Do ducks heal fast? :(

[Moochie]

Today was very scary. No idea how this happened, but our large dog and our doxies got into the duck enclosure, some feathers were pulled and one of the hens is in bad shape. We're thinking the large dog jumped over the 5 ft fence on the east side of the enclosure (he has legs like a gazelle). Still not sure how the dachshunds got in though, all holes that have been dug are blocked. The weather is pretty bad today but we're going to try to make the fence higher by adding netting or something like that. Thankfully the doxies were on the side barking but the large dog was in the pond! He's going to be re-homed though. He also barks alot at the ducks which is very irritating.. Any new neighbors would definately complain. This is the second time he has injured/attacked our ducks. First time was when mom and I were trying to train him to be okay with the ducks and protect them from predators or threats, which also failed, he barks at something then runs away. He's dead to me. -__-

One of the rouen hens is in bad shape. She's barely walking, kind of flops around, and has her wings down. Mom and I scooped her up and applied some anti-infection stuff to her back, side, and neck, which all had bite wounds. No severe bleeding but mom put some corn starch on her just incase. She's not taking any mealworms or greens, she's scared outta her mind so I wouldn't expect her to. I haven't had ducks very long so I really don't know how she will turn out. There is fresh water and food available to her and she's in the duck house with some new shavings.
What do y'all think?

It's also my fault for picking a pup with labrador retriever in his blood.. Attacking/trying to kill my ducks doesn't suprise me. It's what labs kind of do.. But a friend was urging me to adopt instead of buying from a breeder, so I though "eh what the heck" and went with it. I found a cute pit/lab puppy and took him home. I should have went with a breeder. :< At livestock auctions I've seen these medium sized dogs that are very obediant.. They don't bark at the poultry or the livestock, one whistle and they're by their owner's feet calmly waiting around. They're usually like border collies or collie mixes, uhm herding dog mix breeds, all that good stuff. I thought "oh man I need one of those!" and I got a derp dog because a friend told me not to buy from what she calls "scam breeders". She was saying that pedigree breeders breed moms to sons, brothers to sisters, etc, and that pure-breds have genetic problems and all this crap about saving lives in pounds. Saying mutts live longer and healthier lives than pedigrees.
Ugh. I know for a fact that good, well-known, rich, breeders actually breed out genetic faults from their dogs. Yet I still adopted a derp. Now I'm paying for it by almost losing my ducks!


*Not saying that I'm against adopting, it's just nice to know what you're getting from a breeder. You pay extra but it's well worth it.

 

[featherfinder]

Just keep her warm and maybe bring her inside for the night and keep her in a dark place so she calms down. Make sure all the wounds are clean (bath her?) and then put the anti-infection stuff you have on her just like you have been. Ducks bounce back quick so just keep an eye on her and have food and water available for when she does want it.

I hope you can find your dog a good home or a way to make the pen better so you can keep him. All dogs have that prey instinct and depending on when you adopted him it was probably to late to train him. Most start out as puppies around the animals and know from day one friend not food lol. Cant completely blame the dog for following a natural instinct.

 

[Amiga]

I think you understand there may be internal injuries, but it's best not to give up on a duck - they can make remarkable recoveries!

Bring her in where it is warmer - no point in her having to spend energy staying warm when she needs it to heal. They don't need much space when they're convalescing.

Here are some ideas:
vitamins/electrolytes/probiotics
apple cider vinegar
warm baths
peace and quiet
water - don't rush to get her to eat just yet, but think about treats that are easy to swallow. Everything hurts right now.
Keep up the topical antibiotic
think about getting oral antibiotics. Ask a vet, a rehabilitator, look around on the forum for what to use and how much
sing to her - ducks seem to respond to singing

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

They heal extremely fast and are VERY resilient. My little mallard was attacked by an older mallard hen, the skin on her neck was flapping and I could see a tendon and muscle. It was so gross. Within 2 weeks.. fine. And now, feathers are grown back. I can post a pic if you want to compare injuries.

Don't expect her to eat or drink. They can go through a "shock" time where they basically just sit there. Mine took about 24 hours to eat, drink and to stop shaking.

As far as the dog goes... I wouldn't give up on her. My lab mix is coming along quite nicely with a little training. You aren't going to find a dog that you can just turn loose with chickens and expect to leave them alone. If there is such a dog, I would sure pay good money for it!

