Daphne’s reproductive issues have returned

[Miss Lydia]

That Calcium Gluconate sure is some good stuff! Happy to hear Daphne is doing good today. She’s one of my favorites here on BYC

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Glad to hear that she is doing fine today!

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Update of sorts - I’m not entirely sure that we’re making progress with Daphne. She laid another egg overnight with either a “barely there” shell or a mostly unshelled egg that was either laid that way or easily squashed by one of her Muscovy sisters (all 3 continue to insist on sharing a nest). At any rate, I had egg white and yolk with bits of shell soaking the nest, ruining the new ‘Scovy eggs + a Muscovy hen whose underside was now covered in egg (not that that stopped her from sitting). I’ve been giving Daphne calcium gluconate once daily (at night). She’s still eating and active (maybe a bit quiet at times) and only has mild straining on occasion (none tonight), but I’m still worried. Last year, she kept trying to lay until November. The veterinarian she saw at that time didn’t seem optimistic about long term solutions. I know that certain DVMs will spay a duck, but none are in my state, and I frankly can’t afford 1,000 dollars for a surgery that would likely end up in a dead Daphne due to the inherent risks in anesthetizing birds. I guess I’ll continue to do my best and hope she passes into the non laying season quickly without developing the dreaded EYP.


On the positive side, I got home from work at a halfway decent time (only 1 hour later than I should have been, almost on time!) and the girls got to enjoy a wonderful rain storm.

Continuing to monitor. Will update as I can. Thank you all for your advice and support!

 

[DuckyDonna]

ok, remain calm. From what I understand the calcium gluconate is for egg bound "stuck eggs". Now it's time to go to walmart and get some calcium citrate pills or capsules. That helps make the shells stronger. I just smash up a couple and put them in the food bucket but I've got 8 girls so depending on how many you have you need to adjust. At least the eggs aren't stuck inside her anymore! I think that is a way worse issue!

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

ok, remain calm. From what I understand the calcium gluconate is for egg bound "stuck eggs". Now it's time to go to walmart and get some calcium citrate pills or capsules. That helps make the shells stronger. I just smash up a couple and put them in the food bucket but I've got 8 girls so depending on how many you have you need to adjust. At least the eggs aren't stuck inside her anymore! I think that is a way worse issue!

Thank you. I’ll have to dig through my cupboards, as I’m sure that have calcium citrate on hand as I know I’ve bought in the past with the intention of taking it myself, a plan that never lasts more than two days, for whatever reason.

I will say that I already feed her Layena pellets with oyster shell mixed in and on the side as well. I feel as though her diet is chock full of calcium, but that her body is unable to use it properly. My theory is that she’s a badly bred (but much loved) Rouen who, at almost 4 years of age, has a reproductive tract that’s simply failing. I do not mind if this means that she stops laying. I will mind, and be heartbroken, if her reproductive tract takes her down with it.

When the breeders of ducks only care about short-term production of eggs and meat, their long-term health suffers.

I’m thankful that my Muscovy girls have been less genetically screwed with and hope that this benefits their longevity.

Anyways, off to search the cupboards for my poor neglected calcium citrate.

Thank you

Edited to fix a typo. Yikes!

 

[DuckyDonna]

Thank you. I’ll have to dig through my cupboards, as I’m sure that have calcium citrate on hand as I know I’ve bought in the past with the intention of taking it myself, a plan that never lasts more than two days, for whatever reason.

I will say that I already feed her Layena pellets with oyster shells mixed in and on the side as well. I feel as though her diet is chock full of calcium, but that her body is unable to use it properly. My theory is that she’s a badly bred (but much loved) Rouen who, at almost 4 years of age, has a reproductive tract that’s simply failing. I do not mind if this means that she stops laying. I will mind, and be heartbroken, if her reproductive tract takes her down with it.

When the breeders of ducks only care about short-term production of eggs and meat, their long-term health suffers.

I’m thankful that my Muscovy girls have been less genetically screwed with and hope that this benefits their longevity.

Anyways, off to search the cupboards for my poor neglected calcium citrate.

Thank you

Edited to fix a typo. Yikes!

My runners all get layena pellets plus they eat the hell out of the oyster shells! I can't believe how much oyster shells they eat yet I still have thin-shelled or soft-shelled eggs. I don't know which one is laying the soft ones either so I just smash up 2 of those big pills and put them right on top of the food in their bucket each day along with nutritional yeast. I think they might be just getting tired of laying. They've been going strong since January and I kinda wish they'd take a break so their little bodies can rest a bit.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So it is not only my ducks that are going crazy for the Oyster shells! - I often have one or two ducks walking from one end of the yard to the house, quacking with each other as if they had forgotten something, then go straight to the Oyster shell container and fill up.
Since Spring they went through a 50lbs bag, must go to RK this week because i'm running out of crushed egg-shells too.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Crossing finger for Daphne!

 

[Miss Lydia]

[When the breeders of ducks only care about short-term production of eggs and meat, their long-term health suffers.]

I agree totally, we care more about our ducks than just meat and eggs. It's sad that this wasn't taken into consideration when breeding was going on. I guess at one time ducks weren't thought of as anything but livestock an many still feel that way, but nothing wrong with either. My poultry are much more than live stock.

Hoping Daphne will be able to use the calcium citrate and get over with laying for this year. I have 1 Muscovy duck who has gone through what I call henapause already she was 8 when she laid her last egg she is 12 now.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

~120 years ago people were eating duck eggs for their breakfast, used them for bakery and everything. A chicken egg was a rare delicacy for the tables of the wealthy.
Then somebody discovered that you can stuff ten chickens into a small wire cage, feed them at one end, collect eggs at the other one and dispose the manure at the bottom…
Now the duck-egg is the delicacy and millions of poor chickens suffer to make few rich.