My females are always panting

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lina500

lina500

Chirping
5 Years
Apr 7, 2014
285
7
96
Cambodia
I have two female ducks and one male duck (and a new duckling!), and the females are always panting lately (I've never seen the drake do it). It's hot where I live all year long, but I always have drinking and swimming water on hand for them, and they are from this climate to begin with. Should I be worried about this? Both of the girls have been laying an egg a day for a couple of months now, so I'm worried they might be overtaxed.
 
My big girls - a purebred pekin and 2 pekin cross, all very large ladies - pant constantly in hot weather. One of them, Im not sure which, hums like a little engine. On really hot days I give water 3 times a day so they can cool off, and theres plenty of shade. I have never seen my calls or other smaller ducks do it, only pekins. Interestingly, of my 3 ducklings, the pekin baby pants all the time, where the little call and the crossbred don't. Might be something to do with being a big duck? Not sure what yours are.
 
Hmm...I am not sure what mine are, they are Cambodian crossbreeds that have been bred to lay a lot of eggs. When I went to Central Park I saw the ducks there, and mine are definitely bigger than those ones, so I guess mine are big. We have a new little duckling who pants a lot, too. It is hot here, and more than that, it's VERY humid.
 
Our ducklings, were really hot, and always hot. They had enough water and shade, I had done more research and just saw that they were "American Black Ducks" Which migrate too the colder parts of North America, (They died):(
 
Mine are a local breed that have lived in this heat for a long time, so I am not worried about that. I was just worried they were stressed out from laying so much.
 
I think maybe it's just their way of cooling down? I wouldn't worry too much!
I have only seen my ducks pant once and that was when we were bringing them home in the car!
 
lina500 said:
Mine are a local breed that have lived in this heat for a long time, so I am not worried about that. I was just worried they were stressed out from laying so much.
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Panting can mean stress and it can mean hot too. like a dog it's a way of cooling, Egg laying can tax their bodies but it's a normal part of ducks so hopefully they'll take a break soon and give their bodies a rest. Here it has to do with day light getting shorter, does that happen in Cambodia? what season are you in besides the hot one? mine are usually through laying by end of Oct. but some ducks will lay year round with just breaks in between, make sure they have a really good diet and I believe you are making one for them? and that they have a good supply of calcium either from reg diet or oyster shell. and a good poultry vitamins a couple times a week.
 
Hi Miss Lydia, we have a couple of seasons in Cambodia, hot and rainy, hot and dry, cool and rainy and cool and dry. Cool season isn't very cool, though, it's still shorts and t-shirt weather! Right now it's hot and rainy but should be cooling down soon. I think they will lay all year, just with breaks. Our days don't get any shorter because we are near the equator, it's about 12-13 hours of sun all year round.

We have been making our own food and also giving commercial food for layers (I assume it has a calcium supplement) plus poultry vitamins and extra treats. Plus they free range in the yard all day.
 

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