I'm just glad you found her when you did! Poor little ducky.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Oh yes on the Apple Cider Vinegar. I did that too. Good one Amiga.

 

[Moochie]

She died this morning. Dad didn't want a duck inside.. Mom did leave her in the coop which is surprisingly warm compared to outside. She was in a dog igloo (within the coop) with fresh shavings, she wasn't eating or drinking because of that shock phase. Mom found her with all the other ducks huddled around her around 8 or 9 a.m.

When Bruno was a puppy (4 weeks) I left him with the chickens for about a week. Then weekly I'd let him hang around the chickens. As he got older he became fearful of broodies and to stay out of the rooster's way so he doesn't attack them. I've had young chicks climb all over him before, he didn't budge, except when one of the chicks pecked his eye lol. The ducks came later on when he was about 6 or 7 months old. He's a little over a year right now. Still a teenager but he barks and whines at the ducks alot. They're in a fenced area, about 1/4 of our backyard, they have plenty of room to forage. No grass, plants, shrubs, and flowers are left though, they pretty much ate everything in sight.

They have nice dirt to mozy around in though... Anyways I don't blame Bruno entirely, we should have introduced ducks to him earlier, we just weren't ready for ducks at the time he was a puppy.
But hey he can't jump over the east-fence anymore! The weather was god awful yesterday but we made the fence higher by putting chicken wire and hardware cloth on top of the other fence. It was supposed to be a leisure view though. -.- So much for that lol. (Shortened fence so neighbors/or friends could watch the ducks without having to go in)
Another duck is injured though. We found where our dachshunds were getting in, in a corner they were digging. Not a very big hole so I guess they squeezed through out of impatience to get to the ducks. Not as bad as the rouen hen. I can't grab her but she is limping and she keeps closing one eye. There are heavy cement bricks covering that up now.. Well, thanks anyways guys.

*Note. Bruno is a tough dog to train. We call him and he plays a game with us... "Bruno boy come here!" and he runs in zig-zags and jumps all over the place. He thinks we're playing tag or something? He pees when we pet him. He pees when we get him into a corner when he plays that game with us. I guess he's just not farm-dog material. Lol. But he is VERY good on a leash. Doesn't pull and stops when you stop.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Awww I'm so sorry.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Awww I'm so sorry.

X2

hope the other one recovers...

 

[DB_Tex]

Re the dog: He seems like a really high strung dog and sounds like that doesn't work for you as an owner. Try to rehome him on craigslist as a town pet and when you do, talk up all his good qualities. Good luck on that-- frankly my hubby would have put down a dog that developed a taste for chasing birds and hurting them.
I don't think you would have had better luck with a purebreed lab either. They are just as energetic as you described. Avoid bird dog breeds if you have any kind of a choice.

For next time, look for cold blooded breeds. You want something laid back and calm like a great pyrenese or mix therof (half pyr is great). They're intelligent, have great guarding instincts, are handsome big fluffy dogs, come in many colors, non aggressive and don't have a lot of the CRAZY GO GO GO GO GO that a lot of puppies do, and pyr traits seem to run very dominant in mixes. I've fostered many litters of non pure pyr mix pups and just a handful of them were "un pyr like"-- I placed many puppies that grew up to be successful guardians that have as little as 1/4th pyr.

I am actually training one from the ground up right now. He's 3 months and actually HALF bird dog but you wouldn't know it without seeing his mom. He's quite a treasure, and is continually mistaken for a purebred, even by people who know the breed. He's really good with my birds and horses.
Dogs thrive on human interaction-- It's like an instinctual imperative for many of them. I spend as much time as possible with a young developing dog, and as a result my praise makes their world go round. They come when I call them because they know they will be fussed over or given a treat 100% of the time. The more time you spend with a dog, the better dog he will be, and the more time you want to spend with him.

Collies can be a handful, they are good at herding, but the herd instinct is linked to an extremely heavy chase drive, and that's not the best trait in a guardian dog either. They need to be supervised and commanded. They might not suit your style as a dog owner either. They get extremely destructive when they try to entertain themselves and they bark A LOT.
Next time, do some research on what a dog breed was bred for, and maybe look up some feedback on how that breed does with chickens! (Or ducks)