Is my duckling sick?

[GalaxyFanFan]

So I have 2 ducklings that are around 3 weeks old and I have had them for about 4 days already and I noticed one (coco) of my ducklings has been having very runny/watery poop and its brown(?) while my other duckling (oreo) has what I consider 'normal' duck poop. Is there something wrong with coco ??? I feed them both the same thing which is duckling/chick feed and sometimes oatmeal as a treat (the people who sold me my 2 bundles of cuteness said they often fed them oatmeal) is because I changed her diet or...?

 

[Amiga]

Not easy to say, sometimes a darker, runnier poop indicates possible infection or upset stomach, but I had a duckling who produced a runny dark brown poop and everyone grew up just fine.

Change of diet can upset their stomachs, you might consider getting a poultry vitamin with probiotics to give them once a week or once every two weeks, and during stressful times.

Keep watching, ducks can hide illness. You may want to look around and see if there is a vet in your area before you have an emergency.

 

[GalaxyFanFan]

I'll most likely see if there is vet around my area that treats ducks because as I went to go check on them coco sneezed (?) a couple times and quite a bit of snot came out...

 

[MarysAviaryHeartAndZoo]

What type of housing are you keeping them in? Is there any wet or moldy straw/bedding?

 

[MarysAviaryHeartAndZoo]

Runny poop means water loss. Make sure they have plenty of fresh water. Also, I was wondering if their food is kept dry. Sometimes if ducks eat old wet food, they can get intestinal bugs.
This can be treated with over the counter antibiotics (tractor supply store).
You can also try adding some Probiotic to their water. That's what did the trick when mine were little.

 

[GalaxyFanFan]

I keep them in the bathtub in the restroom no one uses with like 2 rocks that they like to stand on top of and I keep it dry by covering up the faucet with tape so it won't leak and I serve them their food dry but, they have a habit of getting their food wet so I have to change it out a lot. I also clean out the tub about 3-5 times out of the day bc they poop a lot of course. Then about once a day I take them out to a little kiddy pool that I bought to they can swim. Is there a specific brand of probiotic or antibiotics your recommend? I'm sorry I'm a first time duck owner...

ps. I read that if you think a duck/duckling is sick you should separate them from the others until she/he gets better so should I separate coco from oreo?

 

[GalaxyFanFan]

Oh and we are planning to build them an area outside in the backyard they can stay once they grow their feathers...

 

[subhanalah]

Sometimes mine have more liquid poop than others. Sometimes it's green (leafy greens) or brown (mud and bugs) sometimes tan (their feed).

Keep an eye for signs of illness like being fluffed up, not eating or drinking, not being active as usual.

Hopefully it's not a problem though

 

[MarysAviaryHeartAndZoo]

I wound not separate them unless the syptoms seem really bad. Home raised ducklings usually have weak gastrointestinal tracts because they haven't been exposed to all the elements. ProBiotics can help boost their GI tract. I usually mix the two of these products during their first two - three weeks of life. I find it helpful. If it doesn't clear up after a week, I would put coco on antibiotics. Be careful if you go this route bc antibx. Can be hard on their kidneys. Good luck!!

 

[StephMagee]

When my ducks were about that age, they had watery dark poop and sometimes it had an awful odor to it. It happened for maybe a week and then it stopped. They didn't act any different, like they were sick or anything. So I didn't really worry to much about it. They are and drank plenty of water like normal. It maybe the color of the food your feeding them? I noticed when mine were still living inside, I'd put them outside and they'd eat grass and then when I would bring them in there poops would be green like grass. Just keep an eye on them!