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[gina kay]

I came here looking for an answer as to why two of my ducks and one goose has been losing their balance. The two ducks died but the goose just started. Had another duck that developed it but recovered on her own.
I have had chickens for about 12 yrs and just got 40 geese and 7 ducks last June when a friend gave them to me when she moved. They are in a separate pasture from the chickens.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm sorry that your two ducks died. There could be a lot of reasons for balance problems. It is possible that it is an infectious disease, but imbalance as the only symptom does not really suggest a particular infection. Other possibilities could be that they got into some moldy feed that made them sick, which is more common than you might think, because it does not have to be particularly moldy to have toxins that are dangerous to water fowl. I never let damp feed sit for more than 24 hours. I also put something under their bowls to catch all the feed they strew around so it doesn't sit on the damp ground and develop mold. But if they are in winter weather below the 30's Fahrenheit mold may be unlikely. I have also read that loss of balance could be associated with "hardware disease" - when the bird eats some metal like a nut or bolt on the ground and the heavy metals lead to poisoning, although I don't think that would have been likely to affect 4 birds in a short period.

If there are more deaths, you may want to consider getting a necropsy to determine the cause. I have read that some states offer free or low cost necropsies. Here is a link with info on that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/40141/link-find-your-state-vet-for-a-necropsy

Maybe some other members will have other ideas.

 

[gina kay]

I was reading about hardware disease and just so happens that the pasture they are in does have a pile of old nails in it. Tomorrow I'm walking the pasture with a heavy duty magnet. Our temperature down here in south Texas has been warm many days. We keep the feed in a closed container and throw it on the ground for them to eat and they finish it off quickly. They have 3 kiddie pools to drink from and bathe in. I don't change the water daily but top it off twice daily. While I'm walking their pasture I'll see if there is any stagnant water in containers.

 

[ChickyChickens]

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