Not sure what’s going on

[Maryam.]

I'm sure it is quite beautiful and nothing like the crap they show us on Fox News. Our news here is so politically motivated and biased. I wish for a world where we can all get along. Its strange that the president lifted it but then you say they were more strict. At any rate I really hope you find a decent diet for your duck. Is he feeling any better?

News here is biased as well, that’s why nobody trusts them.
Thank you so much
She looks better but she still limps and some of her poops are still greenish!
She is going through a heavy molt after a long time and her egg laying hasn’t stopped yet and it’s really messing with her; she’s become depressed and find dark places and takes naps most of the day. I’m giving her extra protein and calcium. I’m not sure what I’ve gotta do..

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

News here is biased as well, that’s why nobody trusts them.
Thank you so much
She looks better but she still limps and some of her poops are still greenish!
She is going through a heavy molt after a long time and her egg laying hasn’t stopped yet and it’s really messing with her; she’s become depressed and find dark places and takes naps most of the day. I’m giving her extra protein and calcium. I’m not sure what I’ve gotta do..

Sometimes it can take a couple of weeks for the antibiotics to leave their system. Just keep pushing the extra protein. She could be upset just because of the other duck.

 

[KaleIAm]

News here is biased as well, that’s why nobody trusts them.
Thank you so much
She looks better but she still limps and some of her poops are still greenish!
She is going through a heavy molt after a long time and her egg laying hasn’t stopped yet and it’s really messing with her; she’s become depressed and find dark places and takes naps most of the day. I’m giving her extra protein and calcium. I’m not sure what I’ve gotta do..

Since she is an inside duck is she getting too many hours of artificial light? I take my ducks to an avian vet who knows a lot about ducks. My duck was having, "too much reproductive activity." And the vet told me it was like being pregnant all the time for years. My duck was really tired and would take naps every 15 minutes. We put her on a strict daylight schedule of 10 hours a day. The light turns off and on at exactly the same time everyday. We also have to be quite during dark time so we don't wake her up. The vet also said not to pet her down her back or under the tail as that stimulates egg production. I'm happy to report that my 6.5 year old duck has more energy now than ever before!!

I'm just throwing this out there, but maybe she's not depressed so much as fatigued from reproductive activity?

 

[Maryam.]

Sometimes it can take a couple of weeks for the antibiotics to leave their system. Just keep pushing the extra protein. She could be upset just because of the other duck.

That’s a possibility, the antibiotics could still be in her body somehow.
I will! Since I can’t find a high protein duck feed I have to give her mealworms, eggs.. instead.

 

[Maryam.]

Since she is an inside duck is she getting too many hours of artificial light? I take my ducks to an avian vet who knows a lot about ducks. My duck was having, "too much reproductive activity." And the vet told me it was like being pregnant all the time for years. My duck was really tired and would take naps every 15 minutes. We put her on a strict daylight schedule of 10 hours a day. The light turns off and on at exactly the same time everyday. We also have to be quite during dark time so we don't wake her up. The vet also said not to pet her down her back or under the tail as that stimulates egg production. I'm happy to report that my 6.5 year old duck has more energy now than ever before!!

I'm just throwing this out there, but maybe she's not depressed so much as fatigued from reproductive activity?

The most important and energy draining issue is her reproductive issue that’s why I wanted Suprelorin so bad!
And the vets told me to put her in a dark room and let her have a good night sleep. I’ve been trying so hard but summer days here are too long and it was kinda impossible. Plus she’s so attached to me she wouldn’t stop quacking when I left her alone in a room.
Thanks for mentioning it! This is probably one of the things I didn’t consider. I will make sure of that from now on.
Has you duck’s reproductive activity decreased? Did you do anything else beside turning off the light and not petting her?

 

[KaleIAm]

The most important and energy draining issue is her reproductive issue that’s why I wanted Suprelorin so bad!
And the vets told me to put her in a dark room and let her have a good night sleep. I’ve been trying so hard but summer days here are too long and it was kinda impossible. Plus she’s so attached to me she wouldn’t stop quacking when I left her alone in a room.
Thanks for mentioning it! This is probably one of the things I didn’t consider. I will make sure of that from now on.
Has you duck’s reproductive activity decreased? Did you do anything else beside turning off the light and not petting her?

Oh! My vet calls it Deslorelin, so I didn't recognize the product! I looked it up and it is the same thing. I've had two birds in the past on that medication before. These reproductive issues are just crazy.

My duck is Thimbleberry, also a pekin. Thimbleberry's vets advised us to follow 4 environmental changes.

1) Dietary - Thimble eats mostly scratch and some Mazuri waterfowl maintenance. When she was younger and having reproductive issues she had strictly only scratch. Now that she is older (6.5) they think she needs the extra nutrition. She also forages a little. The theory is that if there is a food shortage it is not a good time to have babies.

2) Lighting - Thimble has a very strict 10 hour daylight schedule. Every single day. We have a timer on the light in their barn room. We NEVER put them to bed late. We put tar paper over every single tiny crack between the boards that lets light in. The theory is that if it is days are short and it is winter it is not a good time to have babies.

