Drakes with neck injuries from mink

[kim1999]

I've lost around 12 ducks since last year without a trace, not even a feather left behind. In the spring we found a couple around the pond, fully intact minus the neck :/ without my intervention these guys would not have survived. They were laying on the ground dead to me. I went to get a shovel and returned to find them on there feet and the mink trying to take another round out of them. They just stood there, didn't even try to get out the open door of the pen so they surely would have been done if I hadn't been there. I'm hoping they will pull through, these are the only survivors of my first 5 ducks. They have been taking small amounts of water and not really eating yet. Not sure how long I should wait for them to improve as I don't want them to suffer if they are not going to get better.

 

[JJSS89]

If they've made it this long, I would say just keep providing water and maybe an electrolyte solution and keep the wounds clean and treated. It's that first few days that are the most telling if an animal will make it or not. With chickens, if they can make it to day three and be better off than on day two, I can usually assume that they will be fine.

I'd let them decide if they're going to live or not. Unless there is irreparable damage to the trachea or esophagus, they will probably pull through eventually.

All that said, I have never dealt with a non-lethal mink attack so I don't know how the birds will react to the germs from bite wounds. The mustela genus are a bunch of dirty little critters.

 

[kim1999]

Happy to say the are doing much better my one guy was happily eating and drinking this morning and trying so hard to reach his chest to groom himself. My other guy is not doing as well, he seems to have been in worst shape from the beginning. He's trying to eat and drink and we've been lowing, rising his food and water, trying to find the best position for him to get his beak in it. Trying in vain to get the mink, but he is one sneaky bugger, gone from 13 ducklings to 8.

 

[JJSS89]

Hope they're doing alright. If you would like some perspective on the mink, PM me and we can talk about it. I've done some Nuisance Wildlife Control work and fur trapping for mink so maybe just maybe...

 

[kim1999]

2 weeks post attack, the bigger guy is doing great, able to do mostly everything, cleaning, grooming, stretching his neck. He was on the deck yesterday and really enjoyed the kiddie pool. He wasn't happy about going back in the crate but with the mink still out there he needs to be 100%

My other drake is eating and drinking lots. His neck is not great. He finally started moving it this weekend and I've found him in some horrific positions. He don't seem to have a lot of control over it and it sometimes falls to the ground and he's looking up while standing. He gets himself sorted out on his own in a min or so. Unsteady and sometimes falls over. I'm just taking it that hes eating and drinking lots so maybe he just needs more time. Hoping the neck improves so that he can have some quality of life as he would be better off dead than the way he is now. Can anyone tell me the amounts of metacam I can give him or how such sugar water? I have metacam my dog uses but not sure of the dosage for a duck.

 

[kim1999]