Hello - I'm fairly new to ducks and would appreciate some help. One of my 4 ducks has suddenly died. What should I do?
She is one of 3 white Campbells; I also have a Cayuga - they are rescue ducks and I don't know their age, had them a couple of months.
For a few days she hasn't been playing with her sisters - just eating, swimming and sitting separately. I thought they were giving her the cold shoulder, but she seemed ok. Yesterday she didn't arrive for breakfast (she was out foraging on our half acre pond) but more unusually she didn't come for supper and lockup. Usually they are really eager for food. I fetched her in, picked her up and couldn't find anything wrong. Her breathing was fine, no bird flu symptoms. No obvious injury. Thought her crop might be a little swollen to look at but that does happen sometimes and it was barely noticeable.
She wasn't interested in food or water once she was in her pen with the other ducks.
This morning she made it onto the pond but was drifting sleepily in the shallows, not dabbling. She was the same this afternoon but when I came back an hour later she was dead in the water.
I am not sure if she was laying or not -- from 3 white ducks we get 2 eggs a day, but I don't know which wasn't laying or even if it was the same ducks laying every day.
We'll bury her, but what else should I do? The other ducks seem fine. Should I disinfect their coop (we're days away from putting them into a new one).
Really sad - was close to getting the vet, but she really just seemed lacklustre and sleepy.
She is one of 3 white Campbells; I also have a Cayuga - they are rescue ducks and I don't know their age, had them a couple of months.
For a few days she hasn't been playing with her sisters - just eating, swimming and sitting separately. I thought they were giving her the cold shoulder, but she seemed ok. Yesterday she didn't arrive for breakfast (she was out foraging on our half acre pond) but more unusually she didn't come for supper and lockup. Usually they are really eager for food. I fetched her in, picked her up and couldn't find anything wrong. Her breathing was fine, no bird flu symptoms. No obvious injury. Thought her crop might be a little swollen to look at but that does happen sometimes and it was barely noticeable.
She wasn't interested in food or water once she was in her pen with the other ducks.
This morning she made it onto the pond but was drifting sleepily in the shallows, not dabbling. She was the same this afternoon but when I came back an hour later she was dead in the water.
I am not sure if she was laying or not -- from 3 white ducks we get 2 eggs a day, but I don't know which wasn't laying or even if it was the same ducks laying every day.
We'll bury her, but what else should I do? The other ducks seem fine. Should I disinfect their coop (we're days away from putting them into a new one).
Really sad - was close to getting the vet, but she really just seemed lacklustre and sleepy.