Lethargic Cayuga

[misha92]

I'm in the UK and have 4 ducks, one of my ducks pancake, a Cayuga cross who is a year old an excellent layer has recently become a little lathergic and not her bubbly self, iv also noticed she hasn't been preening her self as well as she used too.
She's reluctant to leave her hutch however she is still "hanging" around with the other ducks eating, drinking and going for swims in the pool which gets changed every other day.
The young drake 4 months old has started to mount the 3 females so I'm not sure if pancake is just broody or I need to book a vet apt.
Any ideas or advice with what could be wrong if anything and how I can get her back to her self would be awesome.
Thank you

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry it took so long to respond.

I don't have ducks (yet

) but it sounds like, if the male has begun breeding, he could be over-breeding her. If her feathers look messed up and if she is reluctant to leave she could be preparing to nest or she could just be nervous to go out with the drake.

I hope this helps. Best of luck!

 

[misha92]

Pancake and penny are a year old so this is there proper first laying season as they started laying for a couple months then winter hit. My other 2, one drake one female are only 4 months. Though the drake peanut is extreamly persistent not so much toward pancake but she is defo the brooder out the 3 and has been beating in the hutch and hiding her eggs in the garden.
I'm still new to this so learning a lot as I go, not everything is in the books. This site is amazing though, so helpful.

Thank you for your advice

 

[Amiga]

If you can get her to a good duck vet, I would. There is a possibility she is egg bound or having other egg problems, she may even have egg yolk peritonitis - a systemic infection caused when yolk gets loose in the body cavity.

She may also just have a virus, or an infection - she could have picked up a parasite. She may have eaten something mildly toxic, or something metal.

I am not trying to scare you - but with ducks it is difficult to know at first, and most if not all these things can be treated.