Duck poop

[rcockerham]

Hi I am new to the whole duck thing and I don't know if my ducks poop is normal or not or if I should do something. I have 5 Pekin ducks that are about 5 weeks old. I have noticed that one of them poops a white to off white pure liquid. All the ducks seem to be acting normal.

 

[Amiga]

That sounds within the normal range to me for the occasional poop. See if you can watch for about fifteen minutes. That ought to deliver a few poops. If they are all runny like that, there may be a digestive problem.

What is their feed? Do they get chick grit?

 

[rcockerham]

It seems to be only thing that this one duck poops. No I don't give them grit. I am so new to this that I don't know exactly what basics they should be getting

 

[Amiga]

This might help you, then

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711

What feed are they getting, and are they getting it with water 24/7?

 

[rcockerham]

I don't remember what the name of it is but it is a poultry feed 18%. They have food and water pretty much 24/7.

 

[Amiga]

When did you notice this? I don't mean to imply that you ought to be keeping detailed records of everyone's poop.

Do they get treats? Might the duckling have gotten into something that got stuck in their digestive tract? Like, eating shavings?

I would get some chick grit and sprinkle a teaspoon of chick grit on their feed once a day for three weeks. If you cannot find chick grit, then a little sand would do - make sure it's clean. That is, nothing toxic in it.

I would also get some probiotics - some feed stores sell poultry probiotics. I use a probiotic with electrolytes and vitamins.

Can you gently feel the front of their body and see if you can feel any lumps?

 

[rcockerham]

It's been like a week. I watch them very closely every day. It's hard to keep the ducks straight with all 5 running around. The only treats that they get is lettuce every couple of nights. I use straw for their bedding so there's no shavings to eat

 

[Amiga]

Then it could just be a little tummy imbalance. Worst case I can imagine is some kind of infection, but the symptoms for that, if I recall correctly, would be dark stool, not whitish.

I would get some probiotics, and start giving them a tiny bit of chick grit, even every other day for a while. The rule of thumb is to wait to give them treats (anything other than crumbles or pelleted feed) until they have had some grit.

Take a look at that link I sent you and see if you get some ideas there.

I don't know if just some lettuce would cause impaction. I suppose it is possible.

 

[duckcrazy]

http://chat.allotment.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

Try this page, there are pictures of normal and abnormal feces