- Jul 27, 2014
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I have lost 4 (out of 6) muscovy ducklings and now their mother in a span of a week. 2 ducklings are still alive and seem to be fine, but all the ducklings seemed fine.... Until they became weak and died within an hour. They were hatched on May 19.
The mother looked off 2 days ago and started rejecting her last 2 chicks yesterday. She was very lethargic and not interested in anything. She seemed pale - paler than she should be, but had no other obvious symptoms. She died this afternoon. She was 1 year old.
The coop consists of 15 adult muscovies (10 females are a year old and two are 3 years old, 3 are year old males) and 26 adult chickens in 200 sq feet of indoor space and 200 sq feet of fully caged outdoor space that they are locked into at night. They free range through the day in the forest with access to a creek. They are free fed layer ration, whole wheat, and whole corn. They get treats of sunflower seeds and cooked rice. The chicks and ducklings get chick starter. They have access to multiple water buckets that are changed at least twice a day.
There is a lot of wildlife where we are. Chipmunks and squirrels steal food all day, raccoons wandering at night, wild ducks on the creek, wild birds in the forest.
I have tried to perform a necropsy on the mother. I have no real idea what I'm looking for. There is a lesion on her liver. Everything else seems somewhat normal. I took pictures and can post.
Any ideas what I am dealing with here?
The mother looked off 2 days ago and started rejecting her last 2 chicks yesterday. She was very lethargic and not interested in anything. She seemed pale - paler than she should be, but had no other obvious symptoms. She died this afternoon. She was 1 year old.
The coop consists of 15 adult muscovies (10 females are a year old and two are 3 years old, 3 are year old males) and 26 adult chickens in 200 sq feet of indoor space and 200 sq feet of fully caged outdoor space that they are locked into at night. They free range through the day in the forest with access to a creek. They are free fed layer ration, whole wheat, and whole corn. They get treats of sunflower seeds and cooked rice. The chicks and ducklings get chick starter. They have access to multiple water buckets that are changed at least twice a day.
There is a lot of wildlife where we are. Chipmunks and squirrels steal food all day, raccoons wandering at night, wild ducks on the creek, wild birds in the forest.
I have tried to perform a necropsy on the mother. I have no real idea what I'm looking for. There is a lesion on her liver. Everything else seems somewhat normal. I took pictures and can post.
Any ideas what I am dealing with here?
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I don’t know as to what the cause of death is but I can tag a couple of people that might be able to help you. 
