First time owner of a female budgie.

[Drakitty]

For clarafication, I have 2 love birds, 2 budgies and 2 chickens. I have owned chicken for a 12 years, and parrots 3. But Sweetmeat is my first female budgie. My chickens have never had an egg binding situation because I provide layer pellets or a calcium supplement.

My question is, should I supliment extra calcium even if shes not laying? Can providing that extra calcium provoke laying, I think not but it seems worth asking.

And if she does run into an egg binding situation how do you all handle it? Shes just now 6 months old and from what I've read that means she on the verge of being old enough and I just want to be prepared.

 

[Ripshod]

It's not a good idea to give supplemental calcium to a budgie unless she actually needs it. Budgies don't handle calcium as well as other birds and it can cause renal problems. A budgie on a good diet that includes some pellets will have enough calcium for the day-to-day.
For the past couple of decades I've never had a budgie lay an egg. It's not really that common despite how the internet can make it seem so, and all my budgies are currently in mating pairs. I keep it natural.
There's plenty of ways to discourage laying, and ways to deal with any eggs.
Egg binding? My vet would deal with that.

 

[Zara]

I just want to be prepared.

As Linden said, a good pellet based diet is a good start to providing the nutrition they need. Allowing daily flight time (without clipped wings) can strengthen muscles and keep a hen in good physical condition which can help reduce egg binding.

I have lovebirds and provide a supplement to only one of my three laying hens because she has had problems with calcium deficiency since she hatched. The other two girls eat pellets, veggies, some seed, fly and have no other additional supplements.

 

[Drakitty]

Thanks for the answers guys! You all affirmed what I already suspected.

I own chickens too and my number one fear is egg binding. I know how to handle that in chickens, it's never happened to me. So when I got a budgie hen I had a little anxiety attack about egg binding. I feel better hearing form more experianced owners.

 

[Zara]

when I got a budgie hen I had a little anxiety attack about egg binding

I think that we should acknowledge that is can happen. Try our best to familiarise ourselves with the symptoms so we know when there´s a problem, take steps to reduce the risk of it happening, and be ready should it actually happen. Especially us with budgies, lovebirds and cockatiels.

Here is a good article to read;

https://nilesanimalhospital.com/files/2012/05/Complications-of-Egg-Laying-Activity.pdf

Ultimately, once you get to the point where you think your bird is egg bound, heading to the vet really is the best action to take.