Sick ducks? Help! Newbie!

[laughingdog]

I have a lot of thorn type berry ect vines and bushes on my property, and hard gravel, and only had all at once get bad bumble foot, partly maybe by hay and straw used that got poopy quick and bad before cut most mentioned out. after no more foot trouble but daddy duck once (a cut). I've a month or so since also put grates in pen that cover about half of it in areas. Hunters and others "pickle" the feet/paws/hooves/claws before a hunt or race ect, and just once every so often or after problems re occur, by taking the "feet" and soaking in cooled tea, and that toughens the feet up (I've never tried).

I too spend way too much money on my pets (i figure better them than going out to eat ect..), much more than i ever spend on myself, and that includes the animals that are mostly rescues or "given" to /left for me. If you have the money to do so spend it how you would want, and not how anyone else says if you earn it. I ment that some that don't have access in rural areas and can't drive to go get things, or have avian vets. i was a vet assistant for over three years in a major city in a way too busy most days practice. seeing and taught from txt books (who else is old enough to remember when research came from proven sources like calling product companies and actual print), and from my boss, that over supplementing and medicating (its found in people all the time), can be even worse than not at all at times and even more so than slight deficiencies, but a great way for some to make money off you over and over sometime.

the ground, spring, and well water here are tainted, so much that fish are hard pressed to survive in water from them, yet my ducks have adapted as have chickens and pigeons that survive.

apples, flax seed, olive oil, corn, peas, excessive calcium than the body uses (all used as diaretics and laxatives alone..), layer pellets which are formulated for the specific needs as sole supplement source for few factory high production strains of chickens only after first year of life or first year of laying in non commercial settings (proven way more calcium and other stuff than most chickens need even), and/along with added vits mins and electro lights (most high in salts and sugars, adding to what found in layer, added to produce, added to grains ect, added to forage..), thought possibility of over supplementation then medicating for something else, was worth suggesting. you said the growing young were not bad at all if i remember correctly?

my ducks don't now usually get watery or even loose stool once i cut the rest out, but only time they do get, is when they get too much tossed out layer for my pigeons (oddly the young pigeons especially do wonderful on, more so than pigeon food i used, and helps sick and injured heal fast and seems to prevent broken bones), lettuce, peas, or corn.

mine (if scovy that different in diets and/or immunities wise never mind this part, and someone let me know), eat a lot of wild greens grass berries bugs and small rodents, as well as pond fish frogs snails, and once a huge clutch of snapping turtle eggs (i know i gotta fish five adults out of pond soon). sometimes the little woman of house gives them bread chips and anything like cookies and candy ect, and they steal dog and cat food. mine should hace the poops, especially since the well ect water alone here causes humans so many problems, da poops being one of them (i use city water when penned, also more put out when free ranging over acres, but sometimes they probly drink from pond and other ground water as well that they play in). they eat a lot of poop too. lol

 

[Amiga]

laughingdog, you have had a great deal of experience, and I thank you for writing about what you have seen, done, and tried.

I agree we can overdo some things. I don't like to give antibiotics unless it looks like that is needed, and I pretty much use vitamins, electrolytes and probiotics during times of stress or illness for the ducks.

I have often wondered about the formulations for boughten feed. We had quite a discussion about it some time ago after the FDA was being petitioned to allow more aflatoxin-tainted corn in animals feeds (due to the drought).

Do you ever give a little charcoal to absorb toxins in the gut?

 

[laughingdog]

Do you know if you have saint john's wort, pr other herbs growing around were they forage? I'm not sure about ducks, but know sjw and some other herbs in livestock can cause sevier sun sensitivities and thin weak skin as well as other problems, especially in horses and cattle worked temp at race horse and draft horse farm and we were taught to dig it up by root and dispose of in trash when came across them), mullen i think was one that was bad at least for stock anyway.

i wasn't trying to sound as bad saying you were poisioning your ducks, as it looked when saw posted, just figured you could simplify then see, as you'd posted you were ready to give up from constant trouble before and cost. wait till preds discover you have ducks then it'll be even more trouble, though hardware cloth/wire small of guage as you can find, and a good guard dog or two will kill or run off even BOPs that your not allowed to harass, though humans seem worst preds I'm having so far after years of pigeons chickens, and just since jul 1st having more than one scovy duck.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you know if you have saint john's wort, pr other herbs growing around were they forage? I'm not sure about ducks, but know sjw and some other herbs in livestock can cause sevier sun sensitivities and thin weak skin as well as other problems, especially in horses and cattle worked temp at race horse and draft horse farm and we were taught to dig it up by root and dispose of in trash when came across them), mullen i think was one that was bad at least for stock anyway.

i wasn't trying to sound as bad saying you were poisioning your ducks, as it looked when saw posted, just figured you could simplify then see, as you'd posted you were ready to give up from constant trouble before and cost. wait till preds discover you have ducks then it'll be even more trouble, though hardware cloth/wire small of guage as you can find, and a good guard dog or two will kill or run off even BOPs that your not allowed to harass, though humans seem worst preds I'm having so far after years of pigeons chickens, and just since jul 1st having more than one scovy duck.

