My less than a week old ducklings are dying and I can’t figure out why.

[Bebe032206]

I have successfully raised 8 ducks. I get them in sets of two so I have had some expirence. Three days ago I got two more ducklings and when I got them one of the duclings slept more than any I had before. I kept an eye on it but I didn’t think too much of it but it died the night after I got it. I was very upset and I know that ducklings don’t do good on their own so I made a quick trip and got 5 more ducklings. I was gone for no longer than an hour but when I got back I noticed the other ducking was sleeping a a lot (which it had not done previously) and it ended up dying almost exactly 24 hours after I noticed the tiredness. The ducklings I got the day the first one died all seem to be doing just fine but I am still worried this might be a disease. There was no other symptoms than excessive sleeping. I’ve googled all sorts of diseases and I can’t find anything. Im not doing anything different than I’ve done with all the other ducklings I’ve raised. I would appreciate any ideas. There heat lamp is the right temp and these duckings have the same bedding, feed, and waterer that all of the ducks I raised had and I never had a problem.

 

[Quatie]

One thing I see that could be a problem is the feed. I see what looks like seeds, cracked corn and oats. Are you providing grit for them as well? Without grit, they may become impacted.

 

[Quatie]

I am sorry to hear about your ducklings. It could be possible that was something in the atmosphere. Birds are far more sensitive to toxins in the air. For example, teflon pans overheated can release toxic chemicals into the air and kill birds. Especially at this time of year we are cooking more indoors and using fireplaces and such. What was your brooder set up? If the sides are high with no airflow, a an aerosol toxin is more likely to get trapped in the brooder with solid sides vs bars.

It could potentially also be overheating.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

There’s a pic of the setup and a picture showing where the vent is. The bigger ducks I just got today they are 2-3 weeks old and I felt bad because no one wanted them, the little ones were the ones I made the post about. I always give the older ones a small tote with water because when I have a regular waterer they go through it way too fast because they want to play in it. And I monitor the water temp too to make sure it isn’t too cold.View attachment 2912863 View attachment 2912862

I can see your problem. Those tubs are extremely small for those ducklings and have almost no ventilation. They also have no way of escaping the heat bulb if they're overheating. They need larger brooders, with room to move if they get hot and so they don't trample each other.

There's also a risk of Aspergillus with this type of set up, since it's likely staying very damp and wet inside these tubs.

Ideally you want something large like this:
https://images.app.goo.gl/5zxQmZcG3c5ej5tR9

I hope this helps and things improve for your ducklings.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I agree, they do need a bigger brooder. It doesn't look like they have anyway to get away from the heat if they needed to. You could make a large enough brooder one that all can fit.
I used a similar tub for 2 polish chicks and even as small as they are they outgrew that fast.
With that said, I don't think that's why your ducklings died. Other issues will definitely arise with that set up.
However, what type of shavings are you using? It looks like cedar to me. Although some use cedar, I wouldn't for young birds.
Also, the feeders and waterers aren't good for ducklings.

This is a sticky in the duck forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ducks-sticky-topics-index.256233/
Look in the caring and feeding of ducklings - there are examples of feeders and waterers. Many just take a plastic container with a lid and cut holes in it so that the duckling's head can fit, but not body.
@Miss Lydia has good examples.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since you have many more ducklings now, it's great your giving them a new good home. you're

going to need more than one water container and a very large brooder. Everyone has already replied on the need for a large brooder and how important it is for their health.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I only had 4 ducklings in this brooder and they out grew it very fast

so I made my downstairs bathroom into a large brooder it worked great.

 

[Tonyroo]

Could it be the time of year, we are heading into winter.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Where are you getting your ducklings from? Did you get the 5 from the same place as the first 2?

 

[Bebe032206]

I am sorry to hear about your ducklings. It could be possible that was something in the atmosphere. Birds are far more sensitive to toxins in the air. For example, teflon pans overheated can release toxic chemicals into the air and kill birds. Especially at this time of year we are cooking more indoors and using fireplaces and such. What was your brooder set up? If the sides are high with no airflow, a an aerosol toxin is more likely to get trapped in the brooder with solid sides vs bars.

It could potentially also be overheating.

They are actually in my room bedroom so the dog stays away from them, they are next to a vent but we haven’t cooked any more that any other time of the year and we don’t have a fireplace. I don’t think it’s the temperature i have a temperature gun thing and it usually sits around 85- 90. I’ll have to see about maybe making holes in the side of the tote or getting something completely different. Thank you.