Duck labored breathing

[Belrose]

Does anyone know why my pekin would be labored breathing? She has free access to water 24/7, has been indoors now for a little a couple of hours, so Im pretty sure it's not heat.

She makes a low raspy noise, at one point opening her bill sticking her tongue out. Nostrils are not clogged. Tail is bobbing up and down - sometimes harder, if she's relaxed a little less.

The only thing about her is that we've been dealing with bumblefoot for a while (months) We've treated with epsom/iodine, and tricide neo and it looked (almost?) all gone. Last week we gave her a "break" since it looked better / just about gone. But today there was a scab again and she's making this noise. It's the only thing out of the ordinary.... I don't think she would have got into anything.

One other thing that was different is that I sprinkled a little DE (food grade) in their coop today.

Right now she is not interested in water. I gave her a bath in the tub and she played for a sec but I didnt see her drink anything. A little whole ago I gave her a bit with a syringe. I don't know how to check if she's egg bound but I don't think she is... I'm not sure what I can do and no avian vets are open Saturday night or Sunday... please help

PS: i was trying to post a video but it says the extension (mp4) is not allowed?

 

[Belrose]

Here is the video about 1-2h agi

Duck labored breathing

 

[Belrose]

This is now. She is calmer but still breathing hard and just now she stopped the raspy noise but she's still opening her bill

 

[Quatie]

It sounds like she may be having trouble laying an egg. You can't always tell if they are egg bound. Depending on where the egg is you may or may not be able to feel it. You can put a finger up her vent and feel for an egg, but again you may not find one. Giving her a long bath can help with the passing of an egg. I tend to put mine in a bath for an hour or more.

Calcium will help with the passing of an egg. Calcium gluconate is the recommended one for egg bound ducks. You can get it at TSC. It says injectable, but you can admininister it orally with a syringe. You give 1ml twice a day till they are no longer having egg issues. I recommend at least a week.

Calcium citrate is the next best one. You can find this at a pharmacy and possible even in a grocery store. You can give them 50mg per lb. I usually just do a 400mg tablet twice a day. This one is usually more recommended for soft shelled eggs, but any calcium will help.

A tums will work if you have nothing else. It is also 50mg per lb. It is not as effective, but is better than nothing.

Here is links on how to give a pill or syringe drugs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-give-a-duck-a-pill.1213474/

 

[Belrose]

It sounds like she may be having trouble laying an egg. You can't always tell if they are egg bound. Depending on where the egg is you may or may not be able to feel it. You can put a finger up her vent and feel for an egg, but again you may not find one. Giving her a long bath can help with the passing of an egg. I tend to put mine in a bath for an hour or more.

Calcium will help with the passing of an egg. Calcium gluconate is the recommended one for egg bound ducks. You can get it at TSC. It says injectable, but you can admininister it orally with a syringe. You give 1ml twice a day till they are no longer having egg issues. I recommend at least a week.

Calcium citrate is the next best one. You can find this at a pharmacy and possible even in a grocery store. You can give them 50mg per lb. I usually just do a 400mg tablet twice a day. This one is usually more recommended for soft shelled eggs, but any calcium will help.

A tums will work if you have nothing else. It is also 50mg per lb. It is not as effective, but is better than nothing.

Here is links on how to give a pill or syringe drugs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-give-a-duck-a-pill.1213474/

Thank you! Everything is closed now (TSC will open in the AM but I'm nervous about her making it thrthe night), so I dissolved 1 regular tums on warm water (found something about it under another thread) but honestly got scared it could do more damage than good and only gave her a syringe's worth.

Would it hurt if this is somehow a respiratory infection? Or is it okay regardless? I gave her a VERY small portion of the whole thing, but I can try to give her a bit more.....

 

[Quatie]

Ducks can swallow really large items. You can take the tums and slide it down her throat. If you have a 1000mg tums, you can break it in half. Having extra calcium at will not hurt her for such a short amount of time. One of the links shows how to give a pill.

 

[Belrose]

I believe mine is the 500mg (I'll check) but it's a chewable, not a pill. She doesn't seem to want food so I wouldn't be able to feed it to her.

I think I'll break in small pieces and see if I can give it to her on a bigger syringe. I've given medicine to them before via syringe but never a pill.

She just moved and started the raspy noise again.

Thank you for your help

 

[Belrose]

She is slowly drinking a little bit of water now, and picking at the tiny pieces of tomatoes I put in her water.

And she just pooped.

Sorry this question may be stupid but I really don't know. Could she poop normally and still be eggbound?

 

[Quatie]

It is possible that she is not egg bound, but that would be what I would treat first. They will pump their tails, breathe heavily, and sometimes not eat and drink. Often their beaks will feel a bit warm. Sometimes they will even become lame from a nerve being pinched by the egg.

Sorry this question may be stupid but I really don't know. Could she poop normally and still be eggbound?

They can poop when egg bound. When they are more dangerously egg bound, they can't. It depends on the location of the egg.

Giving her another bath and more calcium is the most you can do right now. Hopefully she will lay the egg tonight.

Does she normally have access to layer feed or oyster shells?

 

[Belrose]

The symptoms match! Right now the bobbing of the tail is more intense and it looks like her belly contracts. My husband also mentioned her bill was a bit warm! She's looking a bit more active now although she's still making the raspy sound. I suspect (and hope) that you're right and she's just egg bound.

There are pine shavings in her coop. Recently I've added DE too. She has free access to duck food / pellets and usually will roam the yard a couple of hours a day too. Unlimited water. And I recently started giving them oyster shells too, after a few soft shelled eggs.