Need sick duck advice please

[deedles]

Hi all,

I have a 7 week old Ancona duck that was acting hunched up and listless yesterday. Not keeping up with the rest of the flock and as soon as they'd stop she'd sit down and close her eyes. Not grazing with them nor did I see her eating or drinking. Feathers are nice and smooth. This came on all of a sudden after I threw them some chunks of cut up zucchini.

She's the 3rd duck of this batch to show these symptoms. One was a couple weeks old and mineral oil/electrolytes/hospital brooder for one night seemed to do the trick. The other died because we decided to watch her and see if she got better. So now this one.

We have: given her mineral oil last night and put her in a hospital cage with electrolyte water and her fermented feed. Also noted that she has a good appetite for thawed green peas and radish leaves. Her hospital buddy was pooping big normal poops but hers was very small and green with no white. And only a couple at that.

This morning she was laying down while her buddy paced the fence. I've brought her in the house, gave her another dropper full of mineral oil and put her in a 98 degree bathtub which she seems to enjoy and was doing some washing, etc. Pooped in there once, green-small, no white material.

I did throw some chopped up pineapple into the water which she gobbled up... hoping the enzymes help break up whatever is in there... if anything IS in there. Her behavior is better as far as not hunched up or acting sick but maybe it's because of the stress of being separate, in the people house, etc, etc.?

Can anyone offer any thoughts/experience/advice for what to do or not do? Since she's acting better would you put her back out with the rest and see what happens?

 

[Amiga]

I would keep her in another day - and switch to coconut oil, just a teaspoon or so - have they been outside enough to ingest plenty of sand and pebbles, or have you given them grit?

 

[deedles]

After her warm bath this morning I put her back into the hospital to watch if she pooped. She did and it looked normal according to what the others looks like, with white stuff and soft formed and a decent amount, not the little tiny pieces as before. As soon as she did that she drank a bunch of water and ate some food and looked all happy and lively so I let her back out with the others. They are outside all day and have grit available.

So anyway, same story right now. Sits down and falls asleep while the others are preening and grazing, etc. When they move she wakes up and goes with them and appears to be fine. Doesn't have the hunched appearance anymore when she walks, just the lethargy when she stops.

We are really at a loss as to what to do.

 

[Amiga]

A good duck vet is best, and that is not always possible.

I would give poultry vitamins once a week for a few weeks.

Is there a rank odor to her stool?

 

[deedles]

No bad odor that I can tell. She's doing everything the other ducks are doing just for not as long as they are doing it. And she is definitely smaller than the rest but I watched her eat tonight, she even got in front of the others to do so.

I'll get some vitamins, what do you mean once a week? Do you squirt it down their throats or something? Can you recommend one? And thank you so much for helping me.

 

[Amiga]

I use poultry vitamins Vitamins and Electrolytes Plus (probiotics). Feed stores sell them, and you just mix a little into their drinking water. I think for the VEP it's a quarter teaspoon powder per gallon of water. There is also Sav a Chick and Poultry Nutri Drench, but I like the VEP it has more vitamins in it than the other products.