Macaw People with Eggsperience?

[Karen]

Well, of all the crazy things. There's a whole lot of back story that I won't go into right now but my 50+ year old hen laid a 28g egg last night! Now while I am thrilled that she felt healthy enough to do this I'm not so sure what to do now.

She has not laid eggs since 2007. Back then, with vet advice I placed the eggs on the tray and let her set up house down there to be the Mama for 28 days then all was to return to normal.

DECEMBER 2007



Fast forward to today, she is blind and seems unaware that she laid an egg. I put a towel and her egg on the bottom of the cage. She doesn't seem to care about the egg. She did beak/tongue it but had no interest in it beyond that so I took it out. Right now she is very happy sitting on the towel snapping holes in it. I'm not sure whether to just carry on with a normal routine as if there wasn't an egg (this is what my instinct is telling me to do guided by her reaction to the egg) or should I let her sit on the bottom of the cage with the nesting material and egg. I'm less inclined to do this because I feel it will perpetuate the hormonal behavior along with my thoughts that this would not be a healthy environment for her for any length of time; holding droppings, not moving, stiffening up due to arthritis, not eating and drinking at will.

She just saw her vet Tuesday and was checked for an egg do to the excessive hormonal activity. We should have done an xray instead of a physical exam cause she was hiding a big egg! I kinda of new it when I weighed her yesterday morning; she was way up in grams. I will get my vets advice as soon as I can, but you know how it goes, Kita laid the egg last night and Thursdays are my vets day off!

 

[Sarah13]

Aw, hope she's okay and bummer about the impeccable timing...egg laid but closed vet. Some say let them go through the hormonal behaviors and to get it out of their system as long as everything is safe while others say don't encourage it at all.
Sorry I can't be of any help...not much experience in the egg laying department/older birds (No eggs so far for me and birds are only 5 and 10). Good luck and hugs to Kita.
@Macawnutz
I believe Sakie laid an egg not terribly long ago and is older too. She can likely help!

 

[Hankmacaw]

Awww geez @Karen they sure put us through the wringer. I don't have a clue about what you should do, but @Macawnutz has had LOTS of eggsperience.

Kita is such a pretty pretty girl - I just love her.

I live in terror of Jasper having an egg with her heart disease and atherosclerosis. I'm afraid having an egg would kill her.

 

[JLcribber]

I think your instincts are right and I would just continue with the normal. Quite often they don't take interest in the first egg because they know there's another one coming and that's when they start to incubate. But she's an old bird and she's blind so this is new territory I'm sure.

Don't be too hasty to take the egg away even though she's not interested in it right now because she may become interested in it and then will stop her from laying eggs.

Hopefully she smartens up and stops at one. Was it a good solid formed egg?

 

[Karen]

Thank you

I sure hope she stops at one. It was a good egg, solid shell, no soft spots. It did end up with an indent which I assume is from hitting the tray. I don't know where it fell from because she laid it overnight. Also not being there immediately I don't know how long it took to firm up after it was laid. If she lays more than one I will run her into the vet for a Calcium shot just to be safe. I did put her back in her cage later in the day with her egg and towel and again she was only interested in the towel. She probably is just not seeing the egg. I felt she was in pain today so I did giver her some Metacam. That seemed to help her eat and move around a little easier.

 

[Macawnutz]

Sakie laid a normal one and did not care to sit on it so I removed it. A few days later she laid a tiny one ( or maybe it was the other way around ) the second one around she wanted to sit on. Thankfully I have so many dummy eggs that I have a few available. Not that it mattered as she instead sat on a jolly ball.

If she wants it leave it, if she doesn't remove it. That's what I do. Once they are sitting I try to let them sit it out as long as they are eating and drinking without issue.

 

[Big Blues]

Awwwww, Kita, I agree with letting her make the decision; if she isn't interested you can always remove it at any time. Sounds like if she goes for a walk with you and the egg is gone when she returns she will not miss it. As you know I have been through this with Savanah and so happy she hasn't laid eggs in a couple of years now. Towels are soft and nesting material so you might consider removing that as well; maybe less chance she will lay another.

 

[Karen]

I need Xanax! Instead I gave Kita Metacam and got her settled in for the night with some soft warm towels, her food and water dish and her new perfect egg!

Kita what are you doing?

One of us is too old for this and I thought it was you!

 

[Macawnutz]

Sakie sits for near 30 days, then I remove it. Not a big deal to me if she is eating.

Rosie laid until Greg passed. That was only 5-6 years ago.

Give Kita some love from us! Xoxoxo

 

[Karen]

Will do, thank you Sarah.

I think if this were a normal seasonal occurrence it wouldn't be so alarming. But given her health and there has been no reproductive activity for 10 years the AV and I have already discussed the possibilities of problems that could be causing this. On the positive side; maybe her weekly laser therapy has her feeling young again.

 

[Big Blues]

On the positive side; maybe her weekly laser therapy has her feeling young again.

Maybe so, any other changes in her life's activities, diet, toys or cage?

 

[Macawnutz]

Sakie has only laid three times in the 20 years I've worked with her. It shocked me the last time she did.

 

[Karen]

Kita was into the vet this morning. All indications are pointing toward; this is a typical normal reproductive/egg laying episode! The AV beefed her up with an Injacom Injection (injectable preparation of vitamins A, D3 and E), a Calcium Injection and Calcionate Syrup to be given at home. She's back home and happily tending to her egg. She's such a good Mama

Today would be her day to lay another egg if there is one but she's not up in weight so maybe she's done with the eggs (fingers crossed).

 

[Hankmacaw]

Karen, you need to convince that Kita that motherhood is not all it's cracked up to be. Hope there isn't another egg on the way.

It's great that she is well enough to have eggs after her history.

 

[Macawnutz]

Sakie laid the second almost a week late. I thought I was in the clear.

Just my good news Karen.

 

[Karen]

Karen, you need to convince that Kita that motherhood is not all it's cracked up to be. Hope there isn't another egg on the way.

It's great that she is well enough to have eggs after her history.

It is! I believe it's because of the laser therapy she gets every week. It has had such a positive impact on her everyday life.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@Macawnutz - boy you are a real help.

 

[Karen]

Sakie laid the second almost a week late. I thought I was in the clear.

Just my good news Karen.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Karen - My Vet offered laser therapy for Jasper a few years ago, but at that time he didn't have a laser machine and I would have had to take her to a very large multi- animal clinic and Phoenix is 2 hours one way driving. We finally had to amputate two toes on her bad foot (from the time she hatched)two years ago. She gets along fine with two toes on the one foot.

What/where is Kita getting her laser treatments?

 

[Macawnutz]

Hey, just throwing out my experience with old laying macaws.

Maybe if she lays late it won't be a shock or worry from my post.

At least she is sitting on the egg and not a giant jolly ball. It could be worse Karen.