One of my runners died.

[bastardknight]

Yesterday while free ranging one of my runner ducks got stuck in some blackberry bushes. We don't know how long she was there before my wife found her, but it would be some where between an hour and three. She was rescued from the bushed and put into their pen. She seemed a bit more skittish then normal and a bit tired, but when I checked on her before bedtime she was walking around in the duck house. Last night it dropped bellow freezing for the first time in over a week. This morning when I opened the door they didn't rush out like normal, but I figured it was because of the cold. My wife checked on them in the morning and she seemed to be staying the house but she was on the nest and seems alert and active. Around noon when I went out to check on them she had passed away.

We looked her over really well and couldn't see any signs of injury or sickness. The only thing I could see that was out of place was a tiny bit of blood in her nostril.


I'm hoping for some feedback from more experienced flock keepers to ensure the rest stay healthy and that we can avoid this sort of thing in the future. Thanks.

 

[Amiga]

The only way to be sure is to have a necropsy done. She could have somehow been injured, she could have had a stroke, could have had a long term infection, or other health problem.

 

[mikeru]

I had a pekin duck 4 yrs old she started breathing only by opening and closing her mouth Thanksgiving Thurs morning seemed a little better friday and found her dead sat morning,I am having a necropsy done as she had the best of care and don't understand what happened ? Could it be related to dampness in the pacific northwest ? Anyone ever experience this rapid spiral down. ?