Egg bound or something else? Worried!

[cymbaline]

I came home from work today and my littlest girl is acting very strange. She is normally very energetic, but today she is sitting down...a lot. She looks alert, and is interested in food and water - I put out some peas and after she figured out what the boys were getting she "hobbled" over and sat down in front of the bucket and ate. She doesn't seem to want to stand for long though and almost waddles when she walks. She doesn't seem to be favoring one leg over the other, just walking "funny". Her rear maybe looks a little plumper than the other girl's rear, I think, but I picked her up and felt around down there and I don't feel anything obviously egg-shaped.
Both of my girls are right at 6 months old but so far I've only found one egg, a few days ago, and I have no idea who laid it. I've been putting oyster shell from TSC in their food for a few weeks now in anticipation of them beginning to lay, and the egg I found was slightly cracked but otherwise pretty solid.

Before I run out and get a tub to fill with warm water and some liquid calcium supplement, is there anything else I should check for or consider? Also, is there anything other than what i mentioned that I should do to treat her if she's probably egg bound?

 

[Amiga]

I think the warm bath will help whatever it is, at least help her relax, and take the weight off her legs.

The calcium's a good idea. Have you looked closely at her vent? I know it is not always easy with one person.

Is she pumping her tail up and down? Are her tail feathers spread out more than usual?

 

[cymbaline]

I think the warm bath will help whatever it is, at least help her relax, and take the weight off her legs.

The calcium's a good idea. Have you looked closely at her vent? I know it is not always easy with one person.

Is she pumping her tail up and down? Are her tail feathers spread out more than usual?

She definitely perks up after being in the water. She climbed in the pool after everyone else left to go play in the yard and after they came back she jumped out and was walking around pretty good for a few minutes.

I haven't got the nerve to upset her by trying to take a peek yet; she's being so nice and calm, I hate to ruin it, lol. It's one thing holding down a 3 day old duckling to look at their vent...whole 'nother story holding down a 6 month old that can fly, haha. But I'm sure you know that.
Earlier when she was sitting so much it seemed like she was holding her read end down a lot, I remember noticing because it looked so strange. Don't recall any feathers being spread or ruffled though, or the tail being pumped up and down.

She is in a plastic tote full of warm water now, and seems to be loving it. She's been in there probably 20 minutes. As soon as I plopped her down, she let out the nastiest BLACK poop I've ever seen, but all poops since then have been normal brownish/greenish. Put some liquid calcium in a bowl of water and corn, and I guess she can taste it because she takes one nibble every now and then and stops. So I grabbed a handful of dandelion leaves and put in her tub, because I recall reading that they were good for calcium. I give them all handfuls of dandelions that I pull from my yard and garden a few times a week, but this way I know she's getting to eat all she wants and those mean boys aren't hogging them all.

Are there any signs I should watch for that it's getting serious and she needs a vet ASAP?

 

[Amiga]

If it were me, I would be calling the vet in the morning if she isn't 100%. It is tough to be sure, I understand.

I forgot - how many drakes? You have two ducks (girls), right?

The drakes may be the problem. Keep them away from her for now.

The dandelions are definitely good. I can get ducks to eat peas with a little Neocalglucon on them, maybe you can try a little less of the calcium on the corn or on some peas. I mash some of the peas and they absorb the liquid supplement a bit. I have also used the water from rinsing dry oyster shell to get the dust into the water. The ducks seem to like that just fine.

 

[duckins]

Hope your girl feels better. My 8 mon old runner girl is acting strange as well today not laying around just standing around she drinks plenty of water not to interested in food and has swam as well. I checked her over didnt find any problems and her poop is normal still very concerned with her behavior she also keeps going to her nest even though I've collected eggs for the day and doesn't care to socialize with rest of flock. I was concerned of possible egg bound. I would think if it was toxicans she would be really sick. She's almost depressed like.

 

[cymbaline]

If it were me, I would be calling the vet in the morning if she isn't 100%. It is tough to be sure, I understand.

