help, one duckling is a midget

[casportpony]

The neck swelling up is his crop, and yes, duck *do* have crops, they are just a different shape than chickens.

No more bugs! Bugs from the garden can be hosts for parasites. If you want to feed bugs, go buy mealworms or crickets from a pet store, those are safe.

You might also want to buy some Kaytee Exact baby bird food from Petsmart or Petco and syringe feed that instead of the chick crumbles.

 

[casportpony]

Duck crop on left:

 

[casportpony]

Duck:

1. Oesophagus
2. Crop
3. Proventriculus
4. Gizzard
5. Pancreas
6. Duodenum
7. Liver
8. Gallbladder
9. Ileum
10. Caecum
11. Cloaca

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

@tomcorden71 , try keeping it in a room/cage that's 80-85 degrees and see if it perks up.

-Kathy

 

[gal5150]

Yes, sounds like crop impaction.....however, does sound like it's passed somewhat. One of my girls ate duck tape (oh, the irony)....while the crop did not become completely impacted, it did slow down quite a bit for a week or so. First thing in the morning after eating, swelled up and stayed so for the rest of the day. By morning, normal, rinse, lather, repeat....until it passed completely.

I allowed this process to happen as I knew it was not a total impaction. I checked daily for sour crop, as the emptying was so delayed, but other than that it eventually made its way out and crop returned to normal. Sounds as though that may be where your little guy is at.....slowly clearing up what was stored in there when the slug, or whatever, gummed up the works. Keep us posted

Edit: if there is something stuck in the throat, you can try massaging it doe are toward the crop. A more invasive but sometimes needed approach is to take a pencil, eraser end, or tubing and gently insert it into the throat to dislodge the block into the crop.

 

[tomcorden71]

so, sad news Little duck went to the vet, Had some drugs and advice (Vet had nothing to add really that hasn't been mentioned on here) then promptly dropped dead when brought home.
So big duck doesn't get lonely two others have been acquired. A week younger than little duck, but twice the size and so much more perky. Think maybe little duck was just too runty.

 

[casportpony]

so, sad news Little duck went to the vet, Had some drugs and advice (Vet had nothing to add really that hasn't been mentioned on here) then promptly dropped dead when brought home.
So big duck doesn't get lonely two others have been acquired. A week younger than little duck, but twice the size and so much more perky. Think maybe little duck was just too runty.

So sorry for your loss.

-Kathy

 

[purslanegarden]

Sorry to hear it but glad you got new friends for the remaining duck.

 

[SunflowerTheBun]

Just reading through this thread, and while I learnt a lot and found your journey internesting I'm so sorry for your loss.
- Sunny

 

[gal5150]

So sorry to hear that. Hugs