Call duck deaths - need help

[fatsu]

This is out first year raising call ducks tho we have raised several other breeds of ducks in the past. These guys are about 3 weeks old and everything has been going fine. I took them out today and moved them into another brooder while I cleaned out their new brooder. Cleaning took maybe 5 minutes at most when I went to put them back into their brooder one had died in that 5 minute span. He seemed healthy just minutes before. I put them all back in their original brooder and refilled water and food. 15 minutes later I went to check on them and 3 more have passed. What in the world would kill a seemingly healthy duck in a matter of minutes like this? Has any one ran into anything like this before?. I've never seen any signs of illness in any of these ducks.

They have been on a high protein non-medicate waterfowl feed. I'm fairly certain I didn't mix up their feed with medicated chick feed if I did tho would that kill them in minutes? I checked each one over and there were no signs of injury what so ever. I'm really at a loss as to what could be causing this. This is the second batch we have had this year. The first bunch grew out with no issues and are now happy healthy juveniles roaming outdoors.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is out first year raising call ducks tho we have raised several other breeds of ducks in the past. These guys are about 3 weeks old and everything has been going fine. I took them out today and moved them into another brooder while I cleaned out their new brooder. Cleaning took maybe 5 minutes at most when I went to put them back into their brooder one had died in that 5 minute span. He seemed healthy just minutes before. I put them all back in their original brooder and refilled water and food. 15 minutes later I went to check on them and 3 more have passed. What in the world would kill a seemingly healthy duck in a matter of minutes like this? Has any one ran into anything like this before?. I've never seen any signs of illness in any of these ducks. They have been on a high protein non-medicate waterfowl feed. I'm fairly certain I didn't mix up their feed with medicated chick feed if I did tho would that kill them in minutes? I checked each one over and there were no signs of injury what so ever. I'm really at a loss as to what could be causing this. This is the second batch we have had this year. The first bunch grew out with no issues and are now happy healthy juveniles roaming outdoors.

I can't imagine how devasting that was to find, so sorry for your loss.

 

[fatsu]

I was there almost the entire time. I walked away to spray out the brooder box added new bedding came back and wham dead duck. Loaded them up in the clean brooder took them inside 15 minutes later whamo 3 more dead ducks. My thoughts at this time is the tempature difference between the brooder and pen was to great it shocked them. Or the waterer I used while they were penned for the 5 or so minutes had some thing that poisoned them tho that's incrediblely unlikly. The rest are still all looking healthy. Its almost enough to make you cry. :'(

 

[fatsu]

The rest are still doing good. I'm going to write it of to temperature shock but would love to hear others thoughts.

 

[Amiga]

Very sad.

Could have been temperature shock, I suppose, I was wondering if there were some kind of fumes that some were more sensitive to in the other brooder. Sudden death happens, and we cannot be absolutely certain that it was not a coincidence that you had moved them. Probably related, but not for sure certain.

 

[country_girl011]

could they have eated something?

 

[Kevin565]

I agree with CG I think they may have eaten something and digested it at different rates. I have changed ducks from temperatures and never had them die especially that rapidly. Also most medicated feed is safe to feed waterfowl now so I also doubt it was that

 

[fatsu]

I doubt they ate anything. They have never been in anything but a brooder so far. Haven't had any issues out of the rest thus far. I'm still blaming the midday heat as the culprit.