Duckling issues... seeking help

[sniper338]

Im no newbie. Aint my first rodeo by any means. I ordered 24 mallard ducklings fro ideal poultry, got them in this last Thursday. One was dead already. I put them in my garage, in my GQF brooder, added a heater in the garage, good and warm 90 degrees or so in the brooder. Starter feed on the floor of the brooder on paper towels, plenty warm water, with electrolites....

Ive lost over half these ducklings. Just found another that started loosing its balence and cant stay standing up, keeps falling over onto its back.. it will be dead by the end of the day...

Ducks are this hard, ive done it before... no issues... im down to 11 out of 24...

They got plenty water, warmth, space to get away from the warmth, feed.... this aint right, im at a loss mentally and physically haha! Any advice? Something im missing?

 

[johntfs]

Start by giving them niacin and Vitamin B because it's like a miracle drug. If possible, try to separate them into mini-brooders away from each other, like 1 per brooder until they stop dying (if they stop dying). It's possible there's some kind of illness/infectious disease at play if you've lost that many duckings so quickly. You probably need to get a necropsy done on the dead ones to find out what's going on so you don't lose all of them along with any other birds you have.

 

[sniper338]

Start by giving them niacin and Vitamin B because it's like a miracle drug. If possible, try to separate them into mini-brooders away from each other, like 1 per brooder until they stop dying (if they stop dying). It's possible there's some kind of illness/infectious disease at play if you've lost that many duckings so quickly. You probably need to get a necropsy done on the dead ones to find out what's going on so you don't lose all of them along with any other birds you have.

Ive given probiotics... no way to separate them. No way to do any vet stuff. They can all die before I pay a vet for a bird.

The brooder was clean. Cleaned out, sprayed down with 409, then rinsed out real good again. Clean from the get go.

Im kind of leaning on the "they were sent to me from the hatchery with issues/they all got chilled in the mail and had issues from the start" side of the fence..

 

[Jpat]

is this a gqf brooder?

You should contact ideal poultry and wherever you got the feed and let them know

Was any of the brooder wet? I magine you dried it enough that they couldnt get any 409 on them. i see your post now and it was dry, Nevermind

Ive had ducklings get very chilled, and come back without permenent issues like that

i assume if they hatched wednsday they are 5 days old, Their yolk is long gone they could be starving

Best way to feed new ducklings is a small dish and wet the crumble starter feed into a soupy porage. Ducklings dont realy eat off the floor as well as chicks doo

Make sure food and water is available 24/7

Make sure they cant get in the water and get soaked

I know your not an amature i dont want to insult your intelligence its just best to cover everything

Mabye @casportpony or @Miss Lydia has a good idea

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very sorry for your losses. I lost 2 runners from shipping stress ( hatchery said this not me) I’d def contact Ideal.

 

[sniper338]

is this a gqf brooder?View attachment 2016950

You should contact ideal poultry and wherever you got the feed and let them know

Was any of the brooder wet? I magine you dried it enough that they couldnt get any 409 on them. i see your post now and it was dry, Nevermind

Ive had ducklings get very chilled, and come back without permenent issues like that

i assume if they hatched wednsday they are 5 days old, Their yolk is long gone they could be starving

Best way to feed new ducklings is a small dish and wet the crumble starter feed into a soupy porage. Ducklings dont realy eat off the floor as well as chicks doo

Make sure food and water is available 24/7

Make sure they cant get in the water and get soaked

I know your not an amature i dont want to insult your intelligence its just best to cover everything

Mabye @casportpony or @Miss Lydia has a good idea

Yes thats a gqf brooder. Looks like stacked with the grow out pens. Theres several configurations.

It was all dry.. none got wet..

 

[Jpat]

Try the soupy feed in dishes

And ive witnessed first hand how a b complex vitamin can bring ducklings back from the brink

 

[sniper338]

Very sorry for your losses. I lost 2 runners from shipping stress ( hatchery said this not me) I’d def contact Ideal.

I wasnt very impressed with their packaging... it was just a bird cardboard box with meterial stuff in the bottom. Was the same as they do during summer months. That doesnt worth in jan and feb when its in the 20s and snowing, yes.. here in TX..

The mail lady said they opened them to look at them... not sure how cold it was in the mail room...

They needed heat packs, and more insulation in the box..

 

[chickens really]

How long have you been using the electrolyte in water?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wasnt very impressed with their packaging... it was just a bird cardboard box with meterial stuff in the bottom. Was the same as they do during summer months. That doesnt worth in jan and feb when its in the 20s and snowing, yes.. here in TX..

The mail lady said they opened them to look at them... not sure how cold it was in the mail room...

They needed heat packs, and more insulation in the box..

I can understand that could def have been the trouble. Poor babies. Maybe they thought they didn’t need heat PACs with that many but they sure sound like they did.