Duckling help!

[hanjj033]

I have a duckling that is quite distressed and lethargic. It is peeping almost constantly and wont settle. It has been vomiting up a fair bit of food and it seems to be having problems doing a poo. It did a large poo a little while ago, but now it is just doing small white runny poos with great difficulty. I have tried to clean the vent area (by soaking in warm water) which is a bit dirty and smelly but it hasnt seemed to help. As far as I am aware it hasn't ingested any food like lettuce, just duckling starter crumble. Any advice as to what may be wrong and how I can help?

 

[hanjj033]

The duckling now has quite a large amount of smelly yellow goop around its vent and its tummy/vent area looks a bit swollen!

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

I can't help with the cause without more information. I need the breed and age of the duckling. I need possible infection vectors (do you own other birds, any possible cross flock exposures). What type of litter is used? Have there been any changes at all in where it lives? Now I can provide treatment of symptoms. Make sure food is available. Provide chick grit as well. Continue to clean the pasty vent. If you use soap only use diluted dawn dish soap. Provide a poultry electrolyte mix in the water and ensure it is clean and fresh. Feel the duckling gently for any abdominal swelling or abnormal density. Finally isolate and quarantine the duckling in case it is pathogenic to protect the rest of your flock. Wash well before and after handling the I'll duckling. Do not allow potentially contaminate clothing to contact your healthy birds. To keep the duckling calm you will need to spend as much time as possible with it during quarentine. Talk to it a bunch, ducks are big on audio. Mine are fans of Genesis, it keeps them calm.

 

[hanjj033]

Its a mixed breed duckling, only about 2 days old, it had only been exposed to ducklings a couple of days older then itself. It has been sleeping on basic straw and clean tea towels. There has been more yellow goo coming out but the duckling is looking a bit more spritley. I have been washing it. It has a bit of a lump on its tummy, but the whole stomach is not bloated.

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

Two days old, good news; probably just a pasty vent. A pasty vent basically means that there is a live bacterial culture living in and around the vent. Continue to clean it often, it's helpful to soak the duckling's rear in warm water with a little Epsom salt. After the soak dry the duckling gently and return to a warm brooder. Apply some bactatracin ointment (check the active ingredients to insure there is no anesthetic) to the vent. Keep the duckling happy for the next few days and it should clear up. Pasty vent just means the little fella got stressed. I would suggest to continue keeping it separated just in case it is something more serious. Also that small lump would be the yoke sack. Basically when ducklings hatch they take what's left of the yoke into their bodies and absorb it over the next few days. This is the reason you don't want to squeeze or drop them as it can cause blood poisoning.

 

[hanjj033]

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[hanjj033]

Unfortunately the poor little duckie didnt make it.

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

That can happen. Pasty vent is usually a sign of stress. So it can be the only warning of many of the "sudden death" diseases.