Long story and I'll try to give as much background as possible.
Over the past several months I've had 4 ducks from my flock of 12 slowly lose vitality, energy and weight and then die. 2 drakes and 2 hens. They're all in their 1st or 2nd year, the youngest being just under a year old. The process begins slowly, they seem to quiet down, and start to lose weight. It's varied a little, but takes about 2-4 weeks from symptom start to death. They have a permanent coop that they stay in at night, and we herd them to a field pen during the day. As the sickness progressed they would walk slower and slower, eventually getting to the point where they would stumble and fall, and lay on the ground with their wings out to the sides. When this first started happening they would jump up and try again as I approached, but eventually would stop trying to get away from me and I would have to carry them the rest of the way. (They never had to walk more than 50 yards or so, and I allow them to walk at their own pace and graze along the way). Feather condition declined. The 1st drake who was older lost interest in mating around the time he got sick, the 2nd never once showed interest in the females.
Appetite seems normal through the entire process, they're drinking and taking grit normally. The first two I definitely noticed some weight gain as we started giving extra food/treats, but they weren't able to pull out of it. At the time of the start of the first case we were feeding organic Modesto Mills layer pellets, and supplementing with brewers yeast. After the first death we switched to Mazuri waterfowl which they are still getting.
With the first two especially we thought they had perhaps gotten calcium poisoning as they had stopped laying and we were still giving them layer pellets, brewers yeast and calcium grit. But with the continued losses after switching food and grit I'm less sure.
I performed an autopsy of the latest bird and did not notice anything out of the ordinary, except perhaps a darkened spleen (no mottling as with viral enteritis). No visible worms present in digestive tract, gizzard full of grit.
With all the research I've done the thing that keeps catching me up is the absence of respiratory symptoms. The eyes, nose and throat of each dead bird appeared healthy, there was no sneezing, coughing or excessive head shaking observed. The rest of the flock all still appear healthy, even slightly overweight but I'm starting to feel pretty helpless as none of our interventions seem to be working, and I can't find any information on cases that match whats happening with the absence of respiratory symptoms. I'm open to any suggestion at this point, and am happy to provide any other information that might be useful. I also have some photos of organs from the autopsy if anyone with a more experienced eye than mine wants to take a look.
Over the past several months I've had 4 ducks from my flock of 12 slowly lose vitality, energy and weight and then die. 2 drakes and 2 hens. They're all in their 1st or 2nd year, the youngest being just under a year old. The process begins slowly, they seem to quiet down, and start to lose weight. It's varied a little, but takes about 2-4 weeks from symptom start to death. They have a permanent coop that they stay in at night, and we herd them to a field pen during the day. As the sickness progressed they would walk slower and slower, eventually getting to the point where they would stumble and fall, and lay on the ground with their wings out to the sides. When this first started happening they would jump up and try again as I approached, but eventually would stop trying to get away from me and I would have to carry them the rest of the way. (They never had to walk more than 50 yards or so, and I allow them to walk at their own pace and graze along the way). Feather condition declined. The 1st drake who was older lost interest in mating around the time he got sick, the 2nd never once showed interest in the females.
Appetite seems normal through the entire process, they're drinking and taking grit normally. The first two I definitely noticed some weight gain as we started giving extra food/treats, but they weren't able to pull out of it. At the time of the start of the first case we were feeding organic Modesto Mills layer pellets, and supplementing with brewers yeast. After the first death we switched to Mazuri waterfowl which they are still getting.
With the first two especially we thought they had perhaps gotten calcium poisoning as they had stopped laying and we were still giving them layer pellets, brewers yeast and calcium grit. But with the continued losses after switching food and grit I'm less sure.
I performed an autopsy of the latest bird and did not notice anything out of the ordinary, except perhaps a darkened spleen (no mottling as with viral enteritis). No visible worms present in digestive tract, gizzard full of grit.
With all the research I've done the thing that keeps catching me up is the absence of respiratory symptoms. The eyes, nose and throat of each dead bird appeared healthy, there was no sneezing, coughing or excessive head shaking observed. The rest of the flock all still appear healthy, even slightly overweight but I'm starting to feel pretty helpless as none of our interventions seem to be working, and I can't find any information on cases that match whats happening with the absence of respiratory symptoms. I'm open to any suggestion at this point, and am happy to provide any other information that might be useful. I also have some photos of organs from the autopsy if anyone with a more experienced eye than mine wants to take a look.