I forgot - how many drakes? You have two ducks (girls), right?

The drakes may be the problem. Keep them away from her for now.

The dandelions are definitely good. I can get ducks to eat peas with a little Neocalglucon on them, maybe you can try a little less of the calcium on the corn or on some peas. I mash some of the peas and they absorb the liquid supplement a bit. I have also used the water from rinsing dry oyster shell to get the dust into the water. The ducks seem to like that just fine.

Ummm...I have 3 boys...and 2 girls. :\
Rocky is the only one that still seems to be in mating mode, but the boys usually go after Ruby because she's so much easier to catch. That's how Turkey got her name - I had to chase her all over creation when she was a baby (and still do) and instead of running around aggravated calling her four letter words I'd just say "hey, come here ya little turkey!" (sometimes I called her a booger or a fluffball, but turkey was the name that stuck). She is so ridiculously fast! I almost never see her getting pinned down by anyone. That's how I knew something was wrong today...if I can catch her, something's not right, haha.

Tomorrow I'll put back the barricade that I had up to protect Ruby Sue from the boys a while back...assuming that silly Turkey doesn't just fly over it. I just hate keeping them separated because it means only one group gets to swim, except for whatever short time I herd the others out of the way.

Mmmm, pea mash with calcium mixed in sounds like a hit. Never thought about rinsing the oyster shell and using the water either. Do they really eat those oyster shell chunks, or do you think I'd have better luck with ground up eggshells?

 

[cymbaline]

Hope your girl feels better. My 8 mon old runner girl is acting strange as well today not laying around just standing around she drinks plenty of water not to interested in food and has swam as well. I checked her over didnt find any problems and her poop is normal still very concerned with her behavior she also keeps going to her nest even though I've collected eggs for the day and doesn't care to socialize with rest of flock. I was concerned of possible egg bound. I would think if it was toxicans she would be really sick. She's almost depressed like.

My Ruby acts like that a lot too, just standing around, but she's been that way for months.I thought maybe she was tired of all the male attention, so I kept her separate from the boys for a few weeks, but she didn't seem much better. I'm starting to think she's just got a more laid back personality. She does get pretty excited when they go out to play in my yard at first, but then she ends up mellowing out under a bush somewhere while everyone else roams.

 

[Amiga]

duckins, that's a tough one. I think they can get depressed. Any losses or big changes around your place? You could add some food grade activated charcoal powder to her water - it won't hurt anyone - to absorb toxins, to be on the safe side. Have you felt her legs and bill to see if they are overly warm? Maybe an infection?

Worst case - and I write this because it has happened here - is egg yolk peritonitis. It is a condition that goes on for a while before any real symptoms, and then you can lose the duck. It is difficult to diagnose and treat, too.

But ducks have off days as well. One day I declare, I thought Sieben was having a life-ending seizure. Her crop was swollen, and she kept contorting her neck. I just watched in horror for several seconds. Then she stopped, and settled down. I kept an eye on her, she seemed okay, and the next morning crop was normal, she was normal, no other troubles along those lines ever again.

So, maybe some vitamins and electrolytes and probiotics, the things I usually suggest when a duck is under the weather.

cymbaline, I know it's tough to separate sometimes - the three new buffs are still separate from the runners due to complicated relationship issues between Bean and Romy - and the runners....

But ducks can sustain life-threatening injuries from drakes. I hate that, but I have read a bunch of stories here that have convinced me of that.

Some members do add ground up egg shells to the ducks' feed. Some microwave them, some bake them, I think some just clean them up real well when they're cracked open and dry them before grinding them up.

I am saving some up . . . for a rainy day? I do not pretend to understand myself at all time. Especially after a longish day.

 

[duckins]

Just checked her, she's back on eggless nest wandering if she's going broody would think my 11 mon old ladies would go broody first. Just puzzled.

 

[Amiga]

Broodiness is unfathomable, in my experience. Who does, who doesn't, who sticks with it, who doesn't......