Advice for Egg Bound Duck 😭

[Mandobz34]

Hi! Thank you for all the information shared. I did check for those type of calcium supplements and name brands, but in my country there is none available. I did get from another brand. Ordering it online takes about a month for shipping and well why would I need it in a month's time. I gave her a dose of crushed tums during the day and late in the night I crushed a 600mg calcium pill, dissolved on water and fed it to her with a syringe (she would not swallow it on her own even thou I cut it in 4 tiny parts). Last night she had two small eggs, I touched her, this morning she had passed one. I felt her and i only felt one egg, her eggs are very small and leathery. As for the drakes all of my 3 hens, were stopped from mating about a year ago, ( I felt so bad when I saw how rough the drake was on them. That is why I asked if the reason was that they are not being mated could cause a disorder). She seems cheerful today, and she is walking good. I will continue the treatment with the pill and will order the calcium gluconate now because I know she will survive and well we can hold until then with the pills hopefully.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi! Thank you for all the information shared. I did check for those type of calcium supplements and name brands, but in my country there is none available. I did get from another brand. Ordering it online takes about a month for shipping and well why would I need it in a month's time. I gave her a dose of crushed tums during the day and late in the night I crushed a 600mg calcium pill, dissolved on water and fed it to her with a syringe (she would not swallow it on her own even thou I cut it in 4 tiny parts). Last night she had two small eggs, I touched her, this morning she had passed one. I felt her and i only felt one egg, her eggs are very small and leathery. As for the drakes all of my 3 hens, were stopped from mating about a year ago, ( I felt so bad when I saw how rough the drake was on them. That is why I asked if the reason was that they are not being mated could cause a disorder). She seems cheerful today, and she is walking good. I will continue the treatment with the pill and will order the calcium gluconate now because I know she will survive and well we can hold until then with the pills hopefully.

I'm glad she's feeling a bit better today

I'm sure you're doing the best you can with what you have available. I definitely don't think being mated would've prevented these kinds of complications so I wouldn't worry about that- if her eggs are leathery/soft shells, it sounds more like an issue with finding or digesting calcium.

Do you usually offer crushed oyster shells? It's really beneficial to have them in a little dish available all day along with food/water. It's a necessity with penned ducks, and it can still be beneficial for free ranging ducks as well. If you don't have any available right now, in the meantime you could try offering other high calcium treats, like egg shells, calci worms (you can find these dried, they're similar to mealworms). Or you could even offer small fish. Just some suggestions incase you need some ideas

I know what it's like to have this kind of situation, my girlie had problems much of last year, laying brittle shells or soft shelled eggs- she was egg bound so many times I was afraid I'd lose her. But she survived, and she does far far better now. I made sure to supplement calcium in pill form, pretty much daily until she was back to normal- calcium gluconate works the same way, I know you're going to order some, and I think it will probably be very handy to have around incase there's more issues in the future. Once it arrives, if she's still not laying proper shells, syringe 1ml daily into her mouth, or you can put it on a treat if that's easier. I'd keep up with that until she's back to normal with laying.

Wishing you the very best, please do keep us posted on how she does!

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Mandobz34]

I'm glad she's feeling a bit better today

I'm sure you're doing the best you can with what you have available. I definitely don't think being mated would've prevented these kinds of complications so I wouldn't worry about that- if her eggs are leathery/soft shells, it sounds more like an issue with finding or digesting calcium.

Do you usually offer crushed oyster shells? It's really beneficial to have them in a little dish available all day along with food/water. It's a necessity with penned ducks, and it can still be beneficial for free ranging ducks as well. If you don't have any available right now, in the meantime you could try offering other high calcium treats, like egg shells, calci worms (you can find these dried, they're similar to mealworms). Or you could even offer small fish. Just some suggestions incase you need some ideas

I know what it's like to have this kind of situation, my girlie had problems much of last year, laying brittle shells or soft shelled eggs- she was egg bound so many times I was afraid I'd lose her. But she survived, and she does far far better now. I made sure to supplement calcium in pill form, pretty much daily until she was back to normal- calcium gluconate works the same way, I know you're going to order some, and I think it will probably be very handy to have around incase there's more issues in the future. Once it arrives, if she's still not laying proper shells, syringe 1ml daily into her mouth, or you can put it on a treat if that's easier. I'd keep up with that until she's back to normal with laying.

Wishing you the very best, please do keep us posted on how she does!

