I'm really sorry to report that she had to be put down - the vets were as unequivocal as I've ever seen them about anything.
They spent a solid hour examining her, did a couple of xrays and an ultrasound and found she's had sciolosis, with the effects worsening with age and putting pressure on...
Absolutely, that's always what they've gone to for other birds I've taken to them with good impact.
I suspect they'll want to keep her overnight for tests which I think would be good anyway - some professional monitoring rather than my layperson's eye!
Could I ask pleasse with your Muscovy...
She certainly seems to have plenty of appetite, but only when I put food and water right under her nose (easier said than done since she isn't used to me yet) - she doesn't seem to want to actively move toward the food/water herself which is worrying from the point of view of thinking she must...
She's a Cayuga duck. With the caveat that's she's only been with us a couple of days I don't think she can preen as I haven't seen any sign of it so far (that may be down to general weakness). Could I ask - is there a way to tell if the gland is blocked for a layperson like me? I'm about 7...
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate the reply.
I'll maybe test her out in water tomorrow and see if she can swim - can see how she does inside at the same time since I'd like to keep her warm for a bit if she's getting wet (since her feathers don't look oiled).
The sling wheelchair (assuming she...
Hi all,
I fear this might be futile but I want to try everything before the inevitable.
I've adoped a couple more ducks from an person wanting to re-home them. One is the picture of health and the other one was described as "a bit of a limp but gets around ok". This latter duck does not have...
Thanks a lot for the advice all, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, in the meantime, it (assuming it's the same fox) has grabbed another one, so I've fenced in my chickens and ducks (with a paddling pool) into a corner of the garden for now.
I've ordered a couple of box traps to put at...
Thanks a lot - if you don't mind a bit of a brutal follow-up, how do you deal with them after you trap them? I know here the rule is they have to be killed rather than relocated (and I've no idea whether I could bring myself to kill a fox in all honesty) but no idea what kind of method you're...
Hi,
Apologies, as the question may have been answered a thousand times, but couldn't find anything specific to daytime attacks.
After 6 years of raising a few chickens and ducks, the last of the first generation (Furiosa) was sadly assassinated in the garden in broad daylight by a fox. I saw...
Hi all,
I'm looking for a little advice on potential causes of some odd behavior. Apologies in advance, this is a bit of a strange one.
One of our chickens, Furiosa (a cream legbar) is exhibiting some odd behaviour. She's absolutely fine in the mornings, runs out the coup to get her...
Thanks a lot - a very fair point that he may be ill (or shielding). I let the people that own the field know who said in turn they'll let the farmer know, so will be interesting to see how responsive he is in collecting the poor sheep.
The sheep itself didn't look like it had external injuries...
Hi,
I was hoping for a bit of advice from anyone who might be a farmer/experience with sheep farming.
Our house is surrounding by fields that are rented out (not by us) to an unknown sheep farmer. While the enivornment is perfect for sheep - grass, streams, trees for shelter/shade, at least...
Hi all,
I've a small chicken coop for a couple of birds (free range during the day so it's just basically a 1.5m x 1.5m with a nesting box). There looks to be an wasps nest formed in the corner of the roof - no idea what species are common in Scotland unfortunately. Do they present any...