Duck Help? Sick-- not moving

[duckfeathers]

Hello, I am looking for some help with a recently sick duck!
I don't know whats wrong with her but I'll try and describe whats happening the best i can.
My duck is a two year old Rouen Layer and recently she looks like she is very ill. I noticed a few weeks back she was getting slower than the other ducks but i thought this was because she was more hefty- as rouens do get. Yesterday She hardly moved at all... the odd walk around the yard or just sitting in the kiddie pool of water. She doesn't preen herself as often, does not lay, and she sits on her own without socializing.

When spring came around i decided to sell the male ducks, leaving us with three female layers. About a month back this one duck was not as socialize with the other two which i thought may have been caused due to the male ducks absence. Yesterday i went to the coop to find out what was wrong and then realized it was much messier than it normally is. We do the odd clean out every couple of months but didn't realize how bad the conditions were until we stuck our heads in. After cleaning the entire place out, we found nests of flies, earwigs, ants...

I believe the terrible condition the coop was left in may have caused my poor duck to catch some type of worm. I believe she hasn't been laying for about two weeks...

We love our ducks dearly and would hate to lose any of them. I was wondering if anyone has seen or had a duck experience what our duck is going through? And i would also like to ask if the vet would take care of ducks?

Thanks so much, any information is useful.

 

[Naunnie]

So sorry to hear about your duck. It's hard to say what may be wrong, but I would try to find a Vet. She may have picked up something from the coop. A fungal infection is the first thing to come to mind. Just call and see if they treat poultry. A lot do...some don't. If you can handle her, check her all over. See if she has any sores/lumps, especially on the bottom of her feet. Have you noticed if she has any problems breathing or swallowing? How is her appetite? What do you feed? Do they have access to grit/oyster shell? You mentioned a kiddie pool. Is this the only source of water?

I would not let any of them back in the coop until after a through cleaning of everything. I would remove everything and do a good scrubbing with Dawn/Vinegar solution. I would also make sure they have a dry place to sleep.

The cloudy Apple Cider Vinegar....."Braggs" is a good brand, in her drinking water may help some. It will help boost her immune system and remove some toxins from her system. The recommendation is usually 1 Tbl. to 1 gal of water. You can even put it in their pool, to help treat external parasites.

I hope she gets better soon. Best of luck.

 

[duckfeathers]

Thanks so much! I have contacted the vet and we are still seeing if she has a chance of getting better before we bring her in as it is so very costly! I checked her over and saw nothing physically wrong. Her appetite is gone, but I have seen her drink during the day. We feed the ducks pellets for grown layers (duck variety). They do not have access to oyster shell although they are able to walk around the yard and driveway to pick up grit. The kiddie pool is their main source of water and it is refilled each day. They also have a bucket of water in their coop which is also refilled every three days or so..mainly because they don't use it.

The coop is completely clean now, scrubbed down and filled with fresh straw. It has been for the past two days but she doesn't look like shes getting any better.

Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it to the moon and back... i will be using the apple cider solution! --- i have to ask... can i use just normal apple cider vinegar or does it have to be a special brand?

Thanks!

 

[Naunnie]

I sure hope she gets better.... Any brand of ACV is fine. Just make sure it has "the mother" in it. It will be cloudy and have apple sediment in it. Shake it good before each use.

You might ask the Vet if they can at least check a fresh poop sample for worms, without seeing her. Usually they will and it is not very expensive.

It does cause a lot of concern if she has stopped eating. Here is a link for duck treats. Hope, this will give you some ideas of what to try to get something in her. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/242460/the-ultimate-list-of-duck-treats-and-supplements

I'm not sure where you are... but she also needs to stay warm and quiet, especially at night. Good sleep is essential for her to heal. I would give her a separate water bowl with the ACV in it and limit her pool drinking for now. Some birds are not crazy about the ACV at first. You can start with 1 tea. to a gallon and then increase with each refill.

I'll be keeping ya in my thoughts.....keep us updated.

 

[Amiga]

If she is drinking, you could try giving her some water with poultry Nutri-Drench in it. It has some vitamins and calories in it.

Her problems could be parasites, fungi, or bacteria, or she could have egg yolk peritonitis or other condition. Give her TLC, try mixing up a small smoothie with a little fruit and some leafy greens, give her a lukewarm bath so you can watch her closely for a little while. My ducks seem to perk up with the special bath. I just put them in the tub in lukewarm water - no soap, just let them float in the water, toss in a few thawed green peas to see if they'll go for them - their favorite treat. I can sniff for weird odors, watch paddling and balance, see if normal preening behaviors are still there, listen to breathing, see if the eyes are clear, etc. even see if there are tiny bugs crawling near the bill and eyes.

The vet is a good idea, I know it's pricey. I agree that you may be able to bring in a stool sample for analysis.

 

[duckfeathers]

@Naunnie & @Amiga
Thank you both for all your help. I really appreciated the effort you put into helping me. Today i was going to bring her to the vet... or even better bring in a stool sample however my poor duckie passed away. I just wanted to let you know how deeply i appreciated you help because it brought to light my options for helping her... in this case however she lost her strength dramatically and died within 5 days.
I will be keeping an eye out on the other two, and will defiantly be providing them oyster shells for additional calcium. Maybe once n a while adding apple vinegar to their pond as well.
Thank you, thank you thank you... i know shes in a happy place now, and she had a long healthy life here where she was able to stroll acres and acres into the neighbors yards, to apple trees, through the long insect filled grasses and her favorite...into ditch puddles.

Thanks again.

 

[Amiga]

Sad you lost her. Sometimes people can get necropsies done to be sure of cause of death. Just so you know about that. Hugs.

 

[Haunted55]

Is she by any chance egg bound?

 

[duckfeathers]

I thought she might have been so i applied vasiline... felt her... but she did'nt follow some of the symptoms. Anyway she passed but thank you for your help!

 

[Naunnie]

Oh Hun...I am so sorry she didn't make it.

Losing one is so dang hard. Hang on to the good memories and cherish the other two while ya can. I'll be thinking of ya....