Hi, she is doing better yes. I felt her today and she still has a small egg inside her, I was hoping she would lay it last night but did no. She does not seem distressed at all and is not trying to push it out. have been dissolving the calcium pills in water and giving it to her (very difficult cause she does not want to drink it, and swallowing small bits is worse). I hope she manages to pass the remaining egg. I do give them crushed eggshells on their feed always but I guess that is not enough. The worms I would have to order online but I doubt they would let that into the country. What I always did was to go and dig for earth worms all through the yard, at night I hunt for crickets and give them as a snack. I am ordering the calcium for her now that I see she is going to survive. I just have one question about that, I see the calcium citrate is recommended more than the calcium gluconate, I will also order the crushed oysters to see if the would like that too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The calcium gluconate is excellent for helping get an egg moving. Calcium ciitrate may help too but most on here have used the calcium gluconate with great results.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi, she is doing better yes. I felt her today and she still has a small egg inside her, I was hoping she would lay it last night but did no. She does not seem distressed at all and is not trying to push it out. have been dissolving the calcium pills in water and giving it to her (very difficult cause she does not want to drink it, and swallowing small bits is worse). I hope she manages to pass the remaining egg. I do give them crushed eggshells on their feed always but I guess that is not enough. The worms I would have to order online but I doubt they would let that into the country. What I always did was to go and dig for earth worms all through the yard, at night I hunt for crickets and give them as a snack. I am ordering the calcium for her now that I see she is going to survive. I just have one question about that, I see the calcium citrate is recommended more than the calcium gluconate, I will also order the crushed oysters to see if the would like that too.

What is the pill? Can you show us what form of calcium it is? I've only ever seen calcium citrate pills- and they do work brilliantly.
I'd suggest giving her the pill directly and not mixing it into water- if it is a tablet and not a capsule.

If it is just a tablet, I'd put it in the back of her mouth, miss Lydia posted a link which has good instructions on how to do this. It's important it goes to the side. I give my girl calcium citrate pills, 600mg dose, and the pills are quite large- but she manages to swallow them without problem. She usually washes it down with water. You have to be very careful restraining her if you do this, I find it easiest to kneel on the ground and hold them between your thighs, then you have one hand to hold the head and open the bill, and the other hand to put the pill in, right at the back of the tongue, entrance to the throat. Its again very important to place it carefully, so please do check the link that miss Lydia posted.


To my understanding, calcium citrate tends to work better as it's a stronger dose of calcium, and it often comes with added vitamin D which is great for treating hens with difficulty producing shells. Vitamin D is important in calcium absorption. But that said, calcium gluconate also works really well, and can be easier to give to them since it can go straight onto a treat so its a matter of whatever is most accessible to you.

 

[Mandobz34]

Okay, can you share an image of the one you used? She finally passed the other egg today, but it broke and it was still soft shelled. She gives me a hard time administering it to her orally. I went back to the pet shop and asked about other forms of calcium for egglayers and the sold me one they say it is used on hens that have soft eggshell problems. That was all they got and what I can get at the moment until the oyster shell I order online gets here. Thanks a lot for the help and information you guys are giving me. I should have inquired way earlier I would not have lost one of them.

The calcium gluconate is excellent for helping get an egg moving. Calcium ciitrate may help too but most on here have used the calcium gluconate with great results.

 

[Mandobz34]

What is the pill? Can you show us what form of calcium it is? I've only ever seen calcium citrate pills- and they do work brilliantly.
I'd suggest giving her the pill directly and not mixing it into water- if it is a tablet and not a capsule.

If it is just a tablet, I'd put it in the back of her mouth, miss Lydia posted a link which has good instructions on how to do this. It's important it goes to the side. I give my girl calcium citrate pills, 600mg dose, and the pills are quite large- but she manages to swallow them without problem. She usually washes it down with water. You have to be very careful restraining her if you do this, I find it easiest to kneel on the ground and hold them between your thighs, then you have one hand to hold the head and open the bill, and the other hand to put the pill in, right at the back of the tongue, entrance to the throat. Its again very important to place it carefully, so please do check the link that miss Lydia posted.


To my understanding, calcium citrate tends to work better as it's a stronger dose of calcium, and it often comes with added vitamin D which is great for treating hens with difficulty producing shells. Vitamin D is important in calcium absorption. But that said, calcium gluconate also works really well, and can be easier to give to them since it can go straight onto a treat so its a matter of whatever is most accessible to you.

