Emergency: 10 ducks dead and counting. Please help!

[DaytonDuckMom]

I love my ducks. I would die if I saw someone cut one of them or their babies open just to see what was inside. I mean I get it. You were looking for whatever it was that was killling them. And my daddy is a farmer. Must be why i'm not. I would have thought that someone going in to this big of an adventure with ducks would have done their research to find out what to put down for them. What to feed them, etc. Unbelievable. I am a first starter and my hardest thing is trying to figure out when my hens will get broody!

I hope they have plenty of water.

 

[cskotek]

hey puppy training pads is a great idea! I will get some tomorrow and try that out in the main brooder.

You too have used shavings without a problem...I think I'm feeding them enough-they have 2 hoppers which I don't let run out, and several troughs and pans which I keep re-filling through the day.

I have separated some of the ducks out of the main group now so they are occupying more space all together. I believe that 2 sq feet per duck is a recommendation for housing for grown ducks, maybe for their indoor area, I'm not sure as I keep all of my animals on pasture, and measure space by the acre.- I can't imagine what it would take to heat a 300 sq ft building as a broodspace. That would be 30 X 10 ft, or the size of a 4 car garage, for a group of animals the size of hamsters...I can still fit 4 in one hand! My living room is about 300 sq ft. and its a large room. I can't imagine it! It is just not practical and I don't believe that if you bedded an area that size, that all of the bedding would even get soiled. Could you imagine trying to distribute feed troughs over 300 sq feet so that the ducks never walk more than 10" without a feeder....that would be hundreds of feeders!!

You can hang multipal heat lamps securely and they can go to the lamp as needed.

 

[BickeringToast]

You are probably not feeding them enough causing them to eat the shavings. I have always used shavings and NEVER had a problem. And if they are eating the shavings I would use Puppy Training Pads or news paper. Anything that is not shavings unless you use the flake bedding rather then the saw dust like form. I would also feed them much much more. And you should also move them into a larger area.. that is a really small place for them once they are over 1 week old. Its considered at least 2 square feet per one duck

Even is Storeys Guide the allowance for ducklings up to 2 weeks (which these are just over 1 week) is .75 sq ft. While I think the OP's original space was too small (based only on my opinion), I do not think 8 day old ducklings require 2 sg ft, especially when they will be in pastures in a week.

I too have been using shavings with no issue. However, I am not under the impression that what works for me automatically works for everyone. I read the OP's posts and it is clear she is providing plenty of food in multiple feeders, so hunger does not appear to be the reason these ducklings are eating the shavings.

HeatherFeather cskotek made a great point about the puppy pads AND the shavings size. I was purchasing the large cubes of shavings from a local feed store and they were quite large flakes. The ducklings would always pick a few up and toss them right out since they were pretty large flakes. Last weekend I forgot the feed store was closed on Sunday and purchased an 'emergency' bag from TSC. While the TSC bag is nowhere near being sawdust, the shavings are MUCH smaller. If mine were not past the stage of trying to nibble them I could not have used the TSC shavings. Just a thought

 

[Going Quackers]

The size of the shavings is a reasonable point, they are simply not all created equal, heck i buy a lot of them and the bags vary at times for flakes sizing.

Mind you the OP and I maybe using the same brand. I do feel speaking with the hatchery they came from for input wouldn't go amiss.

 

[Going Quackers]

Yes, Goingquackers, they are from frey's. So I think I will put a call into them and see if they have some insight for me.

I would, cannot hurt to get some insight from them on the issues you've been having, My one feed supply gets their birds frey's and they use shavings in the brooder for extras that are available to buy. So this practice is not unusual nor unreasonable.

 

[ChicagoDucks]

Sorry for the late entry to the thread. I hope that you don't have any more losses!

If you aren't already doing so, I hope that you are keeping this new group quarantined from the rest of your flock. If you continue to have high mortality with this group even with the changes you've made in brooding, there could be a disease component. If there are more losses, you may want to contact the ministry of agriculture to do some testing. Here in the states, you can arrange to have a state field agent visit your flock and draw blood for testing for a few important diseases, or you can arrange to send one of your birds to a state/university lab for more in depth testing.

You probably already know the local ministry of ag contacts, but here is a link I found:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/uofgagreement/uofglabs.htm

I read recently about a Pullorum outbreak in Iowa in 2003 that affected two farms, several hundred birds, including some ducks. Scary stuff.

Good luck and good health to your flock!

Yes, Goingquackers, they are from frey's. So I think I will put a call into them and see if they have some insight for me.

