Female scarlet in trouble

[Debbieknd]

I think..she layed an egg and has been trying to lay another for about two days now..She goes back and forth from her box,to the cage floor , to a perch, she is puffed ..I know she is trying I can fill the egg.. She is eating, & drinking .. I have read about steaming her ..to help her out..any other ways to help her?
I am also wondering about the egg she did lay..the male goes in and truns it and I am sure it is fertile..Is this egg going to go bad/die if she does not start laying on it soon? I just read that lovebirds will sub mother.. to lay on the eggs and I do have a lovebird sitting on eggs now..
Please help with any thoughts..

[Nolan's Mom]

My first thought is to get her to the vet ASAP....poor little girl, I hope she will be ok!

[Debbieknd]

This morning I woke up and check..:dance:yippie:dance:..she passed the egg and is sitting on them..
It must be a little different for them to lay...I really thought I would have a very sick or dead bird this morning..It was scary..but all is well..
But, if anyone knows how to help this situation ..should I come across it again..I would really be thankful:tighthug:

[Shirley]

It sounds like she was having trouble. They lay every other day. Puffed up is not normal, even for a laying hen.

Also, the fertile egg is fine for a few days of "no sitting" until the eggs are laid, at which point the female usually starts sitting on them constantly. Then it does matter if they are left to get cold.

Learn what to do in the event of an egg-bound hen. This can be managed at home, or at your avian vet's, but it's important that you learn from your vet or an experienced breeder what steps to take, and exactly how to take them. You'll need an incubator for this, as warmth for the hen is essential should she become egg-bound.

Good luck, and I'm so happy she passed her egg! :wub:

[Debbieknd]

thank you..I will started to learn more from someone experience near by..I get so nervous with these grass keets ..they do things so differently from Budgies and Lovebirds...But she is fine today..
This pair is quite something to watch..When she comes out to eat or drink he stands guard. Than she goes back in the nest box..she does not stay out long..They are a experince (proven) pair of breeders..so I hope all goes well from here on..

[Virgil]

For finches, a dose of calcium (in solution) given directly to the hen (I just put a drop on the tip of her beak and she drank it) helped an egg-bound hen. I now add calcium drops directly to their soft food a couple of times a week (NOT every day!) and have had no further problems. I presume calcium requirements are high for all egg laying hens.
Apparently Scarlets are a bit different than Bourke's where the hen remains in the nest all the time and the male feeds her?
Virgil