My dog snuck out of the house this morning and tried to play with my chickens and ducks that had escaped from their coop. I got the ones outside the coop back in that I saw out, and found my male Mallard duck laying limp in the grass. I thought he was dead until I saw him breathing. I picked him up with a shirt off the clothesline and got him into a cardboard box in the shade to see what I was dealing with. At first I thought he had a broken neck, but he stated lifting ihis head enough to sniff the corner. He doesn't look substantially injured from looking at him. So I decided to give laying hands on him a try. When he had perked up I moved the box in to the sun to dry his feathers. He was up and trying to look out of the box. When he seemed better I took him back to the coop and set him down. He started to get up and walk but a rooster ran towards him and he quickly played dead. I picked him up and he kept his head tucked under against my arm until I got him back in the box and again layed his head down.
So I got out a a wire dog crate and put the towel in it and put him in on the towel. He lifted his head up slightly and layed it against the bars positioned so he could look out. I brough him in my bedroom with me so I can monitor him. After about 10 minutes he lifted his head in to normal position and has remained that way so far. I saw him move his wing and head when my 2 yr old startled him. He seems to be breathing well and his wings and tail moves with his breathing... I am aftraid to give him a bowl of water after how he was if he might slump in to it. I was thinking maybe putting a water bottle on it. Does anybody have any helpful advice or information about this. I'm wondering if he acted like that because he was scared rather than injured. Do they play dead as a defense? Anybody have experience with how they act after a dog running around trying to play with them and their coop mates like they were stuffed???
So I got out a a wire dog crate and put the towel in it and put him in on the towel. He lifted his head up slightly and layed it against the bars positioned so he could look out. I brough him in my bedroom with me so I can monitor him. After about 10 minutes he lifted his head in to normal position and has remained that way so far. I saw him move his wing and head when my 2 yr old startled him. He seems to be breathing well and his wings and tail moves with his breathing... I am aftraid to give him a bowl of water after how he was if he might slump in to it. I was thinking maybe putting a water bottle on it. Does anybody have any helpful advice or information about this. I'm wondering if he acted like that because he was scared rather than injured. Do they play dead as a defense? Anybody have experience with how they act after a dog running around trying to play with them and their coop mates like they were stuffed???