New ducks Possible illness

[picklestheduck]

Hey everybody, we just got some new ducks a week ago, and I have kept them quarantined in a crate for that long. We have a male Rouen and a little Indian Runner female. The male's name is Mack and the female's name is Cheese. They Were both born in May and were raised with 30 chickens.I noticed that the little female at first had extremely clogged Nares, and I immediately gave her a deep dish of water to clean them out in. She does clean them out, but she still seems to have a little bit of a plug in each nostril, and over the last week her breathing has seemed to get slightly whistly or wheezy. I also noted that when the male mates with a female, since he is so large, he practically smashes her. I don't know if that could be contributing to it, or what? I also noticed the back of the Indian Runner's neck is pretty much bare, but I figured that's just from over mating.The male seems to be completely healthy. Their feet did seem to have a little bit of a grayish crustiness, and it looks a bit dry. I further inspected, and they don't have any loose scalies or anything. I think it's just like dry skin or dirt or something. They have also recently started to have green poop, but I have also started feeding them kale and lettuce within the last few days. Maybe it's just because I've been feeding them a lot of greens? I'm not sure. I'm just concerned that there could be something further going on. It is difficult since I have extreme tendonitis in both arms now, and I cannot use them even for typing. Sorry if the Grammar is wrong, I have to voice type and autocorrect is not my friend. I also don't do anything personally with the Ducks other than look at them. My sister takes care of them mostly, I just oversee everything. I will try to have my sister get some pictures later of the poop and the Ducks. I know the owners that originally got rid of them said that if something didn't work out, they would like them back. we got them from someone who posted them on Facebook saying they could not take care of them because they were not set up for them. I also do not think they have ever swam before, because she said they only had a rubber pan for water that got dirty a lot. They seem to be very cold in the Wind when I put them in the open Stock trailer for a few hours a day to get some fresh air and to stretch their wings and legs. My guess is they haven't built up their oil very much from not being able to swim. Should I put them in a bathtub or something? Everything is frozen solid here outside. If they seem to be very ill or something, I might send them back, since we don't want to get the rest of our flock sick, and I don't want to keep them in a crate forever, since we don't have that big of a quarantine area. It works for a while, but long-term it wouldn't be fair to them. I'm just not sure what to do. I have them on all natural vitamin C powder and we'll give them some electrolytes ASAP. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Pictures will definitely help. They do seem to have a cold or something, did the people you got them from keep them in a very messy place?

 

[picklestheduck]

I could not tell since we got them long after it was dark, and they had pulled them out of the coop and had them waiting in a crate in the garage for us. from what I could see, they really loved them and cared for them, they just were not set up for ducks. The woman we got them from texts us daily asking how they are doing and wanting updates on them. she said they put straw and hay in the coop so they had a nice area to nest in. they seemed to care for them a lot, but I don't know what their coop looks like.

 

[ruthhope]

Green poop when eating kale is certainly normal

It sounds like the little Indian Runner should not be kept crated with the drake who might be mating out of boredom. Yes drakes are sex mad, but they don't have much else to do when crated!!

If the ducks are eating normally, I would integrate them with your other ducks and keep a watchful eye to ensure they both clean up their feet and the Indian Runner cleans out her nose

 

[indianaducks]

Mine get green poop when they eat greens. Beyond that, I'm not sure about the other things you mentioned.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Unless they are in full quarantine away from your other ducks and you (or whoever takes care of them) change clothing (shoes,etc) in between checking on flocks, then the original flock would already be exposed. Most BYC members do not do a real quarantine. So, no reason to return. Plus, that's got to be stressful for them.
The gray crust could be dried dirt. The duck's nostrils being clogged is a little concerning, but it might be that she hasn't had deep water to clean out her nares.
The green poop is normal. My ducks occasionally have green poop even when they don't get greens. Neon green would be concerning.
A crate isn't a lot of room for ducks. I'd give them more room with access to fresh deep water. Bigger spaces are easier to keep clean and to keep the animals healthy.
Bringing them inside to bathe is a great idea. You can do a full check up on them too.

 

[picklestheduck]

Hey yall, Yesterday we put the two ducks in the coop with the others, in a separate area so they are still apart but can see each other. They seemed to be shivering a little while later, but I'm not sure why. Is it possible they are not waterproof? Like their oil isn't built up enough? I wanted to put em in the bathtub….but the rest of the fam doesn’t like the idea of the ducks in the only working bathtub in the house….so idk what to do…I have thought about putting warm water in a kiddie pool outside, but I'm afraid they'll get too cold out there. Also this morning, they escaped and ran straight into the rest of my flock, and started to get attacked. We keep them separated in the nesting box area that we have, so we need to open it up to the rest of the flock during the day and we move them to Where our flock spends the night. They seemed a bit traumatized after they were attacked by the other 17 Birds, but hopefully everything calmed down now that they are safely apart again. I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas on the shivering? We added a bit more straw to our coop yesterday, since the temps have been getting down to the single digits overnight. I'm also working on adding more ventilation to our coop, but it's just been a process. Help!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Hey yall, Yesterday we put the two ducks in the coop with the others, in a separate area so they are still apart but can see each other. They seemed to be shivering a little while later, but I'm not sure why. Is it possible they are not waterproof? Like their oil isn't built up enough? I wanted to put em in the bathtub….but the rest of the fam doesn’t like the idea of the ducks in the only working bathtub in the house….so idk what to do…I have thought about putting warm water in a kiddie pool outside, but I'm afraid they'll get too cold out there. Also this morning, they escaped and ran straight into the rest of my flock, and started to get attacked. We keep them separated in the nesting box area that we have, so we need to open it up to the rest of the flock during the day and we move them to Where our flock spends the night. They seemed a bit traumatized after they were attacked by the other 17 Birds, but hopefully everything calmed down now that they are safely apart again. I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas on the shivering? We added a bit more straw to our coop yesterday, since the temps have been getting down to the single digits overnight. I'm also working on adding more ventilation to our coop, but it's just been a process. Help!

My indian runners shiver when it's cold out. It gets quite cold here. This morning it was around 12°F when they were let out. They shiver and then nestle down into the straw. Do you have other runners? I don't think I've ever seen my muscovy shiver. They usually just tuck everything up to keep warm.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Add more straw for sure. Are they eating good? Give them nourishing feed and make sure they can dunk their head and keep their nares cleaned out. If your temps are below freezing I don't think I'd let them swim. Keep them out of cold wind until they have acclimated to the temps. My Runners will go in and out of their coop when it's frigid outside. They don't stay out long.

 

[picklestheduck]

Here they are in our stock trailer. They are now in the coop. That was only temporary.