Urban Waddler
Songster
I recently hatched three ducklings. Everything was going great. I was using a mixture of large pine flakes and nesting hay for their bedding, I created a way to keep water spillage away from their sleeping area, I keep their temp around 90 degrees the first week but allowed for cooler spaces if need be, I made sure they always have clean water they can drink and dunk their bills in. I was feeding them chick starter feed and supplementing it with brewers yeast for niacin. I cleaned their bedding at least daily, and starting on their second week I kept temps closer to 80-85 because I noticed they most often avoided their heat lamp.
On the ninth day, I went to a nearby farm store to buy more hay and flakes. The woman at the counter recommended I use the small pine flakes. I said something along the lines of “they won’t try and eat that?” And she just said they are nontoxic. I also saw they had specific duckling food (pro mama brand). On day nine I changed their bedding and their food. On day ten, I woke up, made sure their water was fresh, their food co brainer cleaned and refilled and their temps at a good spot. I then ran about an hour long errand and came home to a dead duck. I am absolutely devastated. I imediately took the two ducklings out. I sanitized their brooder completely, removed everything, and cleaned all their eating/drinking containers. I have read through so many threads about what went wrong, but all I can see is that it was likely pine swelling in their little tummies and killing them. I am no longer using pine, but I have noticed my other two ducks, while seemingly ok, panting today. I turned off their heat lamp, brought temp down to 79 degrees, have plenty of fresh water where they can fill submerge their heads, but not get completely wet. I am so scared that they will die as well. I don’t know what to do. I assume they are panting because they are breathing heavy-ish and opening and closing their mouths. Please help. I apologize in advance for creating a new thread but I’m not thinking straight from
worry.
On the ninth day, I went to a nearby farm store to buy more hay and flakes. The woman at the counter recommended I use the small pine flakes. I said something along the lines of “they won’t try and eat that?” And she just said they are nontoxic. I also saw they had specific duckling food (pro mama brand). On day nine I changed their bedding and their food. On day ten, I woke up, made sure their water was fresh, their food co brainer cleaned and refilled and their temps at a good spot. I then ran about an hour long errand and came home to a dead duck. I am absolutely devastated. I imediately took the two ducklings out. I sanitized their brooder completely, removed everything, and cleaned all their eating/drinking containers. I have read through so many threads about what went wrong, but all I can see is that it was likely pine swelling in their little tummies and killing them. I am no longer using pine, but I have noticed my other two ducks, while seemingly ok, panting today. I turned off their heat lamp, brought temp down to 79 degrees, have plenty of fresh water where they can fill submerge their heads, but not get completely wet. I am so scared that they will die as well. I don’t know what to do. I assume they are panting because they are breathing heavy-ish and opening and closing their mouths. Please help. I apologize in advance for creating a new thread but I’m not thinking straight from
worry.
