Please Help! Duck Losing Balance Every Few Days.

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poonamkashib

poonamkashib

Chirping
Dec 26, 2018
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Bangalore, India
Hi all, I had posted here sometime back about my duck having respiratory issues. Luckily that was resolved but she seems to keep having problems that come up. About a month back, she had another infection for which a vet prescribed Terramycin and B Complex. About 5 days into the course, she started laying eggs for the first time in her life. She didn't have any issues with the first few. After the course of antibiotics, her infection was gone and she seemed healthy again. After laying her 6th egg, she seemed a bit off. She was walking weirdly and unable to move one leg properly (it looked stiff to me). After reading a lot about egg binding, I assumed it could have been that and put her in warm water and massaged her belly. Maybe that was the issue because the next morning she laid her 7th egg and was back to normal. Two days after that when I got home from work she was laying flat on the floor with her feet stretched back, panting heavily and with her tail up in the air. I immediately put her into warm water and gave her some Calcium and Niacin mixed in water. She couldn't walk for a few hours and was panting heavily, drinking water excessively and not quacking at all (which is very unusual for her because she's very talkative!). It took a few hours for her to get back up and she began walking again. The next morning she was back to her usual self. She seemed perfectly healthy for the next 3 days - eating, drinking, pooping, quacking normally. Today, something is wrong again. She has been sneezing a little and randomly started to lose balance and is struggling to walk again. Her tail is pointed down, she keeps closing her eyes, not quacking, breathing heavily and drinking a lot of water. She's been like this for the past 2 hours.

I have no idea what could be causing this. I don't know anything about ducks. She is the only duck I've ever taken care of. Could someone please, please, please tell me what's going on? I'm sorry if this has already been addressed somewhere else here. I'm just really scared because I lost my 2 1/2-month-old chicken day before yesterday and I can't lose her too.

Thank you in advance.

Poonam
 
Miss Lydia said:
I’d put some calcium into her water and if she can float let her float in warm water. Any idea what was wrong with your chicken? Very sorry for your loss.
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Do you think it's just a deficiency? I gave her some last night and this morning she seemed to be better. Still a bit wobbly and panting but much better. She also laid an egg this morning. She laid 7 in a row with a gap of 3 days and this was her 8th. Is that normal?

Thanks. It was really hard losing her. She was just so small. She was sick since the time I got her which was about 2 months ago. She was struggling to grow and didn't eat much. Finally, when they both caught that respiratory infection, she really fought but I guess since she was already so weak, she didn't make it. :'(
 
I am not a vet but egg laying problems come to mind . If you give her calcium and she get better than most likely that is it , takes a lot of calcium to lay an egg and the symptoms you described sounded like she needed to lay an egg. It’s very normal for them to lay everyday with time off once in a while to rest their bodies then they pick up again. What are you feeding her? Does she have access to oyster shell? Which is a calcium supplement. So sorry about your little chicken.
 
Miss Lydia said:
I am not a vet but egg laying problems come to mind . If you give her calcium and she get better than most likely that is it , takes a lot of calcium to lay an egg and the symptoms you described sounded like she needed to lay an egg. It’s very normal for them to lay everyday with time off once in a while to rest their bodies then they pick up again. What are you feeding her? Does she have access to oyster shell? Which is a calcium supplement. So sorry about your little chicken.
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Thanks. :) I hope it is just that. She doesn't seem to have any other symptoms as far as I can tell. Not sure what else I should be looking out for. Do you know how long they continue to lay eggs for? At one go, I mean. And for how long should I be giving her calcium supplements?

I can't find decent duck feed where I am so I make her food at home with some seeds, grains and veggies. A little fruit for dessert. I do feed her eggs too. I looked for oyster shell as well but couldn't find any so I've been crushing up regular egg shells and adding it into her food.
 
Egg shells can provide some calcium but not enough so just supplement the way your doing. If she is young and just started laying she’ll probably lay steady for at least two years with breaks in that time also. Once they hit two years they can begin to slow down but they won’t stop completely. I think every breed is different my Muscovys are going on 7-8 and they just began laying for this season my Runners and Buffs laid straight through for 18 months when they first started laying. They are going on 3 and this year took 3 months off before I got an egg this morning I got a Buff egg . Main thing is good nourishment and exercise to keep them in good shape for laying and not to let them get over weight.
 
Miss Lydia said:
Egg shells can provide some calcium but not enough so just supplement the way your doing. If she is young and just started laying she’ll probably lay steady for at least two years with breaks in that time also. Once they hit two years they can begin to slow down but they won’t stop completely. I think every breed is different my Muscovys are going on 7-8 and they just began laying for this season my Runners and Buffs laid straight through for 18 months when they first started laying. They are going on 3 and this year took 3 months off before I got an egg this morning I got a Buff egg . Main thing is good nourishment and exercise to keep them in good shape for laying and not to let them get over weight.
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@Miss Lydia what about those calcium citrate pills that I got at Walmart since she can't find oyster shells? I think you can buy oyster shells at amazon too but they cost a lot there. Do you have Tractor Supply where you live? It sure would be helpful if your location was on your profile.
 

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