What is the pill? Can you show us what form of calcium it is? I've only ever seen calcium citrate pills- and they do work brilliantly.
I'd suggest giving her the pill directly and not mixing it into water- if it is a tablet and not a capsule.

If it is just a tablet, I'd put it in the back of her mouth, miss Lydia posted a link which has good instructions on how to do this. It's important it goes to the side. I give my girl calcium citrate pills, 600mg dose, and the pills are quite large- but she manages to swallow them without problem. She usually washes it down with water. You have to be very careful restraining her if you do this, I find it easiest to kneel on the ground and hold them between your thighs, then you have one hand to hold the head and open the bill, and the other hand to put the pill in, right at the back of the tongue, entrance to the throat. Its again very important to place it carefully, so please do check the link that miss Lydia posted.


To my understanding, calcium citrate tends to work better as it's a stronger dose of calcium, and it often comes with added vitamin D which is great for treating hens with difficulty producing shells. Vitamin D is important in calcium absorption. But that said, calcium gluconate also works really well, and can be easier to give to them since it can go straight onto a treat so its a matter of whatever is most accessible to you.

Hi, this is the closest type of calcium to what was mentioned here and I could get quick. I hope it is an adequate type and I am not poisoning my ducks with it. It is difficult to make her swallow the tablet pieces (I did chop them into small pieces) but she spits it out. I crushed and added the powder on their feed and the refuse to eat it. I was getting desperate. So the only option left was dissolving the tablet in a spoon of water and give it with a syringe ( a small one of course and no needle) this way was successful. She finally passed the second egg an hour ago, to my relief. I know the work is not done here but I feel better prepared now. Thank to you all.

 

[Mandobz34]

Hi guys! About a month ago I asked advice about the problems one of my female ducks was having. Two days ago she got eggbound again. I had been giving her the calcium all this time. I could not get the crushed oyster where am from. So I had to do my best with what was at hand. I had hopes for her yesterday since I saw she managed to pass the egg out although it broke. I did not see the shell come out thou. I felt her last night and she had a huge egg or what felt like an egg inside her still. I gave her more calcium with the hopes that she would lay it that night. This morning nothing. She was behaving quite normal until the afternoon, I touched her abdomen it was swollen and felt a huge egg inside her bigger than normal (or maybe it was not and egg). and small ones like 3 of them felt around the other one. She would poop clear fluid when I toucher her (I was gentle with her always). There was no way she could have layed that huge egg. Later on as the night fell she started to struggle and was making a lot of effort to lay but nothing. She was dragging herself on her belly and seemed to be in extreme pain. So I decided to put her down. Where I live we have no bird vets. So that was my only solution I could not, bear to watch her in pain. I feel so devastated and a terrible human being for not being able to help her. She was my friend and helped me cope through COVID. I feel glad some of you here understand the pain of loosing a duck pet. I want to thank you all for your advice. I did my best to help her. I got left with only one female and 2 drakes. Her daughter and her son and her mate. Since ducks are social birds I will let her brother be her companion. Am so sad at the moment, I've lost two of my girls. Thank you all for your advice.

 

[Themellowyellows]

View attachment 3919239

Hi guys! About a month ago I asked advice about the problems one of my female ducks was having. Two days ago she got eggbound again. I had been giving her the calcium all this time. I could not get the crushed oyster where am from. So I had to de my best with what was at hand. I had hopes for her yesterday since I saw she managed to pass the egg out although it broke. I did not she the shell come out thou. I felt her last night and she had a huge egg or what felt like an egg inside her still. I gave her more calcium with the hopes that she would lay it that night. This morning nothing. She was behaving quite normal until the afternoon, I touched her abdomen it was swollen and felt a huge egg inside her bigger than normal (or maybe it was not and egg). and small ones like 3 of them felt around that. She would poop clear fluid when I toucher her (I was gentle with her always). There was no way she could have layed that huge egg. Later on as the night fell she started to struggle and was making a lot of effort to lay but nothing. She was dragging herself on her belly and seemed to be in extreme pain. So I decided to put her down. Where I live we have no bird vets. So that was my only solution I could not bear to watch her in pain. I feel so devastated and a terrible human being for not being able to help her. She was my friend and helped me cope through COVID. I feel glad some of you here understand the pain of loosing a duck pet. I want to thank you all for your advice. I did my best to help her. I got left with only one female and 2 drakes. Her daughter and her son and her mate. Since ducks are social birds I will let her brother be her companion. Am so sad at the moment, I've lost two of my girls. Thank you all for your advice.

Deepest sympathy to you!