked Tor if she looked!! Just worry warts...

 

[MonicaMc]

I wish I could remember specifically what article I read about the importance of flight in egg laying hens.


Best I can find are these.....

Little Feathered Buddies egg binding

Another common cause of egg binding is lack of muscle strength in the hen due to illness or lack of exercise. It's important for hens to be well-nourished, healthy, and physically fit before they breed. Flying is an excellent exercise that improves muscle tone throughout the body.

Egg Laying & Possible Problems

Prevention
Egg binding can be caused by a few different reasons. General unfitness can cause it. If a bird is unfit, overweight, and doesn't get enough exercise, the muscles may not be strong enough to expel the egg. This is common in birds that are fed solely a seed-based diet, in birds who are never allowed to exercise by being kept in their cage all day, or in birds that are clipped and cannot fly (though clipping is recommended for safety).

Egg Binding: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Options

Suspected causes for egg binding include:

Sedentary lifestyle: Often the case when birds are kept in enclosures / cages that are too small for them. The lack of exercise causes poorly developed muscles and obesity.

https://theparrotuniversity.com/my-bird-gets-enough-exercise-doesnt-he

Stronger bone density – Prevent Egg-Binding
Without lots of exercise the best diet will not maintain adequate bone density. Muscles pulling on bones build bones with available calcium. As a bird flies a great deal of stress is put on all of the bones making them denser and stronger. To maintain adequate bone density as an adult a young parrot needs to aggressively exercise to develop very dense bones so they can maintain bone density as they get older.

It is important not to confuse passive play with toys and flapping wings on top of the cage as activities that encourage bone and muscle development. The activities must involve weight bearing or resistance exercises. A parrot can only achieve these goals through flight.

What I had read was something like a piece of scientific literature that kind of went into detail about how flight is important for birds as a means to help prevent egg binding.

 

[jenphilly]

Thanks for all the links, I will read more to see if any offer tips can never have too much with the girls and eggs!!!!

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Do you have a photo of her like this? Don't think I've ever seen a bird full of egg before! How is she doing? Keep us hosted!

 

[MikeyTN]

I've actually read that flight has a lot to do with the muscles required to lay eggs, therefore a flighted parrot is less likely to become egg-bound than a clipped parrot, or a parrot that doesn't fly/doesn't get to exercise.



I can't say I've ever noticed any flight difficulties in my egg laying hens (cockatiels, bourke hen and budgies in the past), and both of my first conures were/are males.... my third conure is a hen, has supposedly laid eggs before, but she's never laid any eggs for me.... so no experience with conures and egg laying! (yet)

Not disagreeing with you that a flighted hen is good for egg laying, BUT that's in a aviary situation or being out in the wild. NOT in a home situation!!!! There's too much things they can get into and fly into something to cause them to burst their eggs within. There's too many unsure things!

 

[MonicaMc]

I do understand that.


So would you be saying to keep hens flighted, but to limit flight during the egg laying process?

 

[riddick07]

I'm not clipping her because she decided that laying eggs was a fun time. Especially since I read flying helps pass the eggs. She's so tiny she needs all the help she can get! She's never had a crash landing or flown into something while flighted. I've actually seen her stop mid flight and drop then flutter straight to the ground when she realizes something is in the way. I have seen her bounce off the ground though when she was clipped and tried to fly. I know accidents happen but I'm sure they can happen in the wild too since that isn't exactly clear of obstacles. She's not really flying much right now anyway. It's not that she can't she just goes shorter distances and lands as soon as she can. Her flying is restricted already...both naturally from herself and me carrying her around when she decides to come out for a little bit. She's not as interested in being out right now

She actually laid this morning or last night. They are much more round then the tiel eggs! I can get a pic when she forms the second one inside. If she goes for a second one. It's her first time laying eggs so I'm not sure how it's going to go.:31:

 

[MonicaMc]

Hopefully she isn't an egg laying machine! I've heard that some green cheeks do lay large amounts of eggs! (including while breeding and hatching said eggs)

 

[riddick07]

I read that too and I am hoping she isn't. My first tiel Rukia laid about 50 eggs before I got her to stop. She was so tired and ragged looking by the end. Once she laid that first egg it was like a landslide for her and she couldn't switch it off. I was just glad she loved cuttlebone and ate a single one in one setting easily. All the eggs were perfectly formed with no defects in the shells probably because of that love of cuttlebone!

 

[MikeyTN]

I do understand that.


So would you be saying to keep hens flighted, but to limit flight during the egg laying process?

Yes that's what I mean! I don't mess with any of my hens if they're laying eggs cause I have had hens with eggs burst within that's why I said something.

IF you want to try to make your hen stop, move her to a different cage and keep moving her to different areas. She might stop laying!

 

[riddick07]

Yeah we did that with Rukia but she only stopped after I stuffed her in the dark for awhile, separated her from her mate, lowered her cage so the cats were always in view, generally made her super uncomfortable! The vet was going to give her a shot to get her to try and force her to stop but she stopped around the time we were about to make the appointment.

Monkey pic of her butt for EnglishMuffin


Monkey was wondering what the heck I wanted when she was busy eating!

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Aww monkey! It looks so uncomfortable

 

[JordanWalker]

Hi everyone, my name is Jordan and I am new to this site. While browsing, this thread got my attention. I just want to know how is your bird now? I hope you will post a photo with her eggs. I'm so excited to see Monkey with her eggs.