Ducks with eye problems. PLEASE HELP!

[reeds16]

I have raised chickens for eggs and meat for many years but I just decided to try some ducks. I have some customers who wanted me to raise ducks for eggs and meat so when I saw ducks for 50% off at tractor supply, I bought everything they had. They were getting to old to stay in the store so they needed to sell them for cheap. I bought 50 pekin ducks for meat and 13 khaki campbells for eggs. When I got home, I put the khakis in with my isa brown chicks and they're getting along fine, but I put the 50 pekins in a seperate brooder. They are 2-3 weeks old and are starting to get big. They looked happy and healthy until I noticed one with a swollen eye. The pupil was out of center, towards the top and the area around the eye was puffy, watery, and red. I kept the bird with the others, thinking it must have gotten badly pecked but later I noticed another with a slightly swollen eye. Then, I saw four others with one eye shut, unable to open it, with the other eye still fine. I have no idea what's wrong with them. I've given them a good amount of space with feed, water, heat lamps and a swimming tub. They are still active and are still eating, drinking, swimming and playing, but I really want to know what to do before anymore go blind. I will be processing them in a month and a half so if there's just a few with one blind eye, it wouldn't be a huge deal but I don't want it to spread or for any of them to die. None of the khakis have been affected so far. Please let me know if you have an explanation! Thanks

 

[jdywntr]

Well, I don't know if I can help much. The only book I have on raising ducks only discusses common (or realtively so) illnesses/injuries.

Has this been occuring since you brought them home or you only noticed it after bringing them home?

Having been at TSC for so long, I doubt they were cared for to the extent that they should have been. They need receptacles to dunk their heads in to rinse their eyes and nostrils and I've never seen anything but chick waterers at TSC.

If you are only just noticing it and it isn't spreading through the ducklings, it is likely due to untreated injury or irritation.

If you can post a pic that shows the eye close up. Per http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/diagnostic chart.htm swelling can be impact trauma, infection or swollen tear duct. If you click on the link you can go down to "swelling, eyes" and click on the additional links.

I would keep an eye on them and watch for any nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing etc.

 

[reeds16]

Thanks, I didn't notice it until I got home, but they've only been here for a day. Their set up at tractor supply didn't look great. The two times I went, the waterers were full of shavings and droppings and the feeders too. I'll try to post pictures of them tomorrow if I have time after school (I'm only 15). Thanks for your help!

 

[jdywntr]

I'd check all of them as soon as you can. Mark the ones that are affected, colored zip ties on a leg, non-toxic marker.

Make sure that they have a relatively clean source of water that they can dunk their heads in. You may want to consider seperating the affected, just in case. It really sounds like a brooder management problem to me but I can't be sure.

Good luck. I haven't ever brooded that many ducklings. Whew, stinky.

 

[Amiga]

Just a guess, but my gut feeling is they were not properly cared for, and without head washing and regular baths, they have eye irritation that may or may not have become infected.

Veterycin spray, or just providing good clean warm water for bathing (big job with all those ducklings, but see what you can do), head washers, and some poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics is where I would start.

 

[reeds16]

I'm pretty sure I found out what was affecting the ducks and I stopped it. Last night I gave them a few baths of warm water which they loved but I noticed about two or three more lost an eye.. a total of 9 ducklings in all. I got really worried but then I saw what had happened to them. In their brooder, I had put the red light bulbs hanging down low at their level to keep them as warm as possible. I saw one press its face against the hot bulb to dry off. It started chirping loudly because it burnt its face on the light and it it ran to the back of the brooder. They had burnt their eyes on the hot surface of the bulbs. I moved the lights out of the brooder, shining down into it so this won't happen anymore. Poor little ducks

They are fine now though and the burnt ones are still acting like happy ducklings. Thanks for the advise!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm pretty sure I found out what was affecting the ducks and I stopped it. Last night I gave them a few baths of warm water which they loved but I noticed about two or three more lost an eye.. a total of 9 ducklings in all. I got really worried but then I saw what had happened to them. In their brooder, I had put the red light bulbs hanging down low at their level to keep them as warm as possible. I saw one press its face against the hot bulb to dry off. It started chirping loudly because it burnt its face on the light and it it ran to the back of the brooder. They had burnt their eyes on the hot surface of the bulbs. I moved the lights out of the brooder, shining down into it so this won't happen anymore. Poor little ducks

They are fine now though and the burnt ones are still acting like happy ducklings. Thanks for the advise!

Oh my gosh how sad and painful, please watch for signs of infection burns can get infected, and yes Veterycin spray will help alot with keeping down infection. and very sad way to learn how easily it is for babies to get burned Hopefully it will help someone else.

 

[reeds16]

yes and I'm keeping a close eye on them. Actually, I got home from school today and they look a ton better. I guess with most of them, just their eyelid was burned because their eyes aren't swollen anymore and out of the seven that had one eye completely shut, there's only one now. The rest have their injured eyes open and working fine. They are recovering very well and I think they'll be able to see fine. Thanks for everyone's advise

 

[Miss Lydia]

yes and I'm keeping a close eye on them. Actually, I got home from school today and they look a ton better. I guess with most of them, just their eyelid was burned because their eyes aren't swollen anymore and out of the seven that had one eye completely shut, there's only one now. The rest have their injured eyes open and working fine. They are recovering very well and I think they'll be able to see fine. Thanks for everyone's advise

Very glad to hear this.

 

[reeds16]

Just letting you all know that the ducks look GREAT! All of their eyes are better and they're roaming around on pasture. Here's a few of them enjoying some lettuce.