Baby Ducks keep dying!!! We don't know why!

[DIYgirls]

My female duck hatched 7 babies, i had to take them because last summer cats killed the last clutch. and this year we had other ducks and the drake had killed them. But its been exactly a week since they’ve hatched and already 6 have died, 2 were already sick when i took them but the others seemed fine. I feed them chick starter and i also add duckling supplements to their water. I’ve never ever had issues with raising ducklings until this year. I’ve raised ducks for 5 years. Im thinking the momma duck could have passed down an infection? Please i need some help so i dont feel like jts my fault theyre dying. since about last december the momma duck has been off, was thinking she was just broody. but it never went awash her feathers are always ruffled and she can barely walk. when i got her she couldnt walk at all because of how she was treated at her past home. She acts perfectly fine eats and drinks but do you think she could have an infection that got passed down to her clutch that caused the babies to die?

 

[addctd2plnts]

Well, we fed the 2 original ducks the SAME feed and the 5 other ducks we have amd they ended up perfectly fine. These are the ONLY batches that we have had any aort of problem with.

One of the things we always look at when people are continually losing baby ducks, especially right before or after hatching is the nutrition of the mothers. Poor nutrition is not something that will always show up the first week. Most often it is a very slow progress and you don't realize it till the ducklings keep dying. The larger birds won't always die because they often have access to fresh food and grass. I have seen what a HUGE difference really good food makes because my friends show their ducks. Another thing that makes a huge difference is deworming your ducks twice a year. Parasites rob your ducks of nutrients.

To get your baby ducklings off to the best start there are some very important things to do. First, use a very high quality food, like Mazuri Waterfowl Starter. Then, use this Probiotic mix ( https://www.strombergschickens.com/product/Probiotics-+-w-Electrolytes-&-Vitamins-200-g ) the first 8 weeks to help their intestines stay balanced and absorbing nutrition. Honestly, I'd do the same for your adult ducks from now till when you can deworm them this Fall. When the ducklings are 2 weeks old, start adding chick grit over the top of their food. I put a teaspoon to tablespoon, depending on how many ducklings I'm raising. Then after a few days of grit, they can start to have smashed fruits and veggies in very small amounts. You are not giving them for nutrition. You are giving them to get them used to eating a wide variety of foods. I like to start with some smashed ripe bananas with a tablespoon of water added, or tiny bits of spring lettuce mix.

If you want your ducklings in Spring and Summer to be healthy and strong, think of the winter as your time to get your ducks into top condition. Many duck breeders add shelled peanuts, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Black Soldier Fly Larva, and whole wheat to the birds winter food. I spritz their food 2-3 times a week with Wheat Germ Oil in a salad spritzer (Found on Amazon). I also use about 1/4 teaspoon of Vitamin C powder sprinkled over their dry food about 3 times a week, since they aren't out on grass, and in the winter get more veggies than fruit. Feeding chopped Kale or Cabbage a few times a week will also give more vitamin C. I stop once we get to Feb 1st because you can give too much Vitamin E (in the wheat germ oil), and I stop Vit C once they are back on grass.

Finally, there's one cause of ducklings dying that some people don't know. Ducklings when they are small have a very tiny mass. If you give them cold tap water to drink, it is possible, especially if their bowl has been dry and they gulp a bunch of cold water, that you can kill them from shock. Always give luke warm water to ducklings under about 3-4 weeks of age and that includes swimming water.

Hope this helps you!