Ducky needs Help! Emergencey!

[crazyboutchickenfamily]

Ducky has not been feeling well and she staedy improved until I gave her her usual food laying mash. Her head started drooping again. We feed purina layer. Can someone please suggest something I an feed her that won't make her sick?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

can you describe any symptoms? how old is ducky? Was she on a different diet temporarily? are any other birds eating the same feed? any chance feed got moldy?

 

[mljohnson05]

Sorry to hear about this....
But yes, age, how long has she been sick, have you always used this type of food, any other animals using it to with no symptoms, is there mold or bad smell in the feed bag?

If it is a food type issue, you will have to play and see what works for her. Until you know what is really going on , I would trow out that food and keep her issolated.
It may also be a vitamin defficeny issue also. So getting Poly-v-sol infant drops (WITHOUT IRON) and giving that for a few days to see if it helps.
Plz give us more info so we can best help you.


Best Wishes,
Laura

 

[crazyboutchickenfamily]

It started out a little over a week ago. I thought she got chilled(the temps dropped from the 90s to the 60s suddenly). So when I felt under her wings her body was cooler than normal. I brought her in the house and kept her warm. The wierd part was her head drooped when she was old. Well she got over being cold and I stuck her back outside with her flock. wellwhen the sun went down her head drooped again. So I would bring her back in the house and the same routine every day last week except for Friday and Saturday I didn't put her outside. She was a 100 percent better yesterday. Well I still kept her inside and fed her the mash head started drooping(after she ate some) before that I had her on applesauce to keep her strenghth up. We have had her for 4 months, we bought her as a duckling(didn't know her age though). She is doing some better this morning. She had plenty of water and applesauce. THis is the same food we have always had.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

That is perplexing. Ducks tend to be really cold hardy, mine are more active when it is cool outside. Is she the only duck, I ask because I wondered if there were other ducks, I was curious how they were acting. Are other birds eating the same bag of food? If she hasn't started laying yet she doesn't really need a layer formula, but I don't think that is the problem. And when you say mash, do you add water to her feed? If you have a unopened bag around you could try feeding a little of that to her dry and see if she reacts the same way. I have heard that water fowl are sensitive to the slightest bit of mold that would be undetectable to us and wouldn't affect chickens much, so ruling that possibility out may be a place to start.