We have SJW growing wild here, I'm not sure if any of my flock eats it though, I think they pretty much know what's good for them and not, So far I haven't seen any sickness with mine foraging all over the woods and fenced in property. I have been vigilant in keeping the thorn bushes out of the fenced property. We have those huge wild roses and boy those thorns sure do hurt. 'I don't like to tell anyone to put their ducks etc on antibiotics but if they feel that's the course they want to go then I'll try to help them make the best choice In the right antibiotic. Not all antibiotics treat the same thing as you probably know. And I like that we can all give and share our opinions and experiences on here and use what we need.

 

[Amiga]

Yes, it can be overwhelming, learning how to work with the ducks and I am with you - half inch metal hardware cloth really helps. So do a couple of strands of hot wire, if you can get a charger. I found a smallish one and went for it. I used it at night till I moved the ducks into a more secure night shelter. A couple of times I heard raccoons yip and run.

And the two-legged predators are on my list of those to watch out for. A determined predator of any kind will test our security systems, I just pray raccoons do not learn how to use bolt cutters.

 

[laughingdog]

Amiga (and everyone else), i think i forgot to mention most experiences were with other birds, and not ducks (i know not too much maybe specific to ducks yet), aside from canada geese mallards and wood ducks (used for food along with quail, also homer and feral pigeons), to train raptors at a rehab center (which i wasn't qualified to handle listed still as endangered raptors/BOPs like bald eagles and osprey). also was apprentice falconer first year. Started out mostly in poultry again doctoring "retired" "game" cocks (its discriptive of a good looking rooster, not a bad word!), rollers homers feral pigeons, and an abused scovy duckling. I've learned so much on here as still do, rest just trial and a lot of luck (though i had prior experience with song birds and hookbills through work and rescue).

 

[Miss Lydia]

Amiga (and everyone else), i think i forgot to mention most experiences were with other birds, and not ducks (i know not too much maybe specific to ducks yet), aside from canada geese mallards and wood ducks (used for food along with quail, also homer and feral pigeons), to train raptors at a rehab center (which i wasn't qualified to handle listed still as endangered raptors/BOPs like bald eagles and osprey). also was apprentice falconer first year. Started out mostly in poultry again doctoring "retired" "game" cocks (its discriptive of a good looking rooster, not a bad word!), rollers homers feral pigeons, and an abused scovy duckling. I've learned so much on here as still do, rest just trial and a lot of luck (though i had prior experience with song birds and hookbills through work and rescue).

What are Chinese Owls?

 

[laughingdog]

I oddly just the other day saw my scovy eating activated charcoal from my pond, and a bit of wood char and ash they dug out from under a big ol tree were old house had burned down. come to think of it they as chickens and pigeons do, probly get toxins removed, calcium and iron added to diet, and grit, all from the rocky minerally clay soil here (east TN). the ducks have been eating the clay along with other soil in pond recently (probly cause of new recomended dog food i tried that rat breeders won't even eat but ducks love, that the dye turns their poop red, and too much of red dye known to be toxic, especially certain sourses). i do usually keep aquarium charcoal around. yeah my scovy won't eat too many types of herbs (odd they love poison oak though showing no ill effects so far, and they dig it out by the roots). I just didn't know if ducks got poisoning from same thing as cattle horses or goats.. i know my white leghorns ate every piece of trash they could find and never had trouble (every day layers), and game chickens ate nothing really but bare dirt seemingly and dry dogfood (every day layers).

Ive heard from some locals and others on here, that ducks are extremely susceptible to heavy metal poisioning. as apparently they enjoy tast and eat loose change and old weak wire ect and doesn't take much to cause problems to death. could my scovys be eating clay and coal and ash to counter heavy metal in ground water ect (supposedly the iron can make people extremely ill. also on other threads some posted about adding general poultry to chicken vits mins and electro lights and ducks getting severely sick till they stopped, then poops even, went away.

 

[laughingdog]

On phone so slow to post and read others..

chinease owls are a type of fancy small show pigeon. When people see or hear them they swear they are real tiny owls at first (there is a tiny owl here same size in this region called a sawlet or elf owl). Named for the shorter beaks they have, most in that category cannot feed own young supposedly, but mine do good and way over populate if i don't keep eating or feeding off their eggs. they have a mane, throat crest, and upturned feathers that fluff out wide on whole bottom of them. mine had been plucking ect like crazy and making nest on crate of cage in corner for these till i vacumed the feathers and poop up. they fly about as good as a softball, but sound owlish i guess (TWRA thought that was funny).

 

[Miss Lydia]

On phone so slow to post and read others..

chinease owls are a type of fancy small show pigeon. When people see or hear them they swear they are real tiny owls at first (there is a tiny owl here same size in this region called a sawlet or elf owl). Named for the shorter beaks they have, most in that category cannot feed own young supposedly, but mine do good and way over populate if i don't keep eating or feeding off their eggs. they have a mane, throat crest, and upturned feathers that fluff out wide on whole bottom of them. mine had been plucking ect like crazy and making nest on crate of cage in corner for these till i vacumed the feathers and poop up. they fly about as good as a softball, but sound owlish i guess (TWRA thought that was funny).

Very pretty birds, and very interesting. talking about heavy metal disease, I think that gets over looked a lot when someone losses their water fowl and can't explain it. From what I understand they are attracted to anything shiny.