I scared my duck and think i gave it a heart attack!

[Hmeddaugh]

So we have 4 ducklings 10-12 weeks of age. At night i bring them in the house from outside because its still very cold here( just started taking them outside yesterday) Well I went into the room were we keep them to check their water, i flipped the light on and started to pour a glass of water in their bucket. All of a sudden my rouen started to like flop around for few seconds then layed belly down steched her back legs straight out, wings out, and her head slowly went back to lay upon her back. I picked her up right away and started patting her and talking to her. She finally started to come to still seemed dazed her eyes were watering like she was crying. I sat with her for 15 mins or so holding her and comforting her. She did a few times breath really heavy like she almost couldn't catch her breath. I put her back in the brooder with the others she's drinking and eatting and seems fine. Just so scared im going to find her dead in the morning. No idea what happened.

 

[bluejeans]

I have some hook bills that were fainters . They eventually turned out to be some really nice ducks and out grew it . They Holderreid bred good breed stuff..

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Oh, the poor thing! Did you see her just before she started flopping by any chance? She could have hit or been hit by something or someone if they were startled and panicked.

 

[Hmeddaugh]

I have some hook bills that were fainters . They eventually turned out to be some really nice ducks and out grew it . They Holderreid bred good breed stuff..

Does this sound like one of your ducks!? I was devastated i yelled for my husband thinking she had died but when I picked her up she was still breathing!

 

[Hmeddaugh]

Oh, the poor thing! Did you see her just before she started flopping by any chance? She could have hit or been hit by something or someone if they were startled and panicked.

Unfortunately I didn't! They were all together so that was the first thing that came to mind is maybe when they startled she hit her head. I did not hear a thud on the wall or anything.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

I don't have ducks, bu a chick just old enough for brief first outdoor excursions did the same thing as your duck when it got briefly pinned down in the grass. It made a squeak and flopped and stretched it neck and went limp.... I thought I had killed it for a few minutes it seemed to be a goner, I cried a bucket and suddenly it was perfectly normal.

 

[bluejeans]

Does this sound like one of your ducks!? I was devastated i yelled for my husband thinking she had died but when I picked her up she was still breathing!

Mine would do the same if they got scared they fainted . it went on the whole year.

 

[bluejeans]

Out of ten hook bill ducklings the two that fainted were the only white ones.

 

[Tiggrsbounc]

So we have 4 ducklings 10-12 weeks of age. At night i bring them in the house from outside because its still very cold here( just started taking them outside yesterday) Well I went into the room were we keep them to check their water, i flipped the light on and started to pour a glass of water in their bucket. All of a sudden my rouen started to like flop around for few seconds then layed belly down steched her back legs straight out, wings out, and her head slowly went back to lay upon her back. I picked her up right away and started patting her and talking to her. She finally started to come to still seemed dazed her eyes were watering like she was crying. I sat with her for 15 mins or so holding her and comforting her. She did a few times breath really heavy like she almost couldn't catch her breath. I put her back in the brooder with the others she's drinking and eatting and seems fine. Just so scared im going to find her dead in the morning. No idea what happened.

This sounds very similar to something I experienced with my Buff duckling a few wks ago. The first time it happened I found her (could be a him-not sure yet) on her back but all the symptoms/recovery were exactly as you described except for the heavy breaths. The second time I opened the door very quickly and saw her get up quickly and fall flat on her belly. Only happened twice and there have been no more episodes. Fainting (as others have said) is a great way to describe it because that's almost what it seems to be. I was like you and scared I would find mine dead one morning too. I really hope it just disappears as it did for mine

 

[llombardo]

If it's dark and I open the door they are all very slow moving. I can tell I catch them off guard and they are still half asleep. I did that twice and won't do it again. It made me think how easy it is for predators to get them like this.