Losing birds! Any advice?

[ChickenTender1988]

It might not but there is a thread on here about drakes mounting chickens, it should not happen.
I'm not being rude but drakes have a penis and cockerels don't, the drakes could kill a chicken hen if it takes place.
I'm not an expert just repeating what I read on here, someone will come in a give better details.

That makes sense, but from what I've seen these ducks make every effort to avoid the chickens haha. Definitely something ill watch for though. Thank you.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi.
How old are the drakes? They can and will mate the hens particularly if there are not enough female ducks to go around or they are young and their hormones are raging. Whilst there is a risk that the act of mating by a duck will kill a hen or pullet, there is more chance of them introducing an infection into her oviduct that will subsequently kill her. The weight of a duck could also cause injury and the stress of being harassed by them could leave them vulnerable to viruses like Marek's which was my first thought when I read the symptoms. It may also be coccidiosis from that hunched posture. What do the sick bird's droppings look like? She looks like she is on her last legs, poor girl.

 

[rebrascora]

It may be happening first thing on a morning in the coop if they are all housed together or later on an evening. I used to have ducks and drakes in my first flock before I knew any better and I have seen it happen. If you spend some time with them, you should witness it. With adolescents the dynamics of how they interact can change pretty quickly and get ugly fast.
I would definitely locate your state lab and enquire about necropsy costs. Poultry are often subsidized because they are part of the food chain, but the level of subsidy can vary enormously. You could also open the next bird that dies up yourself if a professional necropsy is not an option. If you do that, take lots of photos of organs in situ and then close ups of them removed, so that we can help you try to identify the problem. If it is Marek's you would be looking for tumours. They are the right age to be vulnerable to the disease. Distended intestines would suggest coccidiosis or a bacterial infection. It might be worth starting them on a round of Amprolium treatment. In the USA it is branded Corid but may be Amprol or Coxoid in Canada. You will find it in the cattle section of farm stores. If you have a choice get the liquid (comes in liquid or powder) and give 2-3 drops of the concentrated solution to any really sick birds and dilute 2 teaspns to a gallon into the drinking water of the others ensuring it is the only water source for 7 days..... not sure how safe it is for ducks though.... anyone else know? The diluted stuff has to be made fresh each day.

 

[ChickenTender1988]

Hi.
How old are the drakes? They can and will mate the hens particularly if there are not enough female ducks to go around or they are young and their hormones are raging. Whilst there is a risk that the act of mating by a duck will kill a hen or pullet, there is more chance of them introducing an infection into her oviduct that will subsequently kill her. The weight of a duck could also cause injury and the stress of being harassed by them could leave them vulnerable to viruses like Marek's which was my first thought when I read the symptoms. It may also be coccidiosis from that hunched posture. What do the sick bird's droppings look like? She looks like she is on her last legs, poor girl.

The drakes are about the same age. Hatched early june.
This is her poo from just now

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

That sounds to me like imbalance of electrolytes. Birds with the same symptoms, have recovered with a bit of watered down Gatorade.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It may also be coccidiosis from that hunched posture.

This was my thought as well. Coccidiosis and other parasites won't always result on abnormal droppings.

I would probably take that sample the vet or if I couldn't afford to, would definitely try the Corid/amprolium... And check the crop for feel at bedtime and before food or water is offered in the morning... if they aren't eating and drinking you will need to do a drench dose straight to the beak followed by treatment dose in water.

Dosing electrolytes is tricky to me... they can be deadly, though I doubt gator aid ever killed a bird. Infant pedialyte is another thing I see recommended and there are MANY recipes on the web that are made from things you already have in the cupboard.

I also think the drake could become a potential issue.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That sounds to me like imbalance of electrolytes. Birds with the same symptoms, have recovered with a bit of watered down Gatorade.

Imbalanced electrolytes are most likely to occur in a bird that has had diarrhea and been off water for a period of time. A normal eating and drinking bird... should NOT experience that. But any type of dehydration can indeed cause electrolyte imbalance.

It's important to find the ROOT cause of what's going on before just throwing treatments... as we can often cover up or mask what is really going on.

 

[ShellyBlanco]

I have notice in coccidiosis the feces smells totally abnormal, really rank like something dead.