My Parrot Chewey laid an egg!!

[Bobbie Ireland]

Loving these pet bird discussions, everyone!

Pffft! I just wanted a bird I could play with and enjoy, didn't think it would ever come with eggs!!!

Reminds me of a dog Rod rescued once - Holly, a sweet Sheepdog/Sheltie thingie. He found her - tired, hungry and filthy - tied with blue rope to a bumper of a car at a horse fair in Dublin and brought her home... uhhhh... she then proceeded to produce 7 puppies on our kitchen floor... Kept 2 (Holly too!), found good homes for the rest. Ya never know, D-G!

[Bonnie]

My birds usually lay once a year, but Vinnee did have three clutches in one year. If she has laid two eggs so far there is less risk of egg binding. The passage way is stretched. Lay off the tea, cheese doodles, pizza and snack foods. She WILL eat the good stuff.  Apples, fresh corn, peas, broccoli, carrots, chicken, eggs with shells.  Just chop stuff up into conure sized bits.  Choose salt and preservative free things. Get the box.  She will like that. Place it high in the cage.  If you remove eggs, she will keep laying to replace them.

[margaret]

Sorry Donna - I work crazy hours in summer time.  One thing I thought of after i posted earlier, is Winnie bird  craved peanuts when she was in egg laying mode.   She only ate the shell part  --- not really the nut part.    I always knew when she was in egg laying mode when she craved peanut shells. When I saw her going after the peanut shells I was not happy!     And Cheerios and Wheat Thins.      If Chewey is into this ...and from the sounds of it , she it, she will go all year round.  It doesn't matter time of year.    Winnie was the aggressor as far as soliciting...actually she was quite the seductress from Doc -bird (the male).  she would grab his beak and try to regurgitate food...a bonding  thing.   (They had separate cages and were never together except for some guided play time).   Their cages were next to each others' though. 

I will have to pull out all my charts, but Winnie had certain periods that she laid those eggs, but it was almost year round.      It is a trying time, but all of those birds around Chewey are stimulating her, plus the ideal conditions..I'm sure.      It's been three years since I lost Winnie, but keep asking me  the questions; I'm sure I was through the same things, and I can answer your questions.
  Good luck to you and Chewey.   
 

[margaret]

It is a lot of work and time with our chronic egg layers.  That is interesting that Chewey is not incubating the eggs.   Winnie was such a good hen.     I could actually feel the heat she was giving off to the eggs when I could get her out of the cage.  She developed the "brood  patch"  where her feathers on the chest thinned so she could provide more body heat to the eggs.

It is not an easy time for us, but it is even tougher on the conures.    Good luck, and keep me posted.  I will try  to help you through it as best I can.

Poor Chewey!  Poor you!  It's tough on both of you.
    

[margaret]

Donna, how is Chewey doing with the eggs?  How many has she laid?   Is she sitting on them? 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Donna, how is Chewey doing with the eggs?  How many has she laid?   Is she sitting on them? 

My questions too, Donna. Hope Chewy is doing well - AND "her" mom!

[Donna]

Chewey so far, laid only the 2 eggs. Looks like she was going to lay another as her abdomen looks eggish but it's been over a week and nothing. She's eating like a pig, playing with her rings, hanging upside down and poohing just fine, so if there is an egg in there, she's not egg-bound. I wouldn't know anyway as we are both new to this. (I'm still not over the fact that he's a she yet). I gave her some cooked chicken the other day and the little cannibal ate it. Tried Broccoli, she threw it out of her dish, (guess not)! She loves the pasta and egg noodles. Other than that, she seems fine. She has no attachment to the egg in her cage, she actually rolls it out of her way, it must annoy her. Should I remove that egg or leave it?? Thanks for asking!!

[margaret]

If she seems to be eating and pooping okay, and is not listless, maybe there are only two eggs.  If she is not sitting on the eggs, try removing them.   I could always tell by Winnie's abdomen and vent area if she was going to lay again.  If she gets listless and all fluffed  up, you may want to check with a vet. 

Do you weigh Chewey?  I learned early on the best sign of a bird's health is its weight.  I bought a kitchen gram scale when Doc was   a baby, and got them used to being weighed when they were babies.  It became a natural part of their lives.   If I suspected Winnie was going in to egg laying mode, I'd weigh her and it always confirmed that eggs were coming.  Her entire life, she weighed 118 grams, but in egg laying mode, her weight would go  up to 140-142 grams.    If Chewey seems bigger than  normal, or is still eating "like a pig"  she may still be in egg laying mode. 
I still weigh Doc bird just to keep an eye on his health, and he maintains 138 grams most of the time. 

So good luck with Chewey. 

[Donna]

Well my sweet Chewey had 1 more egg inside her. It was sideways and she couldn't push it out. Vet tonight, X-rays, Gas and egg removal... $300 plus dollars. Hope this never happens again!! Chewey is resting peacefully now and no more bulge....YET! I felt so bad for her. I'm a new mom to this and I liked it better when she was a he! 

[Kris G.]

Well my sweet Chewey had 1 more egg inside her. It was sideways and she couldn't push it out. Vet tonight, X-rays, Gas and egg removal... $300 plus dollars. Hope this never happens again!! Chewey is resting peacefully now and no more bulge....YET! I felt so bad for her. I'm a new mom to this and I liked it better when she was a he! 

Awww, poor Chewey and poor Donna.  Sorry she had to go thru that and all the expense for you.  Hope this is the end.

[MAK]

Thank God Chewey is without egg now so Donna can sleep peacefully tonight! 

[Donna]

Thanks Kris and MAK, the $$ doesn't bother me too much, (it was Ed's anyway), I just felt so sorry for Chewey, sitting there pushing and nothing coming out. Kinda expensive for a 15 minute visit!

[Bobbie Ireland]

Get better, Chewy!

[Bonnie]

Chewey and you and all were VERY lucky!  It could have ended another way.  I would have thought her canal was open enough after the other eggs.

[Donna]

Chewey and you and all were VERY lucky!  It could have ended another way.  I would have thought her canal was open enough after the other eggs.

I know Bonnie, the vet it could have been tragic. The egg turned sideways, that's why she couldn't push it out. He said he almost lost a Parrot Monday night for the same thing. Wow, so out in the wild when this happens, they end up paralyzed or dead! Unbelievable.