Thank you Mommysongbird for your insight. It is always important to have multiple viewpoints. I believe that it is quite normal to brood a large number of poultry for the first week or two in a very small space. They take up very little room at that age, no more room than an egg. Providing too large of a space makes it difficult to ensure that there is adequate heat for all the birds. Even though I have a lot of ducklings in a 4 X 8 stall, I would say that their bodies cover perhaps 25% of the floor space. We have always followed Joel Salatin's recommendations for stocking poultry, and he is *very* well respected. I also found some govt publications on stocking levels and .2 sq ft is a recommended amount for the brooding stage. So I did not just stumble into this, I am actually planning it out. It is just not giving me the excellent results I had in the past. And since I have only done it a handful of times, I came here, to talk to people with more experience than me.

With what I am learning, I do think I will stock more lightly next time, primarily because it is a GIANT pain to crawl to the back of the brooder to distribute clean bedding, disinfect the bell, and put out fresh feeders twice a day, with so many ducks crawling all over me! However, I am not convinced that the stocking level is what has caused the ducks to eat so many wood shavings.

I did remove 30 ducklings to another brooding area, that is 20% of them, and if it continues to go well there I will remove more to that spot. I am prepared to do whatever is needed for my ducks.

Once we get over this hump, and they get out on pasture, they will have 1600 sq feet, rotated weekly to fresh pasture on which to frolic and play! That's over 10 square feet per duck! And bigger than many people's yards!

 

[HeatherFeather]

No dead ducks this morning!!!

They are all well and healthy and active!! There are not even any slow ones!! I am absolutely overjoyed, and I really do hope that things stay this way!!!

Excellent point Chicago Ducks- Yes, I am definately keeping these away from my permanent flock (consisting of a couple pet calls and a pet muscovy) of ducks as well as our flock of laying hens. We follow the Candian Organic standard, which does not allow mixing of old and new flocks. So even if they were perfectly fine, these ducks would never be mixed with any other poultry on the farm. The only exception would be that if they are being processed on the same day as another group they may ride in adjacent crates to the abbatoir. But that's generally not the case anyhow.

Yes, I thought about pullorum, and I really hope that is not what is going on. It doesn't really seem to fit the bill though, especially since we have seen all the shavings inside of the gizzards.

Yes DaytonDuckMom, it can be hard to do an autopsy on an animal. Its not supposed to be something to enjoy. It is a necessary evil though, and comes along with the job of raising animals. If I didnt' know that the ducks were eating shavings, then perhaps I wouldn't have put down sand in the second brooder where I moved a bunch of them. I also mixed more sand in with the feed in the main brooder to provide grit, to help move the shavings through. Who knows how many more ducks I would have lost if I hadn't known. I still feel so better about raising my own food and knowing what has happened to the animals. So, yes, I lost a lot of ducks with this batch. That count sits at 9.6 % right now. And it is something that I am painfully aware of, and will think of, each time I eat a duck, each time I sell a duck from this batch. However, I will also know that they will spend their lives on green grass, eating healthy GMO free organic feed. They will have water for swimming, and a shelter to protect from winds. If I were to buy commercial poultry, I know that 10-12% is an acceptable loss, and then, they spend their lives being on antibiotics, and living in filth, never setting foot on grass, never swimming. So yeah, it can be hard sometimes, to know when things don't go perfect. And I still think its better than turning a blind eye and shopping at the grocer.

 

[Snownoir]

HeatherFeather,

You are amazingly gracious. Thank you for being a grass farmer and obviously caring for your animals the way you do. It's refreshing and inspiring. Joel is my agricultural hero, and so, that alone makes me want to be your friend.

I'm happy to hear that you've had no more loss. I'm glad that you posted on here, because one day I look to expand what I have going on and reading the trials others go through and the amazing suggestions and insights will help me be more likely to succeed.

 

[Going Quackers]

I wouldn't call it turning a blind eye when shopping at the grocer, i refuse to get that personal with my food and but that doesn't mean i am ignorant. I am glad things have settled down though, that would be concerning, mind you at the quantity that you had i am not sure if that would be in the realm of normal for loses, regardless you want to aim for zero which makes complete sense.

 

[Luelromun]

Accept my apology if I came across as a hypocrite,which I am not! You said you suggested to your husband to gut a live one,that is what made me think about what you were doing! I certainly know how the factories operate and I have done my share of causes for it not to continue. I also felt the space was way too small for that many and they WILL eat the shavings if they cannot get to the food source,similar to foraging! I have been doing this for many years,graduated from an agricultural school and this was my major! I don't suggest sand as this will never make it to the stomach if no water source is close by for the ones in the back,you said yourself that you cannot get back there! They are also subjected being stampeded by the others,I have seen it happen. I have been to many "farms" that are disgusting for putting their ducks,chickens ,pigs,or cattle in a place where they cannot even move a 1/4 inch! It is self-centered and cruel just to make the money for their kill! I am not a vegan,I do eat pork and chicken,however I will only buy from well known sources due to the issues with overcrowding or cruelty! Again I apologize,I would rather help in some way than to be negative as I am not opposed to how you make your living in raising them!