how do i know if my duck is choking and how do i help???

[saydeei]

my ducks are about 4/5/6 weeks old (they’re growing feathers already) and one was eating food and started coughing?? it’s tried drinking some water but idk if it actually went down, they’ve also tried eating more but once again idk if it went down. they’re not coughing anymore now but what do i do ???

 

[cheezenkwackers]

If their airway were really blocked they would be passed out and dead. Most likely a little food went were it wasn't suppose to and the coughing cleared it. As long your ducks are acting fine I wouldn't worry.

 

[KaleIAm]

My duck was choking on a slug. She was gasping and got wobbly and I thought she was going to die. I called her vet and they pulled the vet out of an exam for me. The vet told me to just make sure to give her access to water. Not to put my fingers down her throat because I could push it down further and make it worse. I put my duck in her shallow kid pool and watched as she tipped over and struggled to take sips. It was horrible. But somehow she suddenly swallowed and started behaving normally - just a little subdued!!

In short: provide water. Do nothing else.

 

[Isaac 0]

Ducks will occasionally cough on their feed, especially when the feed is on the powdery side. In most case's all that is needed is water provided, and eventually, they'll get it down. I would not use your finger to clear a blockage. Several times, I've had teen-ducks try to eat chad, and end up getting it stuck in their throat. Even after a few minutes, the fish was still lodged in there so I had to lube up a catheter and push the fish down. Doing that would be something I would only recommend for serious cases, as pushing whatever the object is down their throat could possibly end up scratching or severely damaging the inner esophagus lining.