Alarming Behavior

[seashoreduck]

I had a duck who started off limping and was very poorly off by the next day because the other ducks (who love to climb) were using him as a step stool. After days of him not getting better he's starting to perk up with a stock vitiman solution.

They did cause him injury. I don't believe they maliciously tried to attack him...I am a newbie and have 4 mallards at 7 weeks their beaks and bite isn't even that strong. When I watched closley they also do help try to preen eachother. Could any of these be what's really going on?

 

[Frank Phinster]

Actually ducks can get very nasty and can bite formidably and rip out feathers if they want to. You don't need a sharp beak to hurt your conspecifics...

Usually ducks at the age of six weeks are not aggressive but stick together. I first thought of feather pecking, but with good nutrition and enough space for roaming this usually does not occur. Have the ducks started to peck at each other since the drake was seperated from them?

 

[JessMart]

Something that jumped into my head is maybe your small drake victim became ill or unwell and then the others jumped on him and attacked him. Or is that just chicken behavior? Of course, it could also just be the bigger drakes picking on him, as others have mentioned.

I thought that maybe this was the case as well! He is on his second day of antibiotics, his mood seems to have lifted a bit and he can now stand with support. Some of his feathers are beginning to grow back as well

 

[Zombified]

At least he's getting better! We may never know what happened.

 

[JessMart]

I thought things were looking up for this little guy but now he is having seizures and can not stay afloat in water. The seizures are pretty close together, like 2 an hour. I fear that I am prolonging the inevitable at his expense.

 

[JessMart]

Actually ducks can get very nasty and can bite formidably and rip out feathers if they want to. You don't need a sharp beak to hurt your conspecifics...

Usually ducks at the age of six weeks are not aggressive but stick together. I first thought of feather pecking, but with good nutrition and enough space for roaming this usually does not occur. Have the ducks started to peck at each other since the drake was seperated from them?

No, the other ducks are just happy as can be but when I take the injured one out for social visiting they peck at his eyes and roll him around on the ground by pushing him with their heads and stepping on him with their feet; he is no longer welcomed in the flock. They are all very vocal at this time as well.

 

[Amiga]

That behavior seems to me to be them showing him his place - at the bottom of the order. Some flocks are much more aggressive about social structure than others. I think you have some real hierarchical ducks, there.

I apologize for not remembering everything, could you go over again what supplements you are giving him? I wonder if some vitamin E would help. You are giving niacin, right?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I thought things were looking up for this little guy but now he is having seizures and can not stay afloat in water. The seizures are pretty close together, like 2 an hour. I fear that I am prolonging the inevitable at his expense.

Don't dare leave him alone in the water, I know you probably wouldn't but he doesn't stand a chance if he is having seizures an in the water. I'm so sorry this has happened.

 

[JessMart]

That behavior seems to me to be them showing him his place - at the bottom of the order. Some flocks are much more aggressive about social structure than others. I think you have some real hierarchical ducks, there.

I apologize for not remembering everything, could you go over again what supplements you are giving him? I wonder if some vitamin E would help. You are giving niacin, right?

I haven't gave him any supplements other then what he is getting in his food. Feeding purina flock grower, kitchen scraps, worms and duramycin-10 in his water. As of right now he is unable to make it to his food and water on his own, completely dependent on someone helping him.

 

[Amiga]

I haven't gave him any supplements other then what he is getting in his food. Feeding purina flock grower, kitchen scraps, worms and duramycin-10 in his water. As of right now he is unable to make it to his food and water on his own, completely dependent on someone helping him.

Then I would get a poultry vitamin-electrolyte-probiotic mix in the water at least once a week, and sprinkle a teaspoon of brewer's yeast on his food every day.