Thimbleberry has two "sisters" and I put them to bed with her. I figured they can take one for team Thimble and go to bed early so that Thimble isn't stressed out and by herself. They are used to it and I don't think they mind.

3) Hurricane protocol - Daily we destroy all nests built and get rid of eggs (from the other ducks). We allow no dark cozy cubby places for building nests. Frequently, at least once a week, we move all their stuff around. We put their food bowls in entirely different places - like the complete opposite side of the aviary. We put their food storage bins in completely different places. The theory is that if a hurricane just came through it is not a good time to have babies. Yes, the vet told me to do this!

4) Petting - Don't stroke her down her neck, back or tickle her under her tail. That can stimulate egg production. I do touch her feet, bill, and stroke her chest.

It isn't easy, but we have been doing this for a year and Thimbleberry has never felt better in her entire life. Her vets recommend doing this for her indefinitely as Thimble has had ongoing various reproductive issues for at least 5 years now.

Last summer she was storing dozens of egg follicles in her abdomen in different stages of development, from very small to quite large - but she wasn't actually laying any of them. In addition to that she was very tired. When we went for a walk she could only forage for a couple minutes before taking a nap. After implementing the environmental changes I could see her becoming more alert and having more energy within a week!! There was a remarkable difference in 2 weeks. In 4 weeks at her check up the doctor could see significantly fewer follicles when they performed an ultrasound. In the following months I saw continued improvements in her energy levels. Despite the fact that she is now 6.5 years old I have never seen her so energetic!

We did this a couple years ago as well, but then only for about 5 months. It seemed to just turn her reproductive system right off. She was laying then, but the eggs were getting stuck in her and she was having funky prolapse issues with weird masses, too. She had to have surgery to save her life - they sent us home from the hospital with instructions to start environmental changes and we had no more reproductive issues, until the next spring when the environment was back to normal.

I definitely recommend discussing this with your veterinarian before starting these changes. But it has worked so well for me and Thimbleberry. We really thought she was going to die. The vets told me that it doesn't always work, but that sometimes it does. That if it didn't work we would try hormone injections and implants, and if that didn't work we would try to spay her. But... of course spaying doesn't always work and has complications.

I'm not sure if any of these recommendations can help you. Thimble was already thin, and they wanted me to restrict her food even more. I did because she was going to die anyway if I didn't. Thimble doesn't mind going to bed early because she has her sisters. If she was quacking in distress for hours I'm sure the stress would pose a real threat to her health and not be worth it. At that point you've got only the hurricane protocol and not petting her down her back. My feeling is that those are the less influential of the 4 recommendations.

But Thimble has had no reproductive issues for a year now. I'm taking her for a check up in 3 weeks. I feel that she has lost more weight and am going to ask if they want me to continue restricting her food. She clearly feels great, she even flies a little to greet me. She used to be so tired she could barely walk. I'm concerned that she is too thin, but I don't want to let her eat more and have her die from reproductive problems.

Its so frustrating and overwhelming. Sorry I wrote you a book.

 

[Maryam.]

Oh! My vet calls it Deslorelin, so I didn't recognize the product! I looked it up and it is the same thing. I've had two birds in the past on that medication before. These reproductive issues are just crazy.

My duck is Thimbleberry, also a pekin. Thimbleberry's vets advised us to follow 4 environmental changes.

1) Dietary - Thimble eats mostly scratch and some Mazuri waterfowl maintenance. When she was younger and having reproductive issues she had strictly only scratch. Now that she is older (6.5) they think she needs the extra nutrition. She also forages a little. The theory is that if there is a food shortage it is not a good time to have babies.

2) Lighting - Thimble has a very strict 10 hour daylight schedule. Every single day. We have a timer on the light in their barn room. We NEVER put them to bed late. We put tar paper over every single tiny crack between the boards that lets light in. The theory is that if it is days are short and it is winter it is not a good time to have babies.

Thimbleberry has two "sisters" and I put them to bed with her. I figured they can take one for team Thimble and go to bed early so that Thimble isn't stressed out and by herself. They are used to it and I don't think they mind.

3) Hurricane protocol - Daily we destroy all nests built and get rid of eggs (from the other ducks). We allow no dark cozy cubby places for building nests. Frequently, at least once a week, we move all their stuff around. We put their food bowls in entirely different places - like the complete opposite side of the aviary. We put their food storage bins in completely different places. The theory is that if a hurricane just came through it is not a good time to have babies. Yes, the vet told me to do this!

4) Petting - Don't stroke her down her neck, back or tickle her under her tail. That can stimulate egg production. I do touch her feet, bill, and stroke her chest.

It isn't easy, but we have been doing this for a year and Thimbleberry has never felt better in her entire life. Her vets recommend doing this for her indefinitely as Thimble has had ongoing various reproductive issues for at least 5 years now.

