Ducklings with big chest*** HELP

[PoultryGirly]

My 6 mallard ducklings have a puffed out chest. Is this normal? They are about 2 weeks old. They just ate and drank a little bit ago. I'm so scared. If this is bad, is there anything I can do?

 

[sourland]

If they were without feed and you just fed and watered, I am guessing that they have gorged themselves and you are seeing the end result.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Well, they had water all day but I don't think they had food all day. I know they had plenty because it is a big bowl. Are they going to be okay?

 

[Amiga]

It is difficult to say for sure, but ducklings need water and food 24/7 for their first couple of months. Some say six weeks, some say ten, but about two months. I keep food with my ducks all the time for a number of reasons, as do many people. Some feed adults twice a day, but that's for adults.

It keeps the ducklings a little more calm, I think, to always have food at hand, and they don't gorge themselves.

Just make sure they have plenty of water at this point and keep an eye on them.

How are they now?

 

[PoultryGirly]

I'll check back with you all tomorrow to tell you how they are doing. Their chest isn't hard (except the bone) and it just feels like "fat". Maybe I can get pics idk.

 

[Amiga]

If they are breathing okay, pooping, otherwise acting normal, I think you just have some "puppy belly." And, literally, it will pass.

Please do keep food with them all the time for a while yet. I have found that ducklings and ducks, at least mine, don't read the books, so I went with my gut on when to do things differently, if at all, and I watched closely at first to see if it was working. An example was bedding. We started on old towels, and that was labor intensive, so I tried shavings. Har, had, har. Yes, they DO eat shavings!!!

Back to towels, then tried shavings a couple of weeks later only to find I am allergic to them. sigh.

Just illustrates that adjustments need to be made with these beautiful creatures.

When you have time, tell us more about the mallards!

(g'night)

 

[PoultryGirly]

They all eating, drinking, acting,and pooping fine. I made sure they had EXTRA (lots) of food tonight. I will check in the morning too ( as always do).

 

[PoultryGirly]

The ducklings' chests are fine now. They went down to normal and today their bowl still had food in it when I came home.

 

[Amiga]

Yay!

Just some duckie puppy belly. Shew!

I forget what the occasion was, but one day I saw Sieben (one of my runners) with a pouch on her bosom, she must have just scarfed down a bunch of food, and it looked so strange! I was about ready to take her to the vet.