Emergency, My Duckling Will Die If I Dont Get Help!

[BjsBestGirl]

A couple weeks ago i found one of my ducklings on its back. i brought it inside because it kept flipping over. it died after 2 days. the first dat it was fine but it stopped eating and drinking. i never found out what was wrong with it. I have another one now, who is acting the same. it can walk backwards just fine. it doesnt have any "ouchies" that i can see. it can move its legs. holding it doesnt seem to hurt it other than it has never liked being held. one day, it was fine. than yestrday it was running and kept tripping. now it cant even sit up on its belly without flipping over, let alone walk. What's wrong with it? it is only 3 or so weeks old. (it is just now starting to loose some baby feathers). please help soon. it is still drinking, anlittle bit but i havnt seen its food supply go down.

 

[WingingIt]

I don't have ducks, but maybe it's not getting some vitamin or mineral it needs to be 100% healthy? What do they eat right now?

 

[BjsBestGirl]

they roam around my yard durring the day eating grass, bugs and scratch grain with milo, chops and i also feed them duck starter once a week. i was feeding starter to them on a regular basis, but when i moved them outside i changed it up a bit. when they were only a week old i got them from a family (amish) who only fed them oats and let them roam for other food. so they get more vitamins now then they ever did before i had them.

btw, i know a thiamine deficiency will cause bumble foot which whill hurt their feet. but will that kill them?

 

[MotherJean]

Disclaimer: This is strictly my opinion and I am no expert on ducks. That being said, I operate from the point of view that commercial feed producers create a wholesome product that contains at least a minimum of the daily nutritional requirements (including vitamins and minerals) for our animals. So, to be sure that my chicks are getting good nutrition and a good start, I make sure that they have the appropriate feed (like chick starter) available to them all the time. I either free range or feed other foods to supplement their diet, not instead of the starter feed. If you are only feeding them duck starter once a week to save money, it's a false economy IMHO. Malnourished or vitamin deficient ducklings can't grow up to be the beautiful ducks you want and some may even die.

 

[BjsBestGirl]

I am not feeding them starter, only once a week, to save money by any means. I was told that once I let them roam free outside, I should cut them back on it to once a week. so on sundays, i give them nothing but starter all day. occasionally, when they go to bed, and i put them up, ill give them a couple handfulls but in the morning, it's all still there. But I guarantee this is not an issue with the starter. I had another one die a couple weeks ago from the same ailment, whatever it is, and I had not even released them yet. It was I was still feeding them starter only. I do still give them dilouted electrolyte water every day in addition to everything else i give them and fresh water. I dont have a problem giving them duckling starter on a regular basis again. If i do this though, I will have to keep them pinned up since i have about 100 other fowl who roam free on our grounds; or the other critters will eat all their food. But like I said, if keeping them pinned up and feeding them only duckling starter will keep them alive, that is what I will do. How I do it now, is how I have always raised my ducklings. I have only had this problem once before and that was with this one's sibling.

On another note

I force fed it concentrated electrolYtes yestrday. I still wont eat so I did it once in the afternoon, once before bed and I will again when im done here. So far I must be doing something right because it is still alive. When it's sibling was sick, it only lived for about 12 hours. It has been 2 days with this one. I read up on something called bumble foot. The pad of it's feet do seem rather hard like a calus and one seems to have a very small crack in it. Bumble foot is caused my a thiamine deficiency. Online I read it can cause many problems but doesnt say anywhere that it will stop eating, drinking, and die. So since most of the symptoms are right for that, that is what I am treating it for. Does anone have an opinion about that? I have put it back on duckling starter, but it wont eat it. I am force feeding it electrolytes. It is still alive, but still rolling over onto it's side. It has hard pads on its feet and small cracks. It's "webs" are very warm compared to how they should feel. It doesnt act sick. IE: If it were just sitting out in the grass, you wouldnt know it was sick because it still is playful and perky; not droopy. At first I thought it had just been tripping over the grass because it needs to be cut; my mower is broken. Please help. I dont want to treat it for the wrong ailment. Can it give it Penicilin? If so, how much? We give our chickens 1/2-2cc depending on the ailment and size, but I have NEVER given a shot to such a small bird. It weighs exactly 9.84oz. -I have a digital kitchen food scale. It is 3-4 weeks old I think. Im not exact on the age because I did not know the age it was when I got it. But it IS loosing it's baby feathers a bit. It is the same size as my other ducklings who are 4 weeks old; whom I raised from the egg.

thanks

 

[BjsBestGirl]

OK, I just saw some pictures of bumble foot....and this looks NOTHING like that. ARGH! So it's back to the drawing board I guess.

 

[BjsBestGirl]

I just read something about "Toxoplasmosis". That seems like it is the trigger right there. Im excited that I may have figured it out, but im depressed that the outcome is not good. I DO have cats. One is a farm cat and the other USED TO be ondoors till it started sheding everywhere. I also keep livestock (equine/Bovine/Poultry). Since it can likely be passed from mother to child, and since my other ducklings had never even touched the grass at my house when the sibling died, does that mean it was likely genetic? And if so, what should I do for the other ducklings who are still alive and have no symptoms?

Here is the website I read it from

http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page13.htm