- Feb 14, 2014
- 12
- 0
- 22
3 days ago i went to our 6 year old hen and duck enclosure to find 4 of my beautiful ducks had been brutally attacked by something small enough to get into the house through a tiny hole which we later found must have been done recently by a food hunting rat or mouse looking at their neck injuries we suspect a ferret, stoat, weasel or pole cat- something from this family of predators.
3 of my loves were dead but one miraculously survived- her name is Freya.
We thought she would last the night, she walked out of the house with her neck hanging and her head near to the floor and we were absolutely shocked with grief as we loved them all so very much. My husband picked her up and i took her and to the garden and sat with her in the sun trying to calm us both and tell her she was safe but convinced she would die in my arms.
After an hour had passed we decided to bring her home, so we made her a large cushioned bed in an old dog kennel cage and there i have been nursing her with little sips of water and warmth and safety.
were on day three now and this morning i went in to the bathroom to find her standing up in her house but she is still unable to move the upper part of her neck - at first she could lift her head and neck up but now she can lift the base of the neck to pull up her head and she still has full mobility of her body and legs. she is comfortable and resting most of the time.
As she has this campbell/regular duck resting neck position i am reluctant to give her anything other than water and liquids, so I've put a bit of spirulina powder in her water and alternate between this and plain water.
Can anyone else who may have had a similar situation happen and nursed ducks tell me if there is anything i should get such as maybe a chick mash or high protein powder mix for her muscles? also should i get her antibiotics and will this be a problem to take if she's not yet eating - i don't see any infection but as a precaution?
I would be grateful of any feedback to help my beautiful Freya come back to health and we will then look at getting her a friend and building a stone house with solid concrete floor so that she can return home- sometime in the future.
Thank you very much D
3 of my loves were dead but one miraculously survived- her name is Freya.
We thought she would last the night, she walked out of the house with her neck hanging and her head near to the floor and we were absolutely shocked with grief as we loved them all so very much. My husband picked her up and i took her and to the garden and sat with her in the sun trying to calm us both and tell her she was safe but convinced she would die in my arms.
After an hour had passed we decided to bring her home, so we made her a large cushioned bed in an old dog kennel cage and there i have been nursing her with little sips of water and warmth and safety.
were on day three now and this morning i went in to the bathroom to find her standing up in her house but she is still unable to move the upper part of her neck - at first she could lift her head and neck up but now she can lift the base of the neck to pull up her head and she still has full mobility of her body and legs. she is comfortable and resting most of the time.
As she has this campbell/regular duck resting neck position i am reluctant to give her anything other than water and liquids, so I've put a bit of spirulina powder in her water and alternate between this and plain water.
Can anyone else who may have had a similar situation happen and nursed ducks tell me if there is anything i should get such as maybe a chick mash or high protein powder mix for her muscles? also should i get her antibiotics and will this be a problem to take if she's not yet eating - i don't see any infection but as a precaution?
I would be grateful of any feedback to help my beautiful Freya come back to health and we will then look at getting her a friend and building a stone house with solid concrete floor so that she can return home- sometime in the future.
Thank you very much D