Pekin Ducks - 2 have died and one is working on it.

[ebearden2000]

I have ducks that limp or walk funny, stop eating and slowly die. Any ideas? I feed them deer corn because that is what I was told to do. They are loose on my pond and are free to roam the yard and stay around the pond. In the pond, I have tons of frogs and a few snakes. Lilly pads around the edges. Any ideas?

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I never fed my Pekins whole corn before.. So I can't share any results there. I fed mine conventional grains.
I hope the ill one pulls thru.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

How is the water-quality in the pond and are there any bad smelling mud-areas at the edge? It sounds like a case of avian-botulism.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am more familiar with chickens, but I would suspecet a vitamin defiency. Ducks need extra niacin for leg health. They also need a balanced feed with all of the nutrients, vitmains and minerals—not just corn. Corn has little protein, about 7%, where an all flock poultry feed has 20%, and gamebird feeds have even more. @Miss Lydia is very good with ducks as are others here. I would start some human vitamin B complex, and give 1/2 tablet daily, crushed into food, and switch to all flock or flock raiser feed. But Miss Lydia may have other suggestions.

Botulism from eating a toxin in dead fish or animals that have been underwater is very common in ducks. But it kills very quickly, usually within a day. Symptoms include paralysis of feet, then legs, and it moves upward to wings, neck, and breathing muscles causing death. Affected birds may be limp with a limp neck. Sorry for your loss.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Free roaming ducks with a pond rarely suffer from a vitamin deficiency. But i am not so sure about the whole corn. I fed mine a bit cracked corn here 'n there, i'm not sure if ducks can digest whole corn. @WVduckchick ?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Whole corn ( deer corn) is not a wholesome diet for ducks. They need a feed formulated for poultry. All flock like Nutrena or Purina Flock Raiser are 2 that would fit this. Plus sounds like they are suffering from a niacin deficiency. Please take excessive advise and get them on a B complex ASAP. If it’s botulism activated charcoal can be given it can be found in the antacid aisle at most pharmacies.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some info on botulism:
https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/233569/botulism-in-chickens-ducks-and-others.pdf

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Whole corn ( deer corn) is not a wholesome diet for ducks. They need a feed formulated for poultry. All flock like Nutrena or Purina Flock Raiser are 2 that would fit this. Plus sounds like they are suffering from a niacin deficiency. Please take excessive advise and get them on a B complex ASAP. If it’s botulism activated charcoal can be given it can be found in the antacid aisle at most pharmacies.

Can ducks even digest whole corn kernels? Once dried, the corn kernels are rock-hard and it takes either boiling water or days of soaking to soften them. My thought is that maybe they ate too much corn-kernels and those started to swell in their intestines and blocked everything. - Just a thought, i don't know. In ancient times it was a gruesome method to kill a person by stuffing her/him with dried beans and then let those swell up and destroying the digestive tract, especially the stomach.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Here is some info on botulism:
https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/233569/botulism-in-chickens-ducks-and-others.pdf

Thank you very much for that link! I had it last year and lost it when my laptop caught fire.