Hello

[Mxandy359]

Hello I have 2 Mallard ducklings about 2 1/2 weeks old and this morning I noticed one of them wasnt as sprye as usual. Then I quickly noticed a big lumb on the side of her throat. I tried massaging it and at first it wouldnt budge and it seemed to be messing with her equalibrium she was sitting as much as possible and when she would try to stand to clean herself she was off balance. And if she ate or drank and it seemed like she was really choking trying to eat or drink. And she didn't poop for awhile. This was all really scarring me so I tried massaging her throat again and this time I was able to dislodge whatever was in there and her neck looked normal again. As there was a pretty big lump on the right side of her neck. Anyways she is going poop now and at first it didn't look very healthy kind of black? But now its pretty normal and shes defiantly happier and more active then this morning but she does seem a little under the weather still but i think she is just recovering from a bit of trauma. But I am worried that she may not of been able to pass what ever was in there like maybe its in her system somewhere even tho she is pooping? So Is there anything I should be worried about has anyone else had a situation similar to this? I have read a story about someone massaging the ducklings neck when some food seemed to be stuck in its throat. But he didnt elaborate anymore than that, like weather the duck was okay in the long run? Plz Lmk I'm really hoping my ducklings stay good and healthy!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Hi @Mxandy359 Welcome to BYC.

Can you take a picture and upload it here when it happens again?
It might just be her crop filled with food
And the almost choking they sometimes do when eating can happens too when they are to greedy and eat to much dry food without taking the time to sip some water...
A rule in general, you might always provide your duck with water without food, but NEVER food without water...

 

[Mxandy359]

Hello thank you for the feed back and I've been doing research all day since, and what you said is what I think happened. And yes I do keep water down 24/7 the food is down 24/7 aswell tho I'm considering maybe taking it away only for short periods if i know they had ate a bunch already but I've read that almost everyone keeps the food down 24/7 aswell so I will just be keeping a close eye on them. But I think thats exactly what happened, her crop got filled up with something possibly just a bunch of food but it was definetly effecting her pretty bad and had me really worried but thankfully shes been fine since and seems quite happy now! But I've been watching them closely and about an hour ago they were eating and drinking and I noticed the same ones neck was a little big looking again and I could feel something in it again (little lumps kinda) just not quite normal but not near as bad as before but after she was done and drank a bunch of water it was back to normal. I'm thankfull I have 2 ducklings so I can compare them to each other. But one thing is they chew on there bedding alot which is cedar shavings I believe but all it says is classic shavings and its mallard creek brand. Its tan wood shavings like you'd see in a hamster cage I believe this is what im supposed to use? But I have found some larger wood chips in it and I do wonder if thats possibly what she got stuck in there? And I keep a little bit of sand in there cage is this okay? I red to put some soil/sand or grit with them so the can get the little pepples for their digestion, and I do make sure theres not too large pepples, but still is this okay? And there food is now all flock crumbles which seems pretty gritty but just not sure if it is the "grit" they need, and I supplement brewers yeast with their food too. I also wonder if some how the brewers yeast clumps up in their throat because its a fine powder that I mix in their food. Sorry for mentioning so much I'm just interested in some opinions on everything, as this is my first time raising ducks. Thanks again!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Hello thank you for the feed back and I've been doing research all day since, and what you said is what I think happened. And yes I do keep water down 24/7 the food is down 24/7 aswell tho I'm considering maybe taking it away only for short periods if i know they had ate a bunch already but I've read that almost everyone keeps the food down 24/7 aswell so I will just be keeping a close eye on them. But I think thats exactly what happened, her crop got filled up with something possibly just a bunch of food but it was definetly effecting her pretty bad and had me really worried but thankfully shes been fine since and seems quite happy now! But I've been watching them closely and about an hour ago they were eating and drinking and I noticed the same ones neck was a little big looking again and I could feel something in it again (little lumps kinda) just not quite normal but not near as bad as before but after she was done and drank a bunch of water it was back to normal. I'm thankfull I have 2 ducklings so I can compare them to each other. But one thing is they chew on there bedding alot which is cedar shavings I believe but all it says is classic shavings and its mallard creek brand. Its tan wood shavings like you'd see in a hamster cage I believe this is what im supposed to use? But I have found some larger wood chips in it and I do wonder if thats possibly what she got stuck in there? And I keep a little bit of sand in there cage is this okay? I red to put some soil/sand or grit with them so the can get the little pepples for their digestion, and I do make sure theres not too large pepples, but still is this okay? And there food is now all flock crumbles which seems pretty gritty but just not sure if it is the "grit" they need, and I supplement brewers yeast with their food too. I also wonder if some how the brewers yeast clumps up in their throat because its a fine powder that I mix in their food. Sorry for mentioning so much I'm just interested in some opinions on everything, as this is my first time raising ducks. Thanks again!

