For context: I have a flock of 18 Pekin ducks. It’s been over 100 degrees F or around that for the last week or so. I have a large open pond in my backyard that is connected to other ponds in my area, including my neighbors pond. The neighbors teen hates me and I would not put it past her to try to hurt my ducks. My ducks go over to their pond often. There have been bobcat and mountain lions all over. We also have coyotes and other predators (including hawks and eagles and the likes) so tons of stressful animals that have claimed lives before and also wild mallards. The ducks sleep up by my house in a pen I put them in for safety. This pen has a coop, a pool, and a good amount of space.
The problem: Yesterday and the day before my ducks have been acting weird. They refused to leave their pen in the mornings which they typically are exited to do. It’s almost like they’re “drunk”. They stumble around and have what I can only describe and seizure like fits. They shake their heads and run into things and try to put themselves with another duck, like
they look for help. They are sleeping and being lethargic, all of them seem to be falling asleep in any position (including standing, although they sleep standing often).I’m not sure the cause. Poison, toxin, heat sickness, stress, trauma? No apparent change in appetite or drinking patterns. This is happening to my males and females. This is only happening to the ducks that hatched this June. The 3 adults from the previous years have no symptoms and neither do 3 of the duck I had separated to treat them after an aggressive male started to pluck them. Note that the 3 “hospitalized” ducks did not have access to the pond.
Just this morning I found one on its back and still “twitching”! I’m lost. No vets in my area do ducks and I am just trying yo keep them alive long enough to find one.
What could this be, how can I help them?
The problem: Yesterday and the day before my ducks have been acting weird. They refused to leave their pen in the mornings which they typically are exited to do. It’s almost like they’re “drunk”. They stumble around and have what I can only describe and seizure like fits. They shake their heads and run into things and try to put themselves with another duck, like
they look for help. They are sleeping and being lethargic, all of them seem to be falling asleep in any position (including standing, although they sleep standing often).I’m not sure the cause. Poison, toxin, heat sickness, stress, trauma? No apparent change in appetite or drinking patterns. This is happening to my males and females. This is only happening to the ducks that hatched this June. The 3 adults from the previous years have no symptoms and neither do 3 of the duck I had separated to treat them after an aggressive male started to pluck them. Note that the 3 “hospitalized” ducks did not have access to the pond.
Just this morning I found one on its back and still “twitching”! I’m lost. No vets in my area do ducks and I am just trying yo keep them alive long enough to find one.
What could this be, how can I help them?
