Help my ducks are dieing!

[Ava_farming]

Hello everyone

I had a flock of 13 ducks but yesterday night some seemed off I didn't think anything of it but the next morning two were dead and two were very lethargic and one other was just acting off. I tried giving them food and water the really sick ones just sat there (they died within 2 hours after) the third duck would drink and eat but died only 6 hours later. I'm worried that they have a disease or something and I feel like a couple other ducks are starting to act slightly off and don't know how to help them. I don't have any poultry vets within 5 hours of where I live and can't seek help that way. but if anyone can help hear are some of the symptoms I have seen, have trouble walking or are off balance, have something like white foam kind of around their eye, And they die very quickly after showing symptoms. I know it's not much but I need help any would be appreciated,I love my ducks and fear I may lose my entire flock

 

[Fluffs_flock]

Do you have pictures?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Please tell us where you are located. Every state has at least one poultry diagnostic lab with an avian pathologist. You need to act immediately to get one sent to the lab.
Box a recently dead bird, call the lab and have them send you a FedEx label. List it as a biological sample rather than dead bird.

 

[Ava_farming]

Please tell us where you are located. Every state has at least one poultry diagnostic lab with an avian pathologist. You need to act immediately to get one sent to the lab.
Box a recently dead bird, call the lab and have them send you a FedEx label. List it as a biological sample rather than dead bird.

I do not live in the US I live in Ontario Canada and unfortunately I don't think I could do this with the covid lockdown being so strict where I live

 

[Ava_farming]

Do you have pictures?

Unfortunately not all the ducks that showed visible symptoms have passed

 

[Puredoller]

Unfortunately, by the time an animal starts showing signs of an illness they are usually pretty bad off. You’ll need to act fast!

Foaming eye is the body trying to flush out an infection. Usually sinus or other upper respiratory infection. Get them on some antibiotics ASAP. They won’t hurt them, can only help (or do nothing). Worth a shot!!

One of my of my girls ate some lead pebbles and gave herself lead poisoning last month and had to have surgery. They put her on antibiotics before hand and after. Her prescription is for 50mg twice a day.

The vet just crammed it down her throat easy least but I couldn’t do that. LoL... so I crushed mine up and dusted a live bait worm with the medicine. But you’ll want to dosing the whole flock, so I would crush the pills up and add it to their drinking water.

You don’t need a prescription, though. Whatever your equivalent of Tractor Supply is in Canada should have animal antibiotics over the counter.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Guelph U is one lab in Ontario.
Animal Health Laboratory (uoguelph.ca)
I believe that in Canada the sample needs to be submitted by a vet. It doesn't have to be an avian vet. Call them and get their guidance including other possible labs.

A timely submission of the bird will get you a prompt diagnosis and a path forward.

I don't think ASAP antibiotics is the way forward. You don't have a diagnosis to know if the problem is bacterial or if it is curable by antibiotics. They may not hurt the bird but willy nilly administering of antibiotics contributes to drug resistant superbugs.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Unfortunately, by the time an animal starts showing signs of an illness they are usually pretty bad off. You’ll need to act fast!

Foaming eye is the body trying to flush out an infection. Usually sinus or other upper respiratory infection. Get them on some antibiotics ASAP. They won’t hurt them, can only help (or do nothing). Worth a shot!!

One of my of my girls ate some lead pebbles and gave herself lead poisoning last month and had to have surgery. They put her on antibiotics before hand and after. Her prescription is for 50mg twice a day.

The vet just crammed it down her throat easy least but I couldn’t do that. LoL... so I crushed mine up and dusted a live bait worm with the medicine. But you’ll want to dosing the whole flock, so I would crush the pills up and add it to their drinking water.

You don’t need a prescription, though. Whatever your equivalent of Tractor Supply is in Canada should have animal antibiotics over the counter.

You have lead pebbles on your property? How does that happen? Is it from lead shotgun shot?

 

[Puredoller]

You have lead pebbles on your property? How does that happen? Is it from lead shotgun shot?

North Carolina has more minerals than any other state. We have over 300. The avian vet said it wasn’t the first time he’d seen it happen. The xrays showed it wasn’t a man made object like gunshot, but 3 tiny pebbles.

Her surgery didn’t work, though... He couldn’t get through her wet sand filled belly to extract it due to where it was located, so I had to do all kinds of stuff at home to help her pass it as well as give her orally injected chelation therapy to control the toxins until she did. She eventually did it by herself, but it was touch and go for a minute... and I didn’t get to keep any souvenirs. lol

I also had a brilliant idea to monitor her progress that I posted on my girls YouTube channel. It makes most people laugh. LoL

 

[chickens really]

Sorry about the ducks. Google this information.