My Sick Drake

ShowMeTheDucks

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jul 22, 2013
23
0
24
I have a sick Cayuga Drake who is only 7 months old. I went out to feed the ducks 10 altogether and he wouldn't eat or drink and couldn't walk. I brought him inside and gave him electrolytes, water, fresh corn, and feed. He didn't eat feed for 2 days and only ate some of the corn. He hasn't been drinking much water and is somewhat aggressive. He has no visible wounds on his feet or body although he is skinny.
He is now (2 days later) able to stand but won't quack or do anything else.
Is he recovering and how can I help him get better and gain weight?
 
Last edited:
Lots of possibilities....could be an internal infection, something poisonous eaten while free ranging (mushroom, bad plant, etc), hardware disease, genetic disorder. VERY hard to say.

A vet visit would be your best course of action, since there are so many possibilities.

His being 'somewhat aggressive' is likely to be the result of discomfort.

In any case, the electrolytes are a good idea. You can try making a mash of his feed with some warm water, he may be more receptive to that.

What type of feed are you giving him?

You could also try adding any treat he is prone to liking (peas/finely chopped greens/etc) just to get something in him.

I would definitely also recommended giving him something like Poultry Nutri Drench or Save-A-Chick, full strength (per directions) with a dropper directly into his bill as soon as possible to get some immediate vitamins, minerals and nutrients into him.

I've also read that Pedialyte is also an option for ducks needing some nutrient help. You can try that full strength, or added to some of his feed. (Don't leave moistened feed out too long, it can go bad pretty quickly - and moldy food can quickly kill a duck)

You could try giving some activated charcoal (would help with any poisons / hardware / etc), but that's just trying to band-aid symptoms while guessing the source of the problem.

Sorry I couldn't be more help :(

Perhaps @Amiga or @Miss Lydia could offer an opinion?

Good luck, and keep us updated!

Dan
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom