Duck sneeze?

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spiritbrook

spiritbrook

Songster
5 Years
Jul 9, 2015
132
20
106
Southern Oregon Coast
At least I think they are...

It sounds a bit like a cut-off quack and then is followed by a loud rasping noise. Not a cough, which I assume would be the same for any other poultry, but this small quack followed by a stronger sound. Is it a sneeze? What causes a sneeze? Should I worry about it? Betsy seems to do it most often, but I swear that Sarah does it once in a while. I don't think Mikey has ever done it. Nobody is acting "off". Mikey is the biggest, maybe over 5 pounds (the standard says 5 pounds is ideal) Betsy the middle, and Sarah is the smallest.
 
I am trying to imagine what that sounds like…What do they do when that happens? Are they drinking water? Swimming? Eating? Head-bobbing?

Might you get a quick video or recording of it?
 
Amiga said:
I am trying to imagine what that sounds like…What do they do when that happens? Are they drinking water? Swimming? Eating? Head-bobbing?

Might you get a quick video or recording of it?
Click to expand...

It is always unchoreographed when it happens, but it happens mostly when she is eating. The first time I heard it I thought that perhaps she got something stuck in her throat, but that was a month ago. I watched for days and saw nothing amiss. It seems to happen most when they are picking up their koi food from the ground because I'm too lazy to go feed them in one of the wading boxes or the tub. I thought I heard the beginning of one after their tub wash and refill - they get excited and swim wildly about - but I didn't hear it again. I will try though to get a recording.

As for head bobbing, the only time they do that is when, eh-hem, you know...
 
They may be biting off more than they can chew, in a way - ducks can overstuff their throats sometimes, especially if they've been hungry. That's one reason I keep food in front of the flock pretty much 24/7 - sometimes overnight they'll finish their food and the bowl is empty in the morning. But I aim for food with water all the time.
 
Amiga said:
They may be biting off more than they can chew, in a way - ducks can overstuff their throats sometimes, especially if they've been hungry. That's one reason I keep food in front of the flock pretty much 24/7 - sometimes overnight they'll finish their food and the bowl is empty in the morning. But I aim for food with water all the time.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought but I wanted to make sure. I thought that she had gulped too much down (as it was a treat) and had no water to rinse it with. As for food, I hide the koi food in the grass so that they find it if they are just doing their duck grazing thing. Their pen has 6 - 2 quart stainless water pans, a pile of grit, one of their wading boxes, and a rubber dish that holds about a quart of food. It has a dish of water close enough that they don't even have to move to soak their food. For some reason they never eat it until they are locked in for the night. I have gotten a new bag of food and it is pelleted, I'm hoping that they will like it better. I didn't know that the food I was using came in pellets.
 

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