Duckling having breathing problems and goopy eye

[Jamie081]

Hey everybody,

i have a 2 week old pekin who is having breathing problems and discharge coming from his eye, when it was born the lady who hatched our eggs assumed his eye never developed, but when i got looking at him it appeared his eye was there, just the eye lid was 3/4 shut and It is now a pinkish colour. he wouldnt quack and is breathing really heavy, i have since cleaned his eye out with warm water and he now lets out little peeps every once and a while, he also has problems standing, he can walk and he eats and drinks water, but sometimes he falls forwards or backwards while walking/standing, he doesnt fall completely on his back and he is able to get up, he is also a quarter of the size of the other ducklings of the same age, i dont know what to do with the little guy and i am new to raising ducklings, i dont like to put down animals unless i have exhausted all other options, thanks in advance for any help

 

[luckysamara199]

maybe it’s AsPERGiLLOSis. It’s a respiratory disease most common in baby ducklings. But it could be another type of respiratory infection. I’m not sure what treatment could help, but try looking up treatments for it and maybe you’ll find a good one. I’m sorry about your duck I’m not much help but good luck!

 

[Isaac 0]

Could you provide a video of the duckling breathing/ or pictures of it - and its eyes?
What is their feed/housing setup like - what are they being fed, do they have access to head deep water, what is the temperature, etc?
For the eye, I would continue flushing it daily using warm saline, and if needed, gently wipe off any dried gunk with a damp warm towel.
If there is exudate coming from the eye, you should consider applying an ophthalmic ointment such as Terramycin to help correct any bacterial overabundance.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/pfizer-terramycin-opthalmic-ointment-1-8-oz
Weak ducklings will often benefit from nutritional support; so I would consider using a poultry vitamin for a few days, and see if that helps at all.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/nutri-drench-poultry-4-oz
Offering some mashed warm scrambled eggs may supply the bird with some needed nutrients as well.

 

[Jamie081]

maybe it’s AsPERGiLLOSis. It’s a respiratory disease most common in baby ducklings. But it could be another type of respiratory infection. I’m not sure what treatment could help, but try looking up treatments for it and maybe you’ll find a good one. I’m sorry about your duck I’m not much help but good luck!

Thank you for the speedy reply, ill look into it tonight and see what i can find out! I rinsed his eye with saline solution last night and his eye has cleared up a bit and is looking much better

 

[Jamie081]

Could you provide a video of the duckling breathing/ or pictures of it - and its eyes?
What is their feed/housing setup like - what are they being fed, do they have access to head deep water, what is the temperature, etc?
For the eye, I would continue flushing it daily using warm saline, and if needed, gently wipe off any dried gunk with a damp warm towel.
If there is exudate coming from the eye, you should consider applying an ophthalmic ointment such as Terramycin to help correct any bacterial overabundance.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/pfizer-terramycin-opthalmic-ointment-1-8-oz
Weak ducklings will often benefit from nutritional support; so I would consider using a poultry vitamin for a few days, and see if that helps at all.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/nutri-drench-poultry-4-oz
Offering some mashed warm scrambled eggs may supply the bird with some needed nutrients as well.

Thanks for your reply, I will take a video of him tonight, i have 5 ducklings in a large dog cage with a heat lamp, they have plenty room in there, i clean them out a few times a week, ive been feeding them a masterfeed duckling feed. I cleaned his eye out last night with some saline mixed with warm water and its looking much better, i can see his eyeball now. Unfortunately i live in canada and we cant get any sort of antibiotics without a vet prescribing it, but i will call my local feed store today and see if they have anything like it. They have a couple smaller water dishes around but a couple nights a week i put them in the bath tub, the little guy definitely doesnt like swimming around, im gonna check his nasal passage tonight to see if theres anything in there, thanks again for your help

 

[Jamie081]

Could you provide a video of the duckling breathing/ or pictures of it - and its eyes?
What is their feed/housing setup like - what are they being fed, do they have access to head deep water, what is the temperature, etc?
For the eye, I would continue flushing it daily using warm saline, and if needed, gently wipe off any dried gunk with a damp warm towel.
If there is exudate coming from the eye, you should consider applying an ophthalmic ointment such as Terramycin to help correct any bacterial overabundance.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/pfizer-terramycin-opthalmic-ointment-1-8-oz
Weak ducklings will often benefit from nutritional support; so I would consider using a poultry vitamin for a few days, and see if that helps at all.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/nutri-drench-poultry-4-oz
Offering some mashed warm scrambled eggs may supply the bird with some needed nutrients as well.

Heres a picture of his eye, i cant seem to be able to post a video, his whole body moves when he breathes, but he seems to be doing a lot better, his peep is getting louder now which is good, a few days ago he wasnt making any noise at all.