Help Call Duck people...

[lilybug51]

I had a duckling just 3 weeks old I had to have put down for neurological symptoms (seizures, fell over upside down and could right itself, couldn't stand, etc). I took her, Flip, to the vet and they said she had no pupillary response and we had her put down. We took her to University of Kentucky extension office for a necropsy. My intent is to breed and sell them so I need to know if it was infectious, something I was doing wrong or genetic. That came back inconclusive with metabolic disorder as #1 possibility. I now have one of my full grown call ducks showing similar symptoms. Is there something that is particular to call ducks that would cause this?

 

[casportpony]

I had a duckling just 3 weeks old I had to have put down for neurological symptoms (seizures, fell over upside down and could right itself, couldn't stand, etc). I took her, Flip, to the vet and they said she had no pupillary response and we had her put down. We took her to University of Kentucky extension office for a necropsy. My intent is to breed and sell them so I need to know if it was infectious, something I was doing wrong or genetic. That came back inconclusive with metabolic disorder as #1 possibility. I now have one of my full grown call ducks showing similar symptoms. Is there something that is particular to call ducks that would cause this?

Wow, so sorry. Can you upload a video to YouTube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here? Can you also tell us more about your setup and what you feed?

 

[casportpony]

Another thought, would it be possible for you to post a copy of the necropsy report?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wonder if @Pyxis has seen this?

 

[Pyxis]

I've never had this in my Calls, so it's not something endemic to Calls in particular as far as I know.

Are your Calls crested, by any chance?

If you saw this in the duckling and now again in an adult, it could be that it's something genetic that that adult duck is passing on.

Also, what do you feed them?

 

[lilybug51]

I've isolated her so I can keep her here at the house. She ordinarily lives in a mixed flock with chickens and turkeys (a breeding pair). They have an old shed for a coop where they lay and go in at night. During the day they have a large fenced run. I have 2 females and a drake and I was told they were silver but they don't look like the ones I see at pictured on other sites. They are not crested. The baby that died was not one of theirs...she came from Purely Poultry with 5 others and they are all pastels. They have access to meat bird, layer feed and just recently Manna Pro duck starter grower because I moved the babies into the run. I mix brewers yeast into both the layer feed and the meat bird feed. Plus they get oats once week as a treat. They have a 40 gallon horse trough, and 2 baby pools for swimming and other waterers for drinking. I just bought them Manna Pro duck feed yesterday (they have never had it at my feed store before). She has waterer with Nutri drench, feeder and deep bowl of water with brewers yeast in her crate right now.

 

[lilybug51]

Also I will try to get a video (never have the phone when you need it) and/or scan the necropsy report. Her name is Silver, drake is Sterling and her sister wife is Charm.

 

[Pyxis]

Since it was two unrelated ducks that this happened to, I'm thinking they must be getting into something in their area that is causing this. It just seems like too big a coincidence that two unrelated ducks have come down with the same symptoms like that.

How does her poop look?

 

[lilybug51]

To complicate it even more these two ducks lived in completely separate places grown one in the run and the duckling was in a brooder. That's why I was thinking call ducks might need something nutritionally that I was not giving them. She's isolated now so I will let you know about poop.

 

[Pyxis]

To complicate it even more these two ducks lived in completely separate places grown one in the run and the duckling was in a brooder. That's why I was thinking call ducks might need something nutritionally that I was not giving them. She's isolated now so I will let you know about poop.

Is there anything that they shared in common that you changed right before the symptoms started? New food, new bedding, etc?