Female duck can not walk anymore

[Papaye]

She hasn't been with any drakes lately? they can injure females when mating.

Two of my drakes know how to fly, so they go to the girls sometimes...
...but they never could have been more than 2 hours per day with the girls, since I get them back in their part of the yard as soon as I see them with the hens!

I don't know if these drakes mate with the girls when they go to them?
(Strangely, they don't even try to mate with my one chicken that always flies in their space because she decided their coop was hers to lay (her eggs) in, so...)

...Do you think Daphnée still could have been mated without me seeing it, and thus hurt by the drakes...?

Would her condition worsen even though the drakes have not been able to go to her anymore for the last days...?
(I actually don't know if I can really tell her condition is worsening, but... she looks sadder, and I felt she weighed lighter today than yesterday...?)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I really don't know the answer to whether the drakes would mate her without you seeing but it is possible. And if she was already not feeling well that could add to her not feeling well.
Has she been laying?
There is always tube feeding and antibiotics if you think there is an infection going on. You mentioned her bumble are they severe?

 

[Papaye]

Has she been laying?

I don't know.
I don't know, because I find eggs everyday, but there are also ducks that lay in the yard instead of in the coop; and then, eggs are fast to be stolen... (actually emptied, but probably also stolen...)

I don't even know how many ducks are still laying for the time being : I think some hens are slowly, slowly molting - I still can not confirm , but if they do, I'm pretty sure they should have stopped laying.

Daphnée should have started her molt, since she has new, curled feathers emerging from her tail...?

There is always tube feeding and antibiotics if you think there is an infection going on.

One thing I have learned is that not eating is renowned good for healing, since fasting would induce autophagy (process of healing).
Thus, I don't want to force her to eat on Day-1. (I will worry if she doesn't eat tomorrow...)

(To be honest : I'm also kind of scared to tube feeding her - even though I'm already used to it thanks to my chickens -, since I know there are always risks to go wrong with this method.
...I prefer to be careful and not kill her accidentaly...)

I, also, sadly, have no access to antibiotics : I would have to go to the vet to get a prescription, but I don't have enough money anymore.
(I'm ashamed, but taking wild kittens to the vet already cost me around 300 EUROS...)

You mentioned her bumble are they severe?

I am no expert, and it is the very first time I find bumblefoot on one of my ducks' feet...
...so, I really can't tell if they are considered severe or not?

I would think they are (severe) : they are big balls, just underneath some of the fingers, and actually look painful when comparing their size with Daphnée's fingers...

...Thankfully, the abscesses did not go up in the leg, so treating them should be doable...?
(I just hope doing it as I do for the chickens is okay...?! I can not even use Green Clay, since I'm afraid to do badly by bandaging Daphnée's feet - and, thus, worsening her condition...!!)

I will try to take and post pictures, but I can't make any promise.

I put Apple Cider Vinegar in Daphnée's water, some hours ago...
...Hoping it could help her... if she drinks?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had to learn to tube feed and after I got over being terrified with the first time I find it very easy. I sure wouldn't let her go very many days with out eating or drinking. Good to know her bumble infection hasn't spread. And I sure understand about vets many of us have to be our own vet. And do what we can. Can you bring her inside let her have a nice warmish bath maybe take a blow dryer on low heat and dry her off almost all the way then see if she will preen the rest of the way and spread her oils? Having her inside you can also monitor her eating drinking and possibly egg-laying.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I had to learn to tube feed and after I got over being terrified with the first time I find it very easy. I sure wouldn't let her go very many days with out eating or drinking.

I am not tube feeding Daphnée for the time being : I weighed her this morning, and her weight is still at one kilogram...
...So, I can only assume it would mean she is eating, but just when I can not see her?
(If she has been eating, it would have been during the night or very early in the morning.)

I don't know if I should force her to eat...
Since she is not moving very much given she is isolated in her run, and probably not laying eggs anymore... she at least does not need to eat so much anymore.
...And I am afraid to do something I should not do if I force-feed her...

Apart for her weight... is there a mean to know if Daphnée needs me to feed her...?
Indian Runners are not like chickens... (harder to feel...)

Can you bring her inside let her have a nice warmish bath maybe take a blow dryer on low heat and dry her off almost all the way then see if she will preen the rest of the way and spread her oils?

This morning, I have dried her off with a hair dryer after her Epsom Salt bath...
But she still has not preened herself (at least) since then...
(Her oil gland is still oily.)

Having her inside you can also monitor her eating drinking and possibly egg-laying.

Not possible for the time being...
But Daphnée has a coop with a lot of straw, and she is probably warm enough in there. (She likes her coop.)

...Sadly, I think she is going to die.
She is able to walk while standing, and I know her Epsom Salt baths are doing her good... but she actually had less energy today, quacked less than yesterday, looked sad and weak... and her eyes still were foamy (though less than yesterday).

I sincerely feel she has lost the will to live, and so, is letting herself die... (she looks tired...!)
...and I'm pretty sure her (biggest) health problem are not her abscesses, but really is a reproductive disorder - which would then explain why she now has curled feathers on the tail...

I don't know what to do better.
Do I put Baking Soda in her waterer again and hope it would work miracles?

(I am not even sure she will still be alive tomorrow...)

 

[chickengr]

indian runners lay a lot of eggs. some of mine have had the same problem as your hen. I give them bath, separate them for a while and start feeding all of them layers mash (chicken mash as there is no duck feed near me). never lost any although they looked bad and even couldn't walk and kept their legs stretched behind.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I really am sorry she seems to be getting worse. I am not sure what the baking soda was suppose to do?

If it's reproductive I am not sure what you can do for her if it is an infection then antibiotics may work and may not it's just very hard to know the best course of action. I wish I could help.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Daphnée is dying : she is not eating, drinking, or moving anymore.
She is sleeping most of the time, so I can only hope she is not in pain.

I'm still hoping she will get better, but...

I can not tube feed her : indeed, I just noticed I have no tube to do so.
That's so stupid of me...!!

I still tried to get a mix of water, Multivitamins, and Harpagophytum in her bill (not in her throat, since I am afraid to accidentaly kill her)... but she just has not the strenght to swallow anymore.

I am not giving her an Epsom Salt bath today, since I'm afraid it will kill her faster...

...What can I do?
Antibiotics are a big NO, since I would need a prescription but have not the money to go to the vet anymore...

(Also, she still weighs 1 kilogram.)

 

[Papaye]

...Daphnée is gone.

After the mix of water, Multivitamins, and Harpagophytum I gave to her (but just a bit), I also gave her a little bit of a mix of water, Multivitamins, and liquid from Wet Dog Food.
(With a syringe of course.)

...But she still has died...

She was weak, but I still had some hope - since she had not lost weight for the last three days, and her eyes were not foamy anymore today...

I'm still blaming a reprodutive disorder. Just to say...
If Daphnée has had curly tail feathers for some days now, it could only mean she was turning into a drake...
...Meaning she had an ovarian failure or something... right?

(Thank you for the help I have received.)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so very sorry