ducks suddenly dying

[rkbizzle]

so I recently went out and baught 12 chickens and 4 ducks..... chickens are a mixture of Rhode Island red, aurucana, red pullets, and Plymouth rock. the ducks are pekin. I've had all of them for about 4 weeks now.. about one week ago I came home from work and one of the ducks was on its side and acted like it was dying.. I picked it up, put it in a bath and made sure its beak was cleared out, let it swim around for about 20 minutes... it acted fine so I put it back and within 2 hours it started happening again. this time it died.... I read that the chick starter feed could be low on niacin so I got a bird multivitamin, probiotic, electrolyte and started putting some apple cider vinegar in there water. now last night the same thing happened to another one. the chicks all act fine and I'm worried the other two ducks are next. I change their water twice a day, change their bedding daily and even give them tons of supervised time outside in the yard. what could be going on?

 

[chicklover 1998]

is the chick feed medicated?

 

[rkbizzle]

is the chick feed medicated?

no I made sure I got Un medicated feed

 

[chicklover 1998]

what protein is the feed, have you given them any peas(unthawed frozen ones not canned) or dog food(kibble small enough to eat dry or watered to make a paste), I know those are good for little duckies, sounds crazy but it seems to work for other people.

 

[rkbizzle]

what protein is the feed, have you given them any peas(unthawed frozen ones not canned) or dog food(kibble small enough to eat dry or watered to make a paste), I know those are good for little duckies, sounds crazy but it seems to work for other people.

peas yes but not any kibble...usually their diet consists of organic feed with 20% protein, an assortment of veggies (green beans, peas, sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce) and about once a week a packet of tuna and some wild bird seed as a treat. all vegetables are non gmo organic. I'll try some of the kibble starting tomorrow to see if it helps

 

[chicklover 1998]

I don't know what else could be wrong, have they had any contact with wild birds, or been in an areas where wild birds could have been previously?

 

[Duck Drover]

peas yes but not any kibble...usually their diet consists of organic feed with 20% protein, an assortment of veggies (green beans, peas, sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce) and about once a week a packet of tuna and some wild bird seed as a treat. all vegetables are non gmo organic. I'll try some of the kibble starting tomorrow to see if it helps

Check the list of everything you have fed them that is non-feed, including the seed, to see if anything on the list is toxic to ducks.

 

[rkbizzle]

I don't know what else could be wrong, have they had any contact with wild birds, or been in an areas where wild birds could have been previously?

just outside in the yard for about 2 hours a day

 

[Orca5094]

Are they crested?

 

[buff goose guy]

Are they crested?

x2


Also have they eaten any plants that are like in a garden, or any kind of leaves, and if so what kinds?