Avian reproductive disorders

Abstract

Reproductive disorders are common in birds and are frequently encountered in avian practice. They often involve emergency presentations and may be life threatening. In female birds, chronic egg laying, egg binding, dystocia, ovarian disease, oviductal disease and egg coelomitis are all examples of common reproductive disorders. In male birds, reproductive disorders include testicular diseases and prolapse of the phallus in those species which possess an intromittent organ. Depending on the disorder, medical or surgical management may be indicated. The use of deslorelin (a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist) implants has become popular in avian medicine over the last decade and some studies have explored the efficacy of this treatment in some species, although a lot more research is needed to establish the efficacy in a wider range of species, in both sexes and with repeated use.