Help with ducking death

[BarrerasDucks]

Thank you for your response. Can it affect chickens to? Is there anything I can do for the ducks that are still living (besides just waiting to see if they die)?

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My experience is unfortunately no. It's a horrible disease. I spent some money at my vet but they couldn't tell if the others were effected or not. It has been many years ago but I lost 3. Maybe separate them all from each other for now. I am almost 100% sure it can get your chickens.

 

[BarrerasDucks]

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My experience is unfortunately no. It's a horrible disease. I spent some money at my vet but they couldn't tell if the others were effected or not. It has been many years ago but I lost 3. Maybe separate them all from each other for now. I am almost 100% sure it can get your chickens.

It could be something else. Might be worth a quick trip to the vet.

 

[Amiga]

I cannot find anything in Storey's Guide with bleeding from the mouth as a symptom - so nothing could have grabbed the duckling?

 

[BarrerasDucks]

You don't have any sort of Rat poisen or yard chemicals out do you?

 

[ksloan]

Nothing grabbed the duckling. She was secured in an enclosure. I watched her swimming, then get out of the kiddie pool, sit for a minute, stumble a few steps, then lay over dead. I had watched the ducks swimming for about 30 minutes prior to her exiting the pool. No sign that anything had gotten into the enclosure prior to the incident.

 

[ksloan]

No rat poison, no chemicals. We don't spray anything on our yard. It is all pretty natural. We have cats to keep rodents at bay.

 

[BarrerasDucks]

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One picture is right after death. The mouth/nose is clear except for blood coming from the mouth. The other picture is several hours later (and after rain). There is tiny cream colored material that is coming from the mouth and nose...looks similar to wood dust, but it is regular shaped with oblong 'grains'...would these be some sort of parasite eggs?

The more research I did it sounds like Botulism!!
If ducks eat decayed waste from plants or animals or kitchen scraps.

Maggots carry Botulin and ducks love eating Maggots. It gets worse in the warm weather. That is why you probably have fly eggs already. They ate something rotten.

Burn dead birds, keep them separate and get rid of rotten plants. Clean water and go to a pet store of some sort and get a laxative. It will get rid of the disease. Make sure the duck has an avian electrolyte. Go online or the pet store. This prevents dehydration.

 

[ksloan]

I don't think the ducks had access to anything rotten. I removed the dead bird immediately. I think the flies laid the eggs after I removed the duck from the pen....I wasnt sure if I was going to try to get tests, so I hadn't disposed of it. I have cleaned the pen and waterer. They have been eating only chick starter/grower with niacin added. No scraps. Thank you for your advice. I have been planning to add vitamins/electrolytes to the water, but haven't been able to go to the store. I really don't know where she would have gotten something rotten.

 

[dotknott]

I'm wondering if young ducks can develop something like infant botulism in humans?

IIRC Infant botulism occurs when the bacteria is ingested and able to colonize in the intestines of an organism with an undeveloped immune system. I know little about duck immune systems, but it seems possible.

I do know that the bacteria that causes botulism is found in soils and has high toxicity. Only a little bit either ingested or entered through a wound, if given the right low oxygen environment, can be lethal.