Sick ducks...Unknown cause

[lullabyloo]

Yesterday, I let out my flock as usual to free range in the pasture.(About 2pm) I went back to the barn nearly 3 hours later to feed up and found my Rouen drake sitting in the barn. His bill was grayish, blue and his head was wobbling back/forth. I went to move him and he took off. He seemed to be having trouble seeing and ran into stuff. I immediately went to look for our other duck (a Pekin drake) since they are always together. I found him laying flat on his side in the wooded area. He was alive but was limp barely able to move his head. I moved him into the barn with the first duck. I checked them over. No injuries. No weight loss. Nothing visibly wrong. (aside from the color of the Rouen's bill) So I bring my flock back to the chicken yard. Everyone else seems fine. I check on the ducks again around 8:30pm and the Rouen is still in rough shape but is still sitting up. My Pekin is laid over limp and has labored breathing. I get up this morning expecting to bury them only to find them both up and running around. They even played in the water. Flapping and splashing...

. The Rouen still has a slight blueish gray bill but his normal color is returning. I felt last night I should put them out of their misery but couldn't make myself do it. I'm glad I didn't!
What in the world could cause this??! Toxins?

Here are some details:
I allow my flock of 5 goslings, 9 chickens, and 2 ducks forage in our barn/pasture.
I do not use poison/weed killer because of my flock and pets. The pasture is wooded with a large clearing in the center. A small creek runs through the wooded area into a pond.
The flock has never gone to the pond. It's on the far back side of the pasture and they stay fairly close to the barn.
We also have horses & goats that graze in the pasture but they usually stay in the adjoining pasture
We are located in central Georgia.

 

[suki'smom]

Maybe they got into some mushrooms or perhaps some fermented fruits or grains.

 

[Amiga]

It does sound like either botulism or other toxin, natural or otherwise.

So glad they look better today!

Here is a link to some flushes, and a charcoal slurry (food grade activated charcoal absorbs toxins from the gut). You may want to put a little food grade activated charcoal powder into their drinking water just to help a little.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal#post_9508213

 

[lullabyloo]

It does sound like either botulism or other toxin, natural or otherwise.

So glad they look better today!

Here is a link to some flushes, and a charcoal slurry (food grade activated charcoal absorbs toxins from the gut). You may want to put a little food grade activated charcoal powder into their drinking water just to help a little.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal#post_9508213

Thank you for the link! They are still doing better but the bill discoloration of my Rouen drake hasn't improved since yesterday. Their behavior and appetite seem normal. Hoping the worse is behind them.

 

[Amiga]

Do you have poultry vitamins you can put in their drinking water? You may have done this, I apologize if I don't recall correctly. That might provide a boost. Electrolytes, too.