Thank you for your response. Please remove the sand from their coop! sand can cause obstipations... it‘s to fine structured. They need grit when they eat things other than their provided duck pellets. (like grass etc.) it needs to be available for them all the time and they will eat it when they feel they need it. If they walk outside and eat a bit of soil, don’t worry to much since they will probably sift trough it and spit most out. But never give them sand instead of grit. Again, it can be indigestible for them and might cause problems later on

 

[Mxandy359]

Okay thank you I will definitely do so. But what exactly is grit?

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hello I have 2 Mallard ducklings about 2 1/2 weeks old and this morning I noticed one of them wasnt as sprye as usual. Then I quickly noticed a big lumb on the side of her throat. I tried massaging it and at first it wouldnt budge and it seemed to be messing with her equalibrium she was sitting as much as possible and when she would try to stand to clean herself she was off balance. And if she ate or drank and it seemed like she was really choking trying to eat or drink. And she didn't poop for awhile. This was all really scarring me so I tried massaging her throat again and this time I was able to dislodge whatever was in there and her neck looked normal again. As there was a pretty big lump on the right side of her neck. Anyways she is going poop now and at first it didn't look very healthy kind of black? But now its pretty normal and shes defiantly happier and more active then this morning but she does seem a little under the weather still but i think she is just recovering from a bit of trauma. But I am worried that she may not of been able to pass what ever was in there like maybe its in her system somewhere even tho she is pooping? So Is there anything I should be worried about has anyone else had a situation similar to this? I have read a story about someone massaging the ducklings neck when some food seemed to be stuck in its throat. But he didnt elaborate anymore than that, like weather the duck was okay in the long run? Plz Lmk I'm really hoping my ducklings stay good and healthy!

Hi I am not a duck owner, and I am just starting out with my chicks. They are eight weeks old. I have been doing as much research prior to purchase and after with BYC and internet and books. I have also worked with a lady that owns chickens on a farm near me to learn about them also. There are several first aid threads and articles on here that you can pull up really fast with simple searches. Try looking for sour or impacted crops. That should help your situation greatly I believe. I suspect that will get you started on the right road. Your duckling is awfully young to have those though at only two weeks. I have not done any research on ducks specifically. I know they can eat the same starter grower crumble that mine eat but do yours have to have grit specific to a certain size in diameter at a certain age? That might be something to look into. I don’t know if ducks have to have grit? Or not. I just assumed they did because they were birds that had crops that laid eggs but them being water fowl I didn’t know if they took it in the same way as chicks did. I hate to sound stupid there. You might be able to give your duckling a some type of oil to help her pass the blockage if she has one. But I would try the search engine and it will pull up a massive amount of helpful information under the article section or the thread section.
Good luck and I hope your baby is okay and gets better fast.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Okay thank you I will definitely do so. But what exactly is grit?

Grit are small stones sort of say. You can find them in all animal stores not expensive at all..
https://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/pages/care-and-feeding-of-pet-ducks

 

[Isaac 0]

Could you post a few pictures of her poop, how is she doing this morning?

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Okay thank you I will definitely do so. But what exactly is grit?

Grit is finely ground stone usually made up of granite that is different sizes for the diffferent ages of the birds. Chick grit is what I buy from the feed stores, on Amazon, or Tractor Supply Company. The grit should be placed in a separate dish and the bird instinctively knows when to take it and when it needs it. The smallest chicks know this. If they are only eating the starter grower crumbles usually they don’t even need it as far as chickens are concerned until they are given any other food or treat. I am no resource on ducks. As to your cedar shavings I would like to make a few comments that are constructive criticism. You need to be sure they are untreated cedar shavings for sure. Personally I would not use cedar at all. Chances that it’s untreated are low. You need to go to the feed store and get a $5 bag of untreated wood shavings. It’s okay if they peck and chew on them some. If you are providing adequate feed then they will be full enough not to want to chow down on the wood. My chickens scoot all of mine out of their pen right now and it irritates the stew out of me but they will be in their outside permanent run and coop soon which we are building. We have been waiting on a metal delivery which has been delayed. It is so hot here in MS. We have had them outside on our screened in porch for awhile but I had to put them in our basement where it’s cool. It’s just too hot for them without a coop. I can’t cool them down enough without space to work and a sprinkler or mister running and a fan going. They need a place to dust bathe if they are going to be outside for long and it’s just so hot here they were miserable. The flies are awful!!!! Well I wish you luck and feel free to message me anytime for help. I’m no expert but I know a good bit about medicine, vet stuff, and animals. I’ve had a bunch and I worked in medicine a long time.
Sincerely,
Pam

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you sure this bulge was in her neck or down below at the base? When they eat their crop will fill up and can stay that way for quite a while. It does sound like their was an obstruction though.