Baby Ducks Died

[bigspringshatchery]

Both of my baby ducks died. One died a couple days ago and I found my other one this morning. I was feeding them flock raiser. Wht could have caused them to die

 

[dumb_cluck]

If they are babies, game STARTER should be used. Also DO NOT FEED CHICKEN STARTER. They need niacin which is in the game bird starter. Sorry for your loss.......

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

So sorry you lost your porr little ducklings. It is never easy to loose them

 

[bigspringshatchery]

So they need game bird starter. I knew they couldn't have medicated chick starter. And that's all the feed stores around here sells so they told me that they could eat flock raiser.

 

[Katy]

I've raised my call ducklings on Purina medicated chick starter for years. Ducklings can and do get coccidiosis just like chicks do. How old were they?

 

[bock]

I fed all of my ducks and geese Flock Raiser. They are all healthy and beautiful adult birds. I have only lost two of the 40 or so ducks I have raised on Flock Raiser, mine didn't die from the food, they were just too weak to survive. I have always used Flock Raiser, it would NOT hurt them. Game bird starter has WAY too much protein. It causes kidney problems, leg weaknesses, and angel wing. I am SURE it was not the Flock Raiser. There must be some other cause such as Temperature. I am sorry for your loss.

But seriously, I could not disagree more that Flock Raiser would kill ducklings.

 

[bigspringshatchery]

They were a lil over two weeks old.

 

[Katy]

Did you notice any bloody or abnormal stools?

 

[bigspringshatchery]

No abnormal stools or anything that I've noticed. I did notice that yesterday the one that was alive was very weak. Could they have gotten too hot. It had been over 100 here? And I have them in a box. Only about 1/3 or the top of the box is covered and the other part is wire. I had a light on then but since it this hot I turned it off

 

[Katy]

Yes, they could have gotten too hot. Ducklings don't need as much heat or for as long as chicks. I've got some that are about 3 weeks old and they quit brooding under the hen for heat the first week they hatched. Down in a box with no ventilation could very well be what killed them.