IMPORTANT Week old duckling drooling and acting weird??? Please help!

[ForestAlice]

Last night we didn't have any food for the ducks. so we decided to give them some warmed frozen peas without grit. Today the food came in so we fed them generously- but one of the ducks seemed to be struggling with swallowing the food. He wasn't getting a lot of water either when he was trying to eat. Later today, he started drooling a clear liquid- and right now he seems dazed. He didn't react to the food being put into the brooder, and he's currently trying to nap with the other ducklings. We just put fresh water in- and all of them got up to drink while he stayed put laying down. His eyes seem like he's wide awake, but he's not getting up to drink. My s/o is very worried, and if anything happens to these ducks I know that they'll be very upset. I'm going to try my best to take all 6 of them to the vet tonight - we have an avian doctor right up the street. Though until then, and until I can confirm that we indeed will be going tonight- I know that my s/o and I will need some support and something at least close to an answer.

Any help from educated or experienced byc members is highly appreciated- and I will provide any info that you might need about our ducklings.

EDIT: I read some other people's experiences on the forum about their ducklings "drooling", but the difference between our experience and theirs seems to be that the duckling seemed very dazed and lethargic after it happened (and it happened multiple times), and I keep hearing sneezing from their brooder. Not sure if these are symptoms of anything but I figured I'd add that info.

 

[Amiga]

Just saw this - how are things now?

When you say he wasn't getting alot of water - he wasn't drinking?

Ducklings need food with water 24/7 for the first couple of months. If they run out of food, when it is reintroduced, they may overeat, and that can lead to problems.

Please send an update.

Also, if you have not done so already, please post over on the Duck Forum.

 

[Amiga]

I need to turn in, plan to check back tomorrow morning.

 

[ForestAlice]

Just saw this - how are things now?

When you say he wasn't getting alot of water - he wasn't drinking?

Ducklings need food with water 24/7 for the first couple of months. If they run out of food, when it is reintroduced, they may overeat, and that can lead to problems.

Please send an update.

Also, if you have not done so already, please post over on the Duck Forum.

Hi! When he wasn't getting a lot of water it was just after we had gotten them food again. They were without food for a day as we had to wait for the shipment to come in and ran out during the wait. Right after we gave them food again he seemed to be eating a lot but not drinking with it and he seemed to try to be swallowing food without water. Eventually he started drinking normally from what I saw. Later that day after he seemed to be acting funny with the food, he started "drooling" every time I picked him up, seemed lethargic, and wasn't reacting to food and water after we would replace it like the rest of the ducklings were. Today they are all reacting to food and water but when I picked him up a drop of "drool" fell out of his beak. Could this be caused from overeating after missing a day's worth of food? We gave them frozen peas once that day to hold them over but we didn't have grit, though they seem to have passed them... Could that have caused a problem as well?

 

[ForestAlice]

Just saw this - how are things now?

When you say he wasn't getting alot of water - he wasn't drinking?

Ducklings need food with water 24/7 for the first couple of months. If they run out of food, when it is reintroduced, they may overeat, and that can lead to problems.

Please send an update.

Also, if you have not done so already, please post over on the Duck Forum.

Also, where is the duck forum?

 

[Amiga]

Hi! When he wasn't getting a lot of water it was just after we had gotten them food again. They were without food for a day as we had to wait for the shipment to come in and ran out during the wait. Right after we gave them food again he seemed to be eating a lot but not drinking with it and he seemed to try to be swallowing food without water. Eventually he started drinking normally from what I saw. Later that day after he seemed to be acting funny with the food, he started "drooling" every time I picked him up, seemed lethargic, and wasn't reacting to food and water after we would replace it like the rest of the ducklings were. Today they are all reacting to food and water but when I picked him up a drop of "drool" fell out of his beak. Could this be caused from overeating after missing a day's worth of food? We gave them frozen peas once that day to hold them over but we didn't have grit, though they seem to have passed them... Could that have caused a problem as well?

Yes, that is likely. Please join us here https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

 

[ForestAlice]

Yes, that is likely. Please join us here https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

Is it life threatening? Should we put grit with their regular feed?

 

[Amiga]

Storey's Guide To Raising Ducks recommends that a tiny bit of chick grit be added to their feed daily. I put about a teaspoon into each 6 inch diameter container of food they got for their first several weeks. Once they started going outside and drilling in the soil, I backed off on the grit, since they were getting it from outdoors.

On the Duck Forum we have stickies for Raising Ducklings, and the list of treats. There is good information there, and very helpful duck people.