- Jul 26, 2011
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Greetings, I'm new to ducks, but have been doing lots of research, which has included this forum quite often, so thank you! But I need to post about a duckling I just can't figure out. First a little background...we got five ducklings in March which were supposedly Buff Orpingtons (now I have my doubts but that's a post for another day.) They are all doing very well and are happy and healthy (except a snapping turtle scare.) In the middle of June we added five more ducklings, a mixed bunch, the farmer said of campbell, cayuga, buff and muscovy. Still unsure as to which ratios of what. We slowly introduced the newbies to the older ducks and aside from a few nips and jabs they seemed to be getting along fine, though one of the males (Summer) seemed to single out the darkest one, we're calling him Blackie for now. The last week or so Summer has been really going after Blackie, and the last few days all of the older ducks are chasing him around, penning him to the ground, biting and holding his head/back of neck, and pulling out feathers (he's got bald spots under his wings) until I arrive and have to pull him away. Poor Blackie started to kind of hide out under things and wouldn't take part in eating or drinking or wandering, and always lagged behind the group when going into the barn at night. I realize a certain amount of "pecking-order stuff" has to happen, but I began to be afraid for him when the attacks continued all day, I felt I needed to be responsible for his overall happiness and safety, so I brought him inside the house full time the day before yesterday.
So now he won't eat, maybe two or three mouthfuls a day. He drinks and drinks and drinks incessantly. His poop is basically water with some bright green bits. He does a little preening but always just his chest, rarely his wings/back. He doesn't seem interested in swimming about when in the tub, he just sits on his perch a drinks. I put his best buddy in the tub with him last night and the buddy splashed around and took a normal duck bath. Blackie watched him for a while, the started bobbing his head kinda sideways into the water, not straight down into the water like the other ducks do. When he sits or sleeps he never tucks his bill under his wing, he just kind of tilts his head to the side. I've been reading about a lot of different symptoms/illnesses and was worried about botulism, but he really isn't showing weakness exactly, just extreme lethargy. He has no eye or nostril discharge. I started giving him an electrolyte/vitamin mix in his water yesterday but I'm really worried about his not eating/lack of poop.
Could a duck have post-traumatic stress disorder or something from bullying? Could he have a neck injury? Will epsom salts hurt him if it's not botulism? Any other advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
So now he won't eat, maybe two or three mouthfuls a day. He drinks and drinks and drinks incessantly. His poop is basically water with some bright green bits. He does a little preening but always just his chest, rarely his wings/back. He doesn't seem interested in swimming about when in the tub, he just sits on his perch a drinks. I put his best buddy in the tub with him last night and the buddy splashed around and took a normal duck bath. Blackie watched him for a while, the started bobbing his head kinda sideways into the water, not straight down into the water like the other ducks do. When he sits or sleeps he never tucks his bill under his wing, he just kind of tilts his head to the side. I've been reading about a lot of different symptoms/illnesses and was worried about botulism, but he really isn't showing weakness exactly, just extreme lethargy. He has no eye or nostril discharge. I started giving him an electrolyte/vitamin mix in his water yesterday but I'm really worried about his not eating/lack of poop.
Could a duck have post-traumatic stress disorder or something from bullying? Could he have a neck injury? Will epsom salts hurt him if it's not botulism? Any other advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