Last summer she was storing dozens of egg follicles in her abdomen in different stages of development, from very small to quite large - but she wasn't actually laying any of them. In addition to that she was very tired. When we went for a walk she could only forage for a couple minutes before taking a nap. After implementing the environmental changes I could see her becoming more alert and having more energy within a week!! There was a remarkable difference in 2 weeks. In 4 weeks at her check up the doctor could see significantly fewer follicles when they performed an ultrasound. In the following months I saw continued improvements in her energy levels. Despite the fact that she is now 6.5 years old I have never seen her so energetic!

We did this a couple years ago as well, but then only for about 5 months. It seemed to just turn her reproductive system right off. She was laying then, but the eggs were getting stuck in her and she was having funky prolapse issues with weird masses, too. She had to have surgery to save her life - they sent us home from the hospital with instructions to start environmental changes and we had no more reproductive issues, until the next spring when the environment was back to normal.

I definitely recommend discussing this with your veterinarian before starting these changes. But it has worked so well for me and Thimbleberry. We really thought she was going to die. The vets told me that it doesn't always work, but that sometimes it does. That if it didn't work we would try hormone injections and implants, and if that didn't work we would try to spay her. But... of course spaying doesn't always work and has complications.

I'm not sure if any of these recommendations can help you. Thimble was already thin, and they wanted me to restrict her food even more. I did because she was going to die anyway if I didn't. Thimble doesn't mind going to bed early because she has her sisters. If she was quacking in distress for hours I'm sure the stress would pose a real threat to her health and not be worth it. At that point you've got only the hurricane protocol and not petting her down her back. My feeling is that those are the less influential of the 4 recommendations.

But Thimble has had no reproductive issues for a year now. I'm taking her for a check up in 3 weeks. I feel that she has lost more weight and am going to ask if they want me to continue restricting her food. She clearly feels great, she even flies a little to greet me. She used to be so tired she could barely walk. I'm concerned that she is too thin, but I don't want to let her eat more and have her die from reproductive problems.

Its so frustrating and overwhelming. Sorry I wrote you a book.

Wow! That was so similar to Cookie’s case except for the prolapse part. Now I think maybe all these fatigue might be because of the reproductive issues. Weird! None of the vets I took her the last few months mentioned this!
Cookie suddenly started laying soft shells last summer. I took her to vet, she didn’t mention a thing about calcium! Just 5days antibiotics injection. Cookie stopped laying for a while then she started laying malformed eggs until now! At first she would lay every day, then her oviduct’s activity decreased and became once or twice a week in the last fall and winter.
Finally In March a vet mentioned calcium syrup and I’ve been giving her since then.
In April I felt something in her abdomen close to her cloaca, took her to vet immediately and there was so many follicles in different size. She was on a strong antibiotics and some other medications right away and laid them all.
After that the calcium was doubled by vet’s prescription, after a few weeks she started laying every other day and it was painful since the malformed egg size was also doubled. It was due to the calcium she was taking.. I stopped giving her as much as I used to.
In September I took her to take an Xray for the limping and it was those follicles again.. We don’t have Suprelorin( Deslorelin) in Iran, and ordering it is nearly impossible. There is another hormone available but it has too many side effects and dangerous ones. I mean the laying is much less dangerous comparing to that.
It was really helpful!! I will do as your vet recommended for Cookie. Our vets are not that helpful.
I really hope the laying stops somehow, at least for a few months so her body can have a rest.
Thank you so much! I am so grateful! I didn’t think I could help Cookie with less invasive alternative to hormone..
I hope Thimble have a happy long life and everything goes well ❤

 

[Maryam.]

I have another question
Is this much blood in duck’s poop every once in a while dangerous?
I saw blood in her poop again. I really have no idea what could it be. The vets have no answer as well.
What is intestinal shed? Why does it happen? And how does it look?

 

[KaleIAm]

I have another question
Is this much blood in duck’s poop every once in a while dangerous?
I saw blood in her poop again. I really have no idea what could it be. The vets have no answer as well.
What is intestinal shed? Why does it happen? And how does it look?

View attachment 2350316

I don't think I ever see blood like that in my ducks' poop. And I definitely think it is blood, because of how it acts on the towel. But, with rare exceptions, my ducks live outside and are pooping in the grass or on straw bedding. If they did occasionally have very small amounts of blood in their poop I don't think I would notice.

I'll try to research this a little more and see what I can find.

 

[Maryam.]

I don't think I ever see blood like that in my ducks' poop. And I definitely think it is blood, because of how it acts on the towel. But, with rare exceptions, my ducks live outside and are pooping in the grass or on straw bedding. If they did occasionally have very small amounts of blood in their poop I don't think I would notice.

I'll try to research this a little more and see what I can find.

Thank you very much ❤
That’s how I make sure of it, by checking it with tissue.
I know the tomatoes/watermelon poop , this is different.
I see this once in a week or two weeks and always in a very small amount and just once. The next poops are clear.
Parasites were negative in every fecal test, I don’t know what this could be
I don’t know if this is really abnormal or I’m overreacting