Ducks acting drunk - 2 died, 1 is really sick. Help!

[Felicia]

1) What type of bird , age and weight.
It's a Saxony Duck, born in April, about 2 or 3 pounds (I am guessing on the weight)

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
They are acting drunk. Falling over, than unable to walk. Hand feeding them and watering them. Unable to quack. Last two died after a day or two. This guy is just starting to go down.

3) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No

4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I have no idea at all. I do know that my TSC ducks are healthy, its only my Saxony from Holderread that are having issues.

5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
The duck is eating Dumor Starter Grower, and drinking well water.

6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal

7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Tender Loving Care and Hand feeding and watering it - because thats the only thing I can really do with out knowing whats wrong.

8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I would like to be able to treat him. I can go get stuff from my vet, and if necessary go to a vet, but if at all possible, I'd like to do it myself.

9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
N/A

10) Describe the housing/bedding in use
I use straw as the bedding. They have a large inside stall and they have a nice sized yard with tall grass and plenty of bugs to eat. Their feed and water is outside.

 

[ChickBond 007]

Q. Is your starter/grower feed non-medicated?
Q. Is there any possibility of accessing something poisoned? Do these ducks roam where your others do not?

I wish I could help you. I'm stumped.

 

[reesepoultry]

Did anyone give it bread?
Bread acts like a poison to ducks

 

[Felicia]

Quote:
Yes, the feed is non-medicated. And they don't really leave their pen, if they do - I am watching them. So I can't think of anything that they could eat poisonous.

 

[toredano]

Ducks and bread? poison?
We had ducks around when when I was a kid.. They allways got bread. Never hurt them or killed them.. all the wild ones we ever fed got bread at a duckpond.
None one ever told us not to fed bread to ducks or geese or birds in general. Can you elaborate on that a bit.. I am curious

Thanks
Petra

 

[Felicia]

I had no idea that bread was bad for them. Thankfully, I have never given them bread.

Any ideas what could be wrong with him, anyone?

 

[Wifezilla]

While bread is not good for them, it isn't poisonous.

Could they have gotten botulism from contaminated water? Is there a leak somewhere?

 

[swheat]

Try this- Add Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate, available from the high street chemist) to the water. This is an old remedy which is still used. Recommended amounts vary from 1 tablespoon in one cup of water to 1 ounce per 50 fluid oz ( two and a half pints) of water.

I would try to pen them up and give them this water solution. I the mean time I would make sure there is no standing water (old tires,buckets anywhere water might stand and try to remedy it.

I have had geese act the same way, gave them the recipe above and they are now fenced in a large area(before they were free range-I still don't know what they got into though).

 

[swheat]

I should have included this link-Here it is ---hope it helps

http://www.runnerduck.net/diseases.htm

 

[Felicia]

Thank you Swheat! Where can I get the Epsom salts from? I will have to search for it.

Thanks again