Does it hurt my female to let her lay eggs?

A hen on a good diet can lay a clutch of eggs without causing metabolic deficiencies. The problem in many situations is that the hen lays more than two clutches per year. That can weigh heavily on her calcium supply and general metabolism.

If the hen is on a pelleted diet she shouldn’t have any problem laying 2 clutches per year. A hen on a seed-only type diet many get into calcium deficiency laying that second clutch. Hens that lay continuously on any diet get into calcium deficiencies, and in that case we step in with a medication (lupron) that shuts down sex hormones and stops the laying cycle so the hen can replenish herself. Continue reading →

Why do my birds keep getting sick with the common cold or other minor infections?

First of all, birds do not have what humans call a “cold”. For birds, it can be a Chlamydial organism, a Mycoplasma organism, or bacterial infection (many types of bacteria can cause respiratory disease).

Wild finches get Chlamydia psittaci which clogs up their sinuses and upper respiratory tract, making it difficult if not impossible to eat. There has also been Mycoplasma infections which do much the same thing.

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