freckledfairy
In the Brooder
Hi everyone. I am a first time duck owner. I've spent the last year+ researching how to raise ducks, often finding lots of help & info on this website. I'm hoping you can help me and my husband figure out what happened to one of our ducklings. I apologize if I am providing too much information, I just don't want to leave anything out in case it might be helpful.
Background:
We ordered 1 buff and 2 welsh harlequins from Metzer. They seemed to travel just fine and adjusted well. They're 3 weeks old and have been thriving. No noticeable issues. They have been inside our house in a brooder with a heater, fresh water changed 2x a day, and fed McGeary Organics duck starter with added grit. We've been using pine shavings as bedding. I've been cleaning out their brooder every night or every other night. During the day we top off wet spots with fresh shavings to keep it dry as best as we can. They have supervised swims (starting at one week old) in warm but not hot water almost daily.
What Happened:
Monday night, all of our girlies were their normal selves. No cares in the world. Tuesday morning my husband calls me while I was on my way to work - something was wrong with Nadine, one of the welsh harlequins. He said that she was having trouble holding her head up and she wouldn't extend her neck at all. I turned around and went home. Nadine seemed lethargic, had slight nasal discharge, and her breathing seemed a little off. She had been curled up with her sisters under the heat plate when I left, so I am glad my husband noticed. We immediately separated her incase it was something contagious.
The avian vet recommended to us by our neighbors was not in the office this week, so I called around to numerous places hoping someone could fit us in. I was feeding Nadine a slurry of her food, electrolyte water, and vitamin B complex. She would only consume it if i held a spoon right up under her beak, since she had little head control. Her nasal discharge started getting worse as i was trying to find a vet. around 2pm a farm vet was able to see us. I brought all three girls in to get checked out. They took xrays and diagnosed Nadine with pneumonia and believed the neck/head weakness was due to not feeling well. They sent us home with antibiotics.
That evening, Nadine was cuddling on my chest in a blanket and had what I now think could have been a seizure. It was a quick "jerk attack" and before going completely limp for a few seconds and then coming to. This freaked me out, but I wasn't thinking about how serious that was. I thought maybe she was stretching and lost her balance. I stayed up with her all night, giving her electrolyte water and the slurry I mixed. Throughout the night she had 2 more of those jerky attacks/episodes. The nasal discharge improved but the labored breathing did not. By 8am Wednesday morning, she had perked up! with two doses of antibiotics in her and lots of TLC we were optimistic. Her head control had not changed. at about 9:30am Wednesday she had violent jerky convulsions and passed away. The other two ducklings remain fine, with absolutely no symptoms other than wondering where their pal went.
Does anyone have any ideas? TLDR: Monday no symptoms - Tuesday labored breathing, little head control, convulsions, nasal discharge; received antibiotics - Wednesday morning death
I will post the X-rays when I receive them from the vet later this afternoon. I am thinking maybe aspergillius? maybe just a fluke thing?
Background:
We ordered 1 buff and 2 welsh harlequins from Metzer. They seemed to travel just fine and adjusted well. They're 3 weeks old and have been thriving. No noticeable issues. They have been inside our house in a brooder with a heater, fresh water changed 2x a day, and fed McGeary Organics duck starter with added grit. We've been using pine shavings as bedding. I've been cleaning out their brooder every night or every other night. During the day we top off wet spots with fresh shavings to keep it dry as best as we can. They have supervised swims (starting at one week old) in warm but not hot water almost daily.
What Happened:
Monday night, all of our girlies were their normal selves. No cares in the world. Tuesday morning my husband calls me while I was on my way to work - something was wrong with Nadine, one of the welsh harlequins. He said that she was having trouble holding her head up and she wouldn't extend her neck at all. I turned around and went home. Nadine seemed lethargic, had slight nasal discharge, and her breathing seemed a little off. She had been curled up with her sisters under the heat plate when I left, so I am glad my husband noticed. We immediately separated her incase it was something contagious.
The avian vet recommended to us by our neighbors was not in the office this week, so I called around to numerous places hoping someone could fit us in. I was feeding Nadine a slurry of her food, electrolyte water, and vitamin B complex. She would only consume it if i held a spoon right up under her beak, since she had little head control. Her nasal discharge started getting worse as i was trying to find a vet. around 2pm a farm vet was able to see us. I brought all three girls in to get checked out. They took xrays and diagnosed Nadine with pneumonia and believed the neck/head weakness was due to not feeling well. They sent us home with antibiotics.
That evening, Nadine was cuddling on my chest in a blanket and had what I now think could have been a seizure. It was a quick "jerk attack" and before going completely limp for a few seconds and then coming to. This freaked me out, but I wasn't thinking about how serious that was. I thought maybe she was stretching and lost her balance. I stayed up with her all night, giving her electrolyte water and the slurry I mixed. Throughout the night she had 2 more of those jerky attacks/episodes. The nasal discharge improved but the labored breathing did not. By 8am Wednesday morning, she had perked up! with two doses of antibiotics in her and lots of TLC we were optimistic. Her head control had not changed. at about 9:30am Wednesday she had violent jerky convulsions and passed away. The other two ducklings remain fine, with absolutely no symptoms other than wondering where their pal went.
Does anyone have any ideas? TLDR: Monday no symptoms - Tuesday labored breathing, little head control, convulsions, nasal discharge; received antibiotics - Wednesday morning death
I will post the X-rays when I receive them from the vet later this afternoon. I am thinking maybe aspergillius? maybe just a fluke thing?
I hope the rest of your little ducks make it!
