Newbie here with 6 day old cayugas dying!

[CayugaJana]

Hello everyone! I had 6 cayuga ducklings shipped to me from Metzers. They were born on Monday. I ordered 5 females and 1 male. They were stuck in transit on Wednesday so I went to the USPS warehouse around 12 pm and picked them up. They were all alive and jumping like crazy. That evening one acted like it was sleepy and not as active. It quit eating and drinking quite a bit. It was separated with another friend. They are fed gamebird grower pellets from Atwood's. Their water container is an old Tupperware container with little holes cut out of two edges.

The little girl died Friday afternoon. And then her friend I had separated her with started going downhill too. She wasn't eating and sleeping a lot. I tried making chicken soup and feeding it to her. I also put egg yolk in a syringe and made her eat some. I got up in the middle of the night to feed her some more egg yolk and she had died too. Is this normal or an I doing something wrong?

I did notice they were quite a bit smaller than the others.

 

[sannabelle]

I wouldn't give egg yolk...

electrolytes would be good. Are you giving them a source of niacin for their food? I don't know much about game bird food but my ducks all get chick starter+niacin. Have you examined them for pasty but?

I don't know how to tag but if someone could tag ravynstorm misslydia and rjohns39 please

 

[chickens really]

Try wetting the feed to a soupy mix...Its easier for them to eat....
@Miss Lydia

 

[CayugaJana]

Hi sannabelle!
I don't know what pasty butt is. I believe game bird starter/grower is for waterfowl and doesn't require extra niacin but I could be wrong. And no I am not giving niacin.

The four remaining look really healthy. But I'm like a nervous hen pacing over them lol.

 

[CayugaJana]

Try wetting the feed to a soupy mix...Its easier for them to eat....
@Miss Lydia

I did give them a soup mix. But it may have been too late. There is one that is a little smaller than all the rest now. So I keep putting her by the water and sprinkling the crumbles on top of the container so they get soggy. Then she will eat it. I have never had cayugas before and they seem a lot smaller than the others I have bought at Atwood's. But they are probably younger than the ones at the feed store too.

 

[sannabelle]

Sometimes little ones have poop stuck over the vent and can't poop properly- it would be easy to spot!

If the other four are looking healthy it could've just been a fluke sorry about your babies.

I have 5 cayugas and we love them!

 

[chickens really]

I did give them a soup mix. But it may have been too late. There is one that is a little smaller than all the rest now. So I keep putting her by the water and sprinkling the crumbles on top of the container so they get soggy. Then she will eat it. I have never had cayugas before and they seem a lot smaller than the others I have bought at Atwood's. But they are probably younger than the ones at the feed store too.

Peep and use your finger as a Bill around the food and water....Works for me....Sorry you lost two....They might of just been too weak or had something wrong to begin with?...Best wishes....

 

[CayugaJana]

Sometimes little ones have poop stuck over the vent and can't poop properly- it would be easy to spot!

If the other four are looking healthy it could've just been a fluke sorry about your babies.

I have 5 cayugas and we love them!

They have had runny poop. I know this because they have pooped all over me when I'm trying to feed them. So good to know it wasn't that. But still so sad they are so beautiful!

 

[CayugaJana]

Try wetting the feed to a soupy mix...Its easier for them to eat....
@Miss Lydia

I think if I ever get hatchlings again, I will do this to start with. I could tell when they first put the crumbles in their mouthes they didn't know what to do with it.

 

[chickens really]

I think if I ever get hatchlings again, I will do this to start with. I could tell when they first put the crumbles in their mouthes they didn't know what to do with it.

Yes, that is what I start all Ducklings on is wet soupy feed..They get hydrated and nourishment ...