New layer? Egg bound/pain?

[KaleIAm]

She LOVES tomatoes. (So do we so she gets them A LOT)

I'm not sure whats going on. She's still acting quiet and lethargic. I still have her in my garage where it's quite dark though. No egg today... but she's a new layer (now I know she's actually laying) I'm not sure if her being in the dark is helping or hindering?

I was thinking about putting her back in the bath. When would I be able to give her another dose?Should I take her out and give her some light? Maybe on my porch, still away from the chaos of the flock?

I have so many questions! Thanks guys for all the help and advice. I feel terrible that I can't seem to help her.

Since she's lethargic can you take her to a vet? It can be painful and life threatening. No judgement of you can't.

My vet told me that being egg bound makes the muscles get enflamed because they are working so hard to push the egg out. It's possible anti inflammatory medication would help if she has another egg stuck.

Or she could have something else going on entirely.

I'm sorry I don't know what is best for her either. I made my egg bound duck take warm baths in my bath tub multiple times daily - but if that stresses your duck out then it might make things worse. I kept my duck on a normal light schedule, but provided a dark cubby space with dummy eggs for egg laying if she chose it. That might not be best for yours. I kept my duck with her flock as much as possible because she was super stressed without them. But your situation is different than mine, so do what you think is best.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Is that something I can pick up at the feed store or tractor supply?

unfortunately no. I had to get it online from https://allbirdproducts.com/collections/bird-medications

Also here is a good linkon giving ducks meds orally.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[DuckyDonna]

Baytril is something really good to have on hand anyway regardless if you use it for this situation or not. When you need it you need it. I keep it in the refrigerator and it comes with a 1ml syringe which is perfect for dosing them.

 

[KaleIAm]

unfortunately no. I had to get it online from https://allbirdproducts.com/collections/bird-medications

Also here is a good linkon giving ducks meds orally.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

Great guide about giving liquid meds to birds! And it really is easy after you get used to it. I've done it so many times, I just squat down and hold them in my knees so I have both hands and do it myself. I prefer the "tomato pill pocket" method because then I don't have to pick them up and damage our relationship. I'll do it if I need to, but if I can medicate them and have them think I'm giving them a treat I prefer that.

 

[JulieBeth07]

Thanks for all the help! Yes! When you need something you need it now.

I can take her to a vet if she needs to go... I was just trying to see if this was something she could work out with just a little help.

 

[KaleIAm]

How is your duck doing today?

 

[JulieBeth07]

Well... she's still fighting.

I'm not too sure what's going on with her. Wry neck maybe? Now there's something wrong with her left leg/foot. She wasn't eating.

Thursday she laid that evening. This is when my original post started.

Friday she was still cricked back and moseying(low to the ground and a super waddle, like she felt heavy) so I thought I'd put her back with the girls to see of that would make her perk up a bit. Well, I went out a couple of hours later and she was limping, and it looked like her feathers were messy, so I wasn't sure of she was being picked on (I doubted it but still) now I believe maybe she hurt herself getting in/out of the pool. I started giving her the calcium gluconate 1ml. I gave her a warm Epsom bath. She wasn't interested in eating. I did get her to eat some watermelon with some nutri drench.

Saturday she still wasn't good. I gave her the nutri drench, calcium gluconate, electrolytes in her water. Gave her warm baths.. Tried watermelon... mealworms...eggs... mash food..grits.. peas... she wasn't interested. That night she did eat a little food and watermelon and some sunflower seeds when I fed it to her.. She was still pooping and drinking while she was sitting in her bowl or bath.

Sunday I wracked my brain and searched everything. Don't know if its wry neck, Bumble foot, she ate something, got stung, egg bound/sore a sprain, strain? I continued the electrolytes, calcium gluconate, nutri drench, added b complex. Tried peas and she ate them! She also had some mealworms and a touch of food. I still had to feed it to her and she would only eat in the bath.

I've continued with the baths a couple of times a day, the nutri drench, calcium gluconate, and b complex. She's been eating when I feed her by hand. She has her water and food. She tends to sit in her bowl and soak. The last couple of days she's had a little more sparkle to her. I caught her preening herself today.. She's honking a bit and flapping her wings in the tub.. Not normal, but more. Today she was even "bobbing" for peas or mealworms in the tub.

Which leads me to a question... can they spend too much time in the water? She loves it in there and drinks and moves around. Its like she isn't bearing weight so she's more comfortable. I'd like to leave her in there as long as I can (water not cooling down of course) I also started putting her in the spare bathroom as its closer quarters for the humidity.

She's still drinking (I'm worried about her dehydrating), especially in the bath and still pooping..

I'm not sure what else to do for her except what I'm doing. Any advice would be great. We have decided we have quite a few animals, especially birds and always will. They are "my pets" but they are also livestock. So we'll do what we can for her here, and have to make the decision if she's not getting any better and in pain. We won't be taking her to a vet.

I'll attach some photos and try to upload her bath videos. Her left foot is the one that is bothering her.

 

[JulieBeth07]

 

[JulieBeth07]

Here are some of her feet

 

[KaleIAm]

I'm sorry she's still having problems. She sounds super sweet. I love it when my ducks head bob for treats.

Her feet look great to me. I don't see any bumbles. I'm on my phone, so the photos are small and I could be wrong. One thought I have is that maybe the limp is caused by an egg putting pressure on the obturator nerve. This happened to my duck who was often egg bound.

I don't think staying in water all day is bad for your duck. I have heard that it is bad for them to drink epsom salt bath water, though, as it can give them diarrhea. I ended up holding a cup of mealworm water for my duck to drink when she was in an epsom salt bath, and when I left her just giving her a tub of fresh water. I don't know how bad for them it is, but I didn't want to risk dehydration by diarrhea. I don't know if your duck is drinking her bath water but I thought I might mention it just in case!