Need help identifying problem with duck.

CTAMePlease

Hatching
7 Years
May 9, 2012
6
0
7
Hi Everyone,

I signed up because I need some help trying to figure out what may be wrong with my female duck Matilda. I own an animal rescue so I tend to be pretty savy about figuring out what is wrong with an animal but this truly has me stumped. I have done tons of research and have only seen one post that sounded like my problem but no one gave a good answer. We live in the city right now so there are not very many vets that deal in livestock. I will definitely take her if necessary, however with as much experience as I have under my belt I have learned that in many cases going to the vet is a waste of time, money and trauma to the animals since most problems can be resolved in house once they are identified. In an obvious emergency it's off to the vet of course.

Matilda's History:

I bought Matilda (by the way I have not been able to figure out what kind of duck she is, maybe someone can help with that as well, she grows a cute little feather above her left eye) off Craigslist, along with her companion Antonio a Peking (I was told they were both female). They had been given to the previous owner as ducklings and were kept in a metal cage which they were getting too big for, so he decided to get rid of them. I felt bad for their conditions and decided to rescue them as companions for my other Peking duck Salvadore. Eventually Matilda mated with Salvadore and Antonio ended up the odd one out, they have the obvious male rivalry however they get along decently enough and don't hurt each other. The picture shows them on the ride home in one of my cat crates. That was the end of June of last year. After a few months of living here Matilda started laying an egg a day, every single day.

How my ducks are kept:

They have a 8 x 25 foot run. It is a dirt run with some grass growing in parts. They have two kiddie pools which are cleaned and given new water twice a week. They have two water dishes and two food dishes which are washed and refilled daily. They have shade from a apricot tree and also an over head shade. They also get a fresh mud pit every few days. They are allowed to roam a large back yard a few times a week for foraging. They have a very large dog crate to go in if they choose, filled with straw on the bottom (that is where Matilda used to lay, she still makes a nest in it every day even if her squashed egg is out somewhere in the pen).

Matilda's Problem:

A couple of months ago Matilda started laying a soft shelled egg occasionally, then it progressed to every other day and then it started appearing all over the pen in the early evening. Now she has not layed a hard shelled egg in a couple of weeks and they appear in their pools, in the pen and at random times of day, still one a day though. I thought at first it might be nutritional, although she is fed a layers crumble with a high calcium content, I supplemented her with a plate of ground oyster shell which she seems to dabble in occasionally but does not show much interest in. It did not help.

Other Symptoms:

Dry crunchy feathers, shaggy appearance, loss of weight. Other than that nothing else that I can see, she bathes, runs, talks, eats, forages and mates normally.

What I have tried:

I added oyster shell to her diet, I changed their feeding dishes to ceramic because I was worried about some kind of metal poisoning from the galvanized ones. Cleaned their pen thoroughly, changed the hay in their house to make sure it is completely dry and not moldy, thoroughly cleaned their pools.

If anyone has had this experience and has found a solution or has any ideas you think would help I sure would like to hear from you.

Thank you.


 
I haven't done it myself, but you might consider worming her/them. A parasite load would be my next guess, considering the weight loss and feather condition. Sounds like something's absorbing her nutrition! You might google 'worming ducks' for dosages and products, unless someone here with more experience can make a suggestion.

And I just love quack photos ;)
 
I know aren't they cute! They were babies then, now Antonio is a huge gargantuan beast! Matilda is still much smaller than the Pekings. Anyway about the worming, I was thinking about that, I will take your suggestion and do some research on the topic. Thank you for your reply!


Ok so I have been doing some research and lo and behold ACV is a mild wormer for poultry! I could not believe it! As an animal rescuer I have found extensive usage for ACV and I just found another. I am going to put them on it and see if I see a difference, although I will continue to monitor and perhaps use Flubenvet if I can get it. I have the feed store looking into it.
 
Last edited:
What a sweetheart! You, for taking them in, and of course, the duck!

A few things could be going on. Parasites, perhaps, but also if Matilda has been laying regularly for a long time, my feeling is that her system is run down and she needs a good molt and a rest. Last summer and fall we had trouble with a few of my runners and soft shelled eggs, in spite of free choice oyster shell, laying ration, then neoglucan drops and calcium gluconate added to their feed. Very little improvement with the extra calcium supplements, and some shaggy feathers and lightweight but not emaciated ducks. Some of them molted late autumn, even during the winter. Egg production tapered off.

About the middle of December all the runners stopped laying. The two new ducks, Buffs, were laying, though. Romy had been laying for quite a while, not molting, and her buff feathers were mostly a bleached blonde.

Well.

During the two to three months that the runners stopped, I saw their body condition improving, especially the ones who had egg troubles before. They are all laying again, good, hard shells, shiny feathers, proper weight (4 to 5 pounds). Bright eyed, active, fine.

Looking back, I realized the runners had been laying 14 to 16 months straight. Gasp. Their systems were, I think, just tuckered out. It seems to me it is not just diet, it is whole-duck health and need for rest.

What I do not know is how to tell the duck, "stop. rest." Right now Shelly, a buff, has some trouble making shells, though with my latest effort, dissolving powdered oyster shell into their nighttime drinking water, about half the time the shells are fine. And Romy rarely lays a soft egg. She started molting a couple of weeks ago, then apparently decided not to after all.

These ducks do not read the books, I tell ya.

Does that help?

Something else Matilda may not be telling you is she needs a rest from drakes. I don't know if she and Antonio still have a tryst from time to time, but she may need a time of chastity to help restore her system.
 
Thank you Amiga. I was wondering if I should separate them for a while and I think you answered that. The only reason I had not is because she seems to get a bit stressed when separated from Antonio but that seems to be lessening since she does not feel 100% I think I will separate them tomorrow and see how that goes for a few days.

Thank you Countrygirl011! I will go look at pictures, it has stumped me for so long : )

She is definitely a Blue Sweedish! I am so excited to know, my family thinks I'm nuts...lol. But I tried for ever to figure it out. She needs to grow out her poof though, because she only has one feather and I don't want the other ducks to tease her...lol.
 
Last edited:
That is what I have done previously. I think it will work to give her a break at least for a few days : )
 
Hey Everyone,

Can anyone give me any info on worming such as medications, dosage and where to buy, Matilda's condidtion is the same. She is still laying one egg a night with no shell, still active and doing everything normally, only other problem is still her crunchy feathers. I took a close look at her and I don't see any mites but with all her squirming I can't be too sure. I would like to worm her but my research is just bringing me around in circles and time is passing and passing and I need someone experienced to lay it out for me. I appreciate the help!

PS I did segregate her from the boys for a few days and it made no difference at all.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom