Another Egg Bound Hen.

[casportpony]

So happy for you! Enjoy your pain pill and hope you feel better!

-Kathy

 

[BYC-user-174785]

I have never had an egg-bound peahen before fortunately, but I am sorry to hear about the losses (@q8peafowl ). However, my Grey Peacock Pheasant hen did not seem to be normal at all today so after worrying about her all day today and meds, she laid a soft-shelled egg just about as I was going to leave for the night. I was not expecting another clutch yet from her. Her first clutch during the winter was perfect, two nice eggs. The second clutch was about a week and a half ago but both eggs had soft/brittle shells but the eggs were fertile. I give my GPP all sorts of food and treats, fresh vegetables, fruits, and greens, and they also have oyster shells and sand always available. Could this be a matter of age and potentially overproduction (last year I believe the owner got 6-8 eggs from her)? What can I do to make sure the next egg is okay? She will likely lay again in two to three days.

 

[casportpony]

YTubed fluids and calcium are how I deal with mine.

-Kathy

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Just laid the egg.

I couldn't save this one, she laid it standing up and it landed on a stone so the side was caved in, it was a bit thin shelled, but not soft at all. Is there anything I can do tomorrow to try to bolster her up a bit. She just seems like this is taking such a toll on her.

Congrats, really happy for you

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

I have never had an egg-bound peahen before fortunately, but I am sorry to hear about the losses (@q8peafowl ). However, my Grey Peacock Pheasant hen did not seem to be normal at all today so after worrying about her all day today and meds, she laid a soft-shelled egg just about as I was going to leave for the night. I was not expecting another clutch yet from her. Her first clutch during the winter was perfect, two nice eggs. The second clutch was about a week and a half ago but both eggs had soft/brittle shells but the eggs were fertile. I give my GPP all sorts of food and treats, fresh vegetables, fruits, and greens, and they also have oyster shells and sand always available. Could this be a matter of age and potentially overproduction (last year I believe the owner got 6-8 eggs from her)? What can I do to make sure the next egg is okay? She will likely lay again in two to three days.

Thank you, sometimes they will just lay soft shelled egg even even with the best feed available, sometimes i think it comes from stress?

 

[DylansMom]

Thank you, sometimes they will just lay soft shelled egg even even with the best feed available, sometimes i think it comes from stress?

I am going to have to agree here. My hen started with a soft egg, then she laid 2 perfect eggs, then the 4th was the one that got stuck and started this thread, but came out looking perfect, now this slightly thin shelled 5th egg. She has been in the same pen, same feed, same roommate. There has to be something going on other than just the obvious. And I will say, this hen did not lay that many eggs last year. She laid in a clutch the first round and I let her keep them as she has never gone broody and was a habitual perch bomber, but I thought last year she was gonna sit. Fooled me, but did stop laying and took about a month off mid season. She laid another small round later in the summer.

 

[DylansMom]

Congrats, really happy for you

Thanks.

 

[DylansMom]

Very *gently* insert gloved, lubed finger about 1/2" (1.27cm) in vent (cloaca).









-Kathy

Looking at these, I am thinking the critical time for hydration and calcium may be approx. 24 hours prior to the expected lay time of the egg. If I use Bertolli as an example, she has been laying every other day. Her last egg was laid yesterday 5/17 at 7pm. So I will be expecting another egg on 5/19 around sundown, I will expect that this egg is going to enter her uterus tonight 5/18 around sundown, it needs to spend approx. 20-26 hrs. in there getting plumped up with fluids and coated with calcium, correct? Is there any reason why giving Calcium gluconate 23% tonight would be contraindicated? I am thinking I would like to try doing this ahead of time to see if it prevents a repeat of what happened with these last 2 eggs? Any thoughts?

I am hugely relieved to report that this morning has been relatively Drama Free for once. Collected 3 eggs all normal and all hens appear normal and not distressed. Bertolli looks rough, but is walking around and pecking at things also preening a bit.

 

[BYC-user-174785]

My hen is back to her normal self today and is responsive to when the male displays and feeds her. Plus she is scratching a nest in a corner which I normally saw before she laid an egg. I did find a little soft egg-like blob (sorry for my poor description) so she must have passed that.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

I am going to have to agree here. My hen started with a soft egg, then she laid 2 perfect eggs, then the 4th was the one that got stuck and started this thread, but came out looking perfect, now this slightly thin shelled 5th egg. She has been in the same pen, same feed, same roommate. There has to be something going on other than just the obvious. And I will say, this hen did not lay that many eggs last year. She laid in a clutch the first round and I let her keep them as she has never gone broody and was a habitual perch bomber, but I thought last year she was gonna sit. Fooled me, but did stop laying and took about a month off mid season. She laid another small round later in the summer.

I remember @connerhills once said here that there are some peahens will never be able to use in breeding programs, every year they will have issues with their eggs, any kind of problems, i hope i remember what he wrote write. I think i have three of these peahens, two of them are the mysterious hens which their eggs never developed this year, this week will be their last chance, the third peahen is the one that died on Friday, she laid a soft shell egg at the beginning of last year season, then i think she didn't lay any fertile egg last year, i got four chicks from this pen last year but i'm thinking they come from the other hen in this pen.