Looking for help, lethargic duck.

[CalBells]

Any advice would be much appreciated. These are our first ducks and they are 6 week old runners we got as day old chicks.

Spark has been acting lethargic, barely moving and not keeping up with the others. She does seem to eat and drink a little, though the last time i tried to get her to eat some cabage she just let it fall from her bill. Besides barely moving, her other symptom was a strange head shake back and forth like something was stuck, and scratching at her head with her foot. She did the head flail after both eating and drinking, but not every time. I first noticed it this afternoon.

I gave her vitamins in their water. Checked her nares and mouth all seemed clear. Felt her neck and chest, everything seemed fine, I couldn't feel a lump like I would expect with an impacted crop.

I'm at a loss as to how I can help her, and I can't get to a vet before Monday.

She is six weeks old and eats chick starter cut with wheat and oats to lower the protein, I also add brewers yeast for the niacin. The girls get daily greens and pea treats and are outside foraging for bugs and little slugs in their enclosed run all day.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[mnferalkitty]

I wonder if she ate some kind of foliage that was toxic or had toxic chemicals on it?

 

[CalBells]

Well there has been no chemical use in our yard since we moved in, 5 years ago. She was in the run all morning, so the only plants were grass, an apricot tree and blackberry through the fence.

 

[Amiga]

She may have a bacterial infection. See if you can make her some gruel (water with some oats soaked in it) and try to get her to drink that. Poultry vitamins if you have it, or a few teaspoons of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in a half a cup of water. I would get her on oral antibiotics, preferably under the guidance of a vet.

 

[CalBells]

Update: this morning my husband said she was acting more normal, chasing peas, drinking water, and eating her crumble. However, she is now back to sitting. The others are doing their duck business and she is not with them. I brought out a bowl of greens and water, the other girls came running and she just sat. She hasn't moved in at least 45 min. I'm sitting out here with them and I noticed that she opens her mouth pretty much every time she takes a breth in. I can see light through her nares but could she still have something blocking her nostrils or throat? Like I said, I didn't feel anything last night, but I am no expert. I'm giving her vitamins in their water and I'm planning on taking her to the vet Monday if she's still acting like this, I'm hoping she will be OK waiting that long since she did eat and drink some this morning.

 

[Amiga]

It's a tough call. She may have a respiratory infection, worms or intestinal infection, among other things. What you are doing to help her out is important. If you can get apple cider vinegar and give her a few minutes with it, see if she will drink any, it may help a little.

 

[CalBells]

We lost her last night, sometime between 3 and 5am. Still dont know what was wrong. We were really hoping she would make it to this morning...so sad about our little Spark. She will be missed. She was only alive 6 weeks to the day, but her personality was strong, and we loved her. Rest in Peace Sparkle-Iris.

 

[Amiga]

Oh, no.

You may want to see if you can get a necropsy to be sure what it was.

 

[CalBells]

Thank you. We will.

 

[zekii]

See this thread, we've been having very similar deaths of young ducks in the northeast, they are fine one day, and then start acting lethargic, move away from the other ducklings, and then die all withing a 48 hour period. One person had their duck autopsyed and determined this my be a bacterial infection brought on by a protazoal infection.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/681457/help-ive-lost-2-ducklings-in-2-days/20#post_9244679

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