Deceased-10 wk old duck acting disoriented and too wobbly to stand

OneOleBiddy

In the Brooder
May 23, 2017
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Ricky Bobby was fine this morning at feeding time. When we went this evening to try for good pictures, we don't know breed or sex, RB was in the coop sitting all alone and on his side. When Dear Hunny picked him up and placed him back down he fell over and was struggling to right himself.
He was out in the yard for breakfast, so this has developed to this point, in the last 12 hours. He is on Dumoor Chick starter. He's not wanting to eat or drink and was shivering pretty good so I brought him in the house. He does have diarrhea. He is warm to the touch.

I had to stop in the middle of this to fix dinner and feed the other animals. Now he is laying upside down and feels like he has a fever. He is still quacking, but it's more of a distress response from being in the house I think. He now feels like he has a fever. I have amoxicillin but it's the only antibiotic I have on hand.
I searched the forum and I don't think it is Niacin deficiency. But I could be wrong. This is my first sick duckling. Any help would be appreciated. Dear Hunny has him in a towel upright in his lap monitoring him and....

And we lost him... Just like that. Does anyone have a clue what it could be? I've searched him from head to tail feathe, no signs of injury. He wasn't dehydrated. He was a good heft for his size. Delete this if it is no longer appropriate. But please leave it long enough for someone knowledgeable to answer any question or ask any questions they can.
 
Very sorry you lost him :hugs

Did he have a crest? Had you fed him anything lately that was new? Were his legs paralyzed or could he move them? His neck? Was his poop normal?

Sorry for the 20 questions, but more info will help figure out what happened.
 
@Pyxis
What do you mean by a crest? He was on the same feed and scratch, with the run of the coop and back yard where he has been for 2 months. He could move his legs, he just couldn't stand at all. His neck seemed ok when you help him upright, he'd look around and got po'ed at being held...like normal. We started with normal poop, then diarrhea, almost water looking. Vent looked normal, and he seemed to be normal temp at the start.
He was shivering somewhat, so we brought him inside where it was dry and warmer. A few hours later he seemed to develop a fever and was gone within 4 hours of bringing him inside. He/she is my first loss for no apparent reason and it bothers me. The rest of the ducks don't seem affected.
I am new to ducks, but not sick animals. The only thing I have ever seen take out a young one this fast is parvo in puppies. And it took him faster than even that. Literally yesterday morning he was fine. Running around with the others and playing in the grass. Even with all the rain their water is cleaned at least once daily.( Family laughs about using an umbrella to clean duck and chicken water dishes) I scrub and sanitize their water and feed dishes daily. Their lot and the back yard are muddy, but no standing water at the moment. The only water source that was more than 24 hours old was rain and their pond.
I checked him from tip to tail for a snake bite or anything like that. Nothing remotely abnormal. This has me worried that something may kill off my others. Ricky Bobby has been an energetic active duckling since we brought him home, hence the name. He'd randomly break out running and playing. He ate like normal yesterday morning. I feed them the starter 24/7. They get scratch grain, Dumoor brand, twice a day. And they get a supplemental pellet twice a day with their scratch. Nothing molded, wet, or anything. It was a "normal" day.
 
This was the duckling. It was taken day before yesterday. This was the closest he came to being still for pictures. Everything else is blurred because he was very active. Has been since we brought him home and he did his quarantine time.
 

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Did he have a 'poof' on the back of his head? That's what I mean by crest. It looks like he might have in this picture, but that may just be the angle playing tricks on me.
 
Did he have a 'poof' on the back of his head? That's what I mean by crest. It looks like he might have in this picture, but that may just be the angle playing tricks on me.

I don't think so. I know his little feathers were blowing all around because it was windy. I assume you mean crest as in like a dog raising its scruff/ruff.
 
No, it's actually a genetic thing. It's a big ball of feathers on the back of the head that actually are covering a gap in the skull. They often cause neurological issues and death, so that's why I asked.

I'm pretty stumped. All I can think of is that he was injured in some way, maybe something heavy fell on him or something and damaged him internally. The symptoms you said he has don't really match any illnesses I can think of.
 
My first thought was an injury. There wasn't anything dislodged or fallen in the coop. I looked again for large limbs or anything in the yard. I couldn't find a lump or bump on him. After he passed I went hunting a snake bite or something, anything to explain his death. Yes, I am weird but I broke out the magnifying glass and looked him over. I don't want to lose my ducks or my chickens.
I haven't ever lost a bird this fast... well except my tiels and keets YEARS ago to a burnt teflon pan.
 

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