Help my ducks are all dying!

[Sylverfly]

I've lost 4 ducks and have no idea why. They go from looking great and being active to limping on one leg then lose complete use of one leg and begin to pant. Then they die the next day. Healthy. Limping. Loss of Leg use/panting often. Dead. I need help! The vets here have no idea whats going on, they don't bother with birds. I thought maybe a disease but my chickens and geese are showing no signs of illness and they were exposed to the ducks. I then thought poisoning but I have moved the ducks and there is nothing for them to eat that would make them ill and a new one is showing symptoms every day, as soon as one dies another seems to start showing signs and then dies. I am keeping their food and water sparkling clean (Clean standards not duck clean standards) and there is nothing rotten that they can get a hold of and the ground is dry, So botulism is unlikely (I think). It could be a deficiency of some kind but I don't know if that fits either. I don't want to lose all my birds.

 

[Sylverfly]

No one has any ideas? who can I call to get help, since the vet was no help?

 

[zooweemama]

What kind of feed are they on? What are the geese and chickens eating? How old are the ducks?

 

[Sylverfly]

They are eating a starter/grower recommended for chicks and waterfowl (and a few other kinds of birds) because I couldn't get anything else the nearest feed store is at least 45 minutes away. They are close to 2 months old and the geese are eating the same thing they are. They also have lots of grass and bugs to eat if they choose. I have no idea whats wrong with them this is the second time I've raised ducks and I never had anything like this happen with those birds, they grew up laid eggs and even hatched some themselves and I never had a problem. I'm terrified this is a disease and its going to spread and wipe out every bird on my property. I don't know if i should be keeping the bodies to send out and have checked (don't know who to send them to) or burning them or burying them really deep, oh this is awful.

 

[Sylverfly]

The only food the feed store had was DuMor, so that's the name of the feed its 20% starter/grower.

 

[zooweemama]

They are eating a starter/grower recommended for chicks and waterfowl (and a few other kinds of birds) because I couldn't get anything else the nearest feed store is at least 45 minutes away. They are close to 2 months old and the geese are eating the same thing they are. They also have lots of grass and bugs to eat if they choose. I have no idea whats wrong with them this is the second time I've raised ducks and I never had anything like this happen with those birds, they grew up laid eggs and even hatched some themselves and I never had a problem. I'm terrified this is a disease and its going to spread and wipe out every bird on my property. I don't know if i should be keeping the bodies to send out and have checked (don't know who to send them to) or burning them or burying them really deep, oh this is awful.

Well I asked what kind of feed because you mentioned leg problems. If it is a chick starter then it is deficient in Niacin which ducks need a lot of (chicks do not which is why chick starter fed to ducks needs to have Niacin supplemented in their water or food.
http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html

I am not saying that is what is wrong here but something to look for. Are they housed in the same coop? As soon as you see one acting funny- I would yank it from the flock and separate it. Hoping to isolate whatever it is if it is viral.

 

[Sylverfly]

Thanks for responding, that was my first thought in the deficiency area so I have been giving them things rich in niacin, and I still have birds dying...maybe it was to little to late I don't know. I believe that niacin is just the B3 vitamin I wonder if I could add some B complex in a water dish and offer it to the ducks. All B vitamins are water soluble so what they don't use they should just poop out, right? And I have moved the ducks out by themselves they were in with the geese at one point. When I saw the first duck limping I moved them into a pen by themselves I actually thought maybe a goose stepped on the duck and hurt its leg at the beginning of all this. So the geese have been exposed if it is a disease. I am separating the sick duck from the others when it shows signs of sickness as well but one by one they are still dying, when one is sick I move it into a pen by itself and when it can't walk I move it near the water and food but by this point they are not interested in eating only drinking, they seem very thirsty. strangely enough when they can only crawl around and can no longer walk they can still swim well, but only use one leg while in the water.

 

[zooweemama]

The type of niacin is important too. Yes B3 is Niacin. It cannot be time release or no flush. I'm sorry. I hope someone with more expertise comes along with some ideas!

 

[Sylverfly]

Thanks for the help. I noticed that those that have died have a slightly different body structure then most of the remaining bevy, their feathers seemed duller and they were thinner then most of the group. I have one left that seemed to look different then the other remaining living ducks she is also slower then the rest. I just went out and isolated her with her own food and water away from the rest of the ducks she isn't limping yet but hopefully if she is sick this will stop the others from getting ill as well. If she gains weight and shows no signs that those that died showed should I let her back in with the other ducks?Or should I worry that she has become a carrier if it is an illness. If she lives maybe she should be culled so that no more ducks die, I'd hate to lose her she is so sweet, and my only crested magpie in the group. But a life alone is no life for a duck.

 

[Sylverfly]

I just found a patch of what I believe may be ground ivy (looks kind of like cat nip, but its not) in the pen that the ducks were in when this first started. if some of the ducks ate ground ivy could they still be showing signs and dying days later. And is there anything I can give them if they did eat it at this point. It was behind the shelter under some trees I don't know how I missed it during construction of the run and shelter, or during all those walk throughs I did before letting them out and after they got sick. If this is what did it I feel awful.