URGENT - video attached - Sick Duckling opening and closing mouth

[DuckDavies]

Hello everyone

We have a week-old duckling who is opening and closing her mouth and making a movement as if to try and clear her throat (jerking her neck forward and opening her beak). She is also making a noise as she does it.

Here is the video:

Se isn't too hot and we can't see anything stuck in her nostrils. So far she is eating and drinking and moving around but seem like she can't get any rest because of this problem.

Any advice or suggestions would be very very much appreciated!

Thank you,

Nathalie

 

[LizaBlue]

I've never had ducks, but I've had both turkeys and chickens with breathing issues. The turkey poults were breathing this bad, also laying limply on their sides, and after treating for days, we were about to give up and euthanize them. In a last ditch effort to save them, I slathered Vicks Vaporub under their wings before I went to bed. When my husband went to put them out of their misery in the morning, they were running around like they had never been sick. I have since used Vicks on other sick chickens, and Vicks for babies on chicks a few weeks old, and it always seems to work.

I have no idea if there is anything toxic in Vicks, but have often read that when a chick is breathing like that, death soon follows, so I felt I had nothing to lose. Hope your ducky gets well soon!

 

[DuckDavies]

Hi LizaBlue,

Thanks so much for your reply - definitely worth a try and I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[ceelo]

Your duckling looks like it's choking. Just had that happen to my 3 week old duckling. You need to clear its throat so it can breath. It will also start to dehydrate and suffer from stress. I heard you can do the Heimlich, but that's not what we did. The books say use a new pencil, eraser side sliding down the duck's stretched out throat. Pull the duck's head forward gently to make the neck straight. Have a 2nd person gently glide the stick down. Ours went down down about 4" or better. A moist Q tip can also be used. We used a slim flexible stick from a suppository inserter, and also a QTip, because a pencil looked too large for a duckling. We repeated the process about 6 times over 2 hours. After praying, we let her alone and my son coaxed her and petted her, and eventually she took soft, moist, food (egg yoke scrambled) and water. Then let it rest. Keep us updated! I hope your duckling makes it.

 

[DuckDavies]

Hi,

Thank you that's really helpful to know, and it was kind of you to reply.

Just to update on our duckling, this morning she seemed absolutely fine, breathing with her mouth closed and eating and drinking with the other ducklings. The funny breathing had been going on for about three days, then seemed to get worse last night (which was why I posted on here) but now it seems as though she has managed to clear the blockage herself so will keep an eye on her and hope everything is ok now!

Thanks so much for your help, hope your duckling is fully recovered now too

 

[DuckDavies]

Hi, just to let you know our duckling seems fine now, breathing normally and eating and drinking with the others....I think now she maybe had a blockage that she managed to clear herself.

I have some Vicks though now in my duckling medicine cabinet, thanks!

Hope your chickens and turkeys are still doing well, and thanks very much for your help.

 

[Phicxixes]

my duckling has the same problem I know that your duckling has recovered by herself but can you tell me what you tried to help her. my duckling is about three weeks tried almost anything that was safe her nostrils were blocked by food first then I wiped it off but she still breathes through her mouth please any suggestions I don't want to phone the vet immediately because I want to see if I can resolve the problem if not I have no choice but to call the vet. anything would help thanks