Lethargic Duck Keeps Sleeping and is Unresponsive

[DuckyGaze]

Could he have had a seizure due to niacin deficiency? How old are they again?

He is 1 1/2 years old. This is my oldest duck. This happened only once and it never happened again and never happened to any other ducks.

Someone once told me to NOT give chick started to my ducklings because of the niacin in it. Seems this causes problems with the feet and legs.
I feed my ducks mixed seeds like corn, oats, wheat, etc. once in the morning and at night before closing them up for the night. During the day they
waddle around and eat bugs and dig in the ground with their beaks.

I thought that since they are free roaming in a very large area that they have enough niacin from the plants, grass, clover and bugs, worms etc.

 

[Amiga]

Ducklings need three times the niacin chicks do. Chick starter does not have enough niacin in it for some ducklings.

Ducks can get viruses and bacterial infections and fungal infections. And sometimes they can shake them off if their immune systems are strong.

With free ranging, we cannot know how much of what they are getting. That's not a criticism - your place may have everything they need in spring summer and fall.

 

[DuckyGaze]

Ducklings need three times the niacin chicks do. Chick starter does not have enough niacin in it for some ducklings.

Ducks can get viruses and bacterial infections and fungal infections. And sometimes they can shake them off if their immune systems are strong.

With free ranging, we cannot know how much of what they are getting. That's not a criticism - your place may have everything they need in spring summer and fall.

They must be getting enough niacin because I have never had one that got sick or had a virus or whatever.
All I can tell you is that I have many kinds of grasses growing here. This is not lawn grass. It is field grass and has clover, wheat, and all kinds of other grasses. Some they do not eat but they do eat some of the other grasses but mostly they eat the roots and lots of bugs.

 

[Amiga]

Sounds beautiful!

 

[DuckyGaze]

Hello again! Wow I have missed the forum, but have been sooo busy. I am a full member of our Animal Refuge now and I care for abandonned pets and sick ones, and also we care for injured wild animals. I care mostly for kitties.

BUT now I need help that can only be found here.

Why have my ducks never laid another egg since the hatching in July?
We never found any egg anywhere in their enclosure or in the pens.
They are all perfectly healthy and have the same diet they had when they did lay eggs.
No wild animals, snakes or intruders are getting at the pens to eat the eggs.. they just totally stopped laying.
Every single one of my ducks does not lay eggs at all.

Seems they are holding back and waiting for spring to start laying again in order to hatch ducklings.

So I know something is not right. They should be laying regularly but they just are not.

 

[Amiga]

What breed of ducks again? Some are seasonal layers.

 

[DuckyGaze]

I have 1 Campbell, 1 Appleyard and 1 Magpie.

All 3 girls laid eggs and between the 3 of them hatched 21 ducklings in July.

Since then not even 1 egg from any of them.

All my other girls were hatched during the spring and summer so they are too young.

 

[DuckyGaze]

I have 1 Campbell, 1 Appleyard and 1 Magpie.

All 3 girls laid eggs and between the 3 of them hatched 21 ducklings in July.

Since then not even 1 egg from any of them.

All my other girls were hatched during the spring and summer so they are too young.

"When a lighting system is used, Campbells lay throughout the winter months, when daylight hours are naturally shorter."

So I guess that is why my Campbell is not laying eggs. They need about 12 hours of full daylight a day in order to keep laying throughtout the
fall and winter months. I have 3 young Campbell hens that will be 6 months soon and at that time they would normally be ready to start laying
eggs but I guess without the lighting system.. they will all be laying eggs only in the spring.

And seems the same goes for Appleyards and Magpies. The need for long days of light which they do not have at this time of year will influence their laying capabilities.

This is the first time I have come across an article that deals with " light - egg production"

Could it be just this simple fact that has them not laying eggs at all?

 

[needlessjunk]

 
I have 1 Campbell, 1 Appleyard and 1 Magpie.

 All 3 girls laid eggs and between the 3 of them hatched 21 ducklings in July.

Since then not even 1 egg from any of them.

All my other girls were hatched during the spring and summer so they are too young. 

[COLOR=333333]"When a lighting system is used, Campbells lay throughout the winter months, when daylight hours are naturally shorter."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]So I guess that is why my Campbell is not laying eggs.  They need about 12 hours of full daylight a day in order to keep laying throughtout the[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]fall and winter months.  I have 3 young Campbell hens that will be 6 months soon and at that time they would normally be ready to start laying[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]eggs but I guess without the lighting system.. they will all be laying eggs only in the spring.  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]And seems the same goes for Appleyards and Magpies. The need for long days of light which they do not have at this time of year will influence their laying capabilities.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]This is the first time I have come across an article that deals with " light - egg production"  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Could it be just this simple fact that has them not laying eggs at all?  [/COLOR]

Yes, depending on how much sun light you are getting can really affect egg production. I'm in TX and I'm still getting 10 hours of sunlight. Other places are getting much, much less. So they hatched out ducklings in July and then would need time to put back on weight and restore their systems. I would count a month or two for that. Did they molt this year? If so that that is another 2-3 months before they will lay. When did your days start getting shorter?

 

[Amiga]

[COLOR=333333]"When a lighting system is used, Campbells lay throughout the winter months, when daylight hours are naturally shorter."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]So I guess that is why my Campbell is not laying eggs.  They need about 12 hours of full daylight a day in order to keep laying throughtout the[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]fall and winter months.  I have 3 young Campbell hens that will be 6 months soon and at that time they would normally be ready to start laying[/COLOR]
[COLOR=333333]eggs but I guess without the lighting system.. they will all be laying eggs only in the spring.  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]And seems the same goes for Appleyards and Magpies. The need for long days of light which they do not have at this time of year will influence their laying capabilities.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]This is the first time I have come across an article that deals with " light - egg production"  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Could it be just this simple fact that has them not laying eggs at all?  [/COLOR]

With my Runners, it was not light - it was temperature.