All but one of my flock of ducklings started scratching, siezed and then passed away and I'm not sure WHYY!?

[Mandypants]

Came home from work, changed out thier water. Everyone was fine. I had 10 ducklings just brought home 2 days ago. Sat down next to the cage with my laptop to finish up some work and noticed the behavior change over about 20 minutes. Started with scratching, so I googled fleas on ducklings watching them closely. Picked one up and checked for fleas, nothing. He was acting woozy and had wobbly legs, clearly wasnt feeling well. Upon returning him to the cage I notice something is wrong, they all started wrenching thier necks, flailing around and falling onto thier backs and siezing. Legs and wings flapping, necks wrenching aggressively. I'm panicking at this point since its all progressed so quickly. Every duckling except the one is getting slower and slower . I picked them up and sadly attempted CPR. One after another they start passing away. They were all gone so quickly. The lone unaffected bird was also quite upset. I checked thier food, replaced the wood chips and I had made sure water was room temperature before putting it in the cage. Temperature was 82 in the cage on the brighter side. I'm feeling like some substance was ingested, or maybe it was the water, idk how else could they be effected so quickly? Please help me figure out what I did wrong!!! Any suggestons would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the novel, I'm a bit shaken this just happened a moments ago. The one duckling left is just fine, crying for his family but totally unaffected.

 

[sourland]

Are you providing a heat source? If so make sure it is not a Teflon coated bulb.

 

[Mandypants]

Are you providing a heat source? If so make sure it is not a Teflon coated bulb.

Yes, I have the typical red heat bulb. No teflon. I keep a thermometer in the cage to monitor temperature because our climate fluctuates. Based on the estimated age , everything I read said between 80-85 degrees was best. Temperature was 82 when this occured.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry for your loss, I hope you contact the hatchery or who you got your ducklings from, This could very well have been something they picked up before you brought them home. Place a safe mirror and a stuffed animal in with your lone duckling. Make sure to sanitize the waterer and feeder you are using and make sure feed isn't moldy. Also clean out the brooder real good too.

 

[Painted Calls]

How awful, I'm so sorry!

What are you feeding them? I would have their feed tested. Do not throw it out, but don't continue to offer it. I would buy new feed for any remaining animals you have.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I'm so sorry! What a dreadful thing to have to witness.

I agree with @Overo Mare and @Miss Lydia . Something killed them all at once, it could be food, it could be water...

How is the little remaining one doing?

 

[ruthhope]

Sad for you and the ducklings. Please follow advice already given -- report to hatchery, sanitize everything for your surviving duckling, keep that little one warm and loved with a mirror soft toy and lots of handling until it has more ducklings for company; buy new food for your survivor and any future ducklings. If you can get the food tested for toxins and pathogens, do get it tested

Cyber hugs to you and the surviving little fluffie

 

[bhaugh]

You can add a chicken chick for a buddy if no ducklings are close by. I've done this a few times over the years.

 

[Yardmom]

Where is your brooder located? Is there any thing around it that could give off fumes? How about the material of the brooder itself? Any cleaners used in the area? Just trying to think of what could harm them so quickly

 

[OF65]

What kind of bedding? It might have been treated.