Dizzy, confused, disoriented duck

[NajmoNests]

Big active adult call hen previous to brooding and her drake sold - This is the story/question:
abandoned nest of eggs 4 days ago - was seen circling in pool (around, 'n around 'n around). I thought she was wetting her under carriage to moisten eggs.
3 days ago - confused look - too busy to watch for her. Has lost weight. Is now a Small hen.
2 days ago - 1 drop of pour on ivermec on neck skin; separated to 4 X 4 cage with water & food.
Today - sluggish, cowering and weak. The end is near - why???
no toxins, poisens used; clean food & water daily; kiddie pool cleaned every other day
WHAT is killing her???

 

[NajmoNests]

No replies? There are no duck peeps on here? She is laying prone neck long, head down, eyes questioning. When she dies, which she surely will, I will preform a neocropsy on her and find out what killed her. Thanks.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

I've only had Muscovies for a year, so won't be much help.

Only thing I can think of right off, is while sitting, she may have gotten bitten by something, snake, rat??
Could she be egg bound? How long had she been sitting her nest.

I know, when I lost my Drake, I wondered for a while what was wrong with him. He had been acting funny for a few days. But when I picked him up after he collapsed, he was skin and bones. Next morning he died. I figured he had eaten a rat that had been poisoned. Because of the rapid weight loss. Even though he seemed to be eating and drinking, he evidently wasn't.

Could something like that have happend to your hen. Mice and rats will go after the eggs when they are sitting. She could have got ahold of a poisoned rat or mouse. I don;t set out poison because of my birds. But I know my neighbor does.

Were you able to incubate her eggs?

 

[NajmoNests]

She had been nesting for 2 weeks or so - she stole 12 eggs from nearby nest & made a HUGE pile of 20 eggs to brood. It is possible a rodent might have been in near her, but no signs of anthing amiss with eggs. No poisons here... I had sold "her drake" and she was kinda missing him, while brooding. Eggs were 2 days cold, dead at various stages from combined nests.
Can a duck waste away upon the loss of her mate? She has many "sisters" and there are 2 drakes in residence.

 

[NajmoNests]

Update: Filled needleless syringe with electrolyte/vitamin solution; full small syringe squirted, dribbled in & mostly out, but she did swollow. Set her back down

she went into "head under wing, standing position".
Question now is - why did she NOT drink of pan of water in the 4' x 4' enclosure? This definitely seemed to be a good sign - her leisure stance.
Force feeding seems to be the next step... suggestions for syringeable solutions for force feeding? Dang but this is getting complicated! I have successfully tube fed a llama cria... has anyone tubed fowl? I want to save her, not do neocropsy on her!

 

[KansasKid]

Check this link, it will help you if you tube feed, https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3578769

You might also see if your local vet can do anything for her.

 

[FenDruadin]

Gosh, I'm sorry to hear about your duck. I wish I had advice, but I have no idea about it. Just sympathy. I do hope she recovers--ducks sometimes will recover with amazing odds against them. It sounds like you're doing everything you can for her.

I think ducks do feel sorrow when parting from a loved one, and I think it's possible that one could pine away for a while, but I've never heard of one actually dying from grief. And her symptoms don't sound like wasting, anyway. They sound neurological to me--like either an injury or a poison to the brain or spinal cord. Or possibly an aneurysm or other sudden internal event that caused nervous damage.

I'm just guessing though from my spotty understanding of general symptoms & illness, not from any specific knowledge.

Wish I could help. I hope she recovers.

 

[tony garza]

I've had kid goats that swallowed a wasp in their drinking water. Very limited external swelling but internally, their throat would swell and make the kid unable to swallow. Also, had a terrier that was bitten by a copperhead. Also, external swelling more severe and closed throat. In both cases we used varying sizes of syringes to feed them. For your duck you may consider pureeing some feed with electrolites and syringe feeding it. I hope you can save her.

Tony

 

[JosieR]

I'm sorry, I don't know enough to give you any sort of advice but I hope she recovers, please let us know how she's doing