Please help us with our little call duck!!

[crsch1888]

ok, so we have a 1wk old call duck, did have 2, I don't know what happened to the other one, it was fine, then next morning not & we lost him well now we have the one, the guy that gave them to us only had the two, so I can't go get another one. The issue we're having is the baby sounds kinda raspy like when he quakes, if that makes sense. He's not being as vocal as he was and it's getting consurning, I don't want to loose him too! He has been eating, some anyway, I've been making him a mash, tried scrambled eggs, didn't eat much of that. I have water in there for him but he doesn't dip his head in to clean his nostrils, I'm wondering if that's what the sound is coming from. Even when I made him a warm bath to play, he wouldn't dunk his head, did swim around for a few minutes. I also have him on a heating pad, he's snuggled up on it right now. I did put a little chick in with him today as well. I would appreciate any advice, something else I can try, anything. Thank you

 

[Pyxis]

Sorry you lost one. What symptoms did it have before it passed? What are you feeding them?

How old is he? The raspiness may be due to his voice changing as he ages, and him being so subdued may be because he is alone now. I would get a friend for him ASAP, any breed you can find a duckling of that is a similar age as him.

 

[junebuggena]

What does your setup look like? A picture is worth a thousand words and can help narrow down possible issues.

 

[crsch1888]

There didn't seem to be any symptoms with the other one that I noticed anyway & we have the box in our living room. He's right at a week old & have been feeding game bird crumble that I have for my turkey poults, but I grind it up & wet it. Now we have him in a little basket with a heating pad for him to stay warm & with a towel draped over to give him privacy & then also a little stuffed toy. The little chick I put in there is snuggled up with it.

 

[crsch1888]

I need to change his towel out again, I'm to afraid to use the pine bedding, it's really small & I don't want him trying to eat it.

 

[junebuggena]

So he didn't have a heat source before? And now he can't escape the heat source if needed?

 

[crsch1888]

Where he is laying at is dry, it's a little wet around where his food & water is.

 

[Pyxis]

So did they have a heat source previously? He is likely slow and lethargic and not eating a lot because he is too cold. They do need to be able to get to somewhere that's at least 85 degrees to warm up at that age, and he also needs to be able to get away from the heat, so if the heating pad is covering his whole setup, you need to change that. Go pick up a heat lamp and bulb and set up an area underneath it that he can get to that's 85 to 90 degrees. Or change the heating pad setup so that it's like a cave that he can go into to get warm.

Turkey starter probably has too much protein, and too little niacin. Switch to a flock raiser feed, a specific duckling feed, or regular chick starter if those aren't available. If you use a chick starter, you will need add niacin to it. Brewer's yeast works well for that.

 

[crsch1888]

No he's always had heat, and the heating pad is only at the back part, its draped over the basket in the back so he's only got part of it to lay on. I know, like with chicks, he's got to have heat & also be able to move away from it if he wants. I'm worried that he's not dipping his beak to clean, even when I let him play in water, he doesn't do it, all other ducks I've ever had they have always dipped their beak to clear out their nostrils. So I'm wondering if that will cause him to get clogged up?

 

[junebuggena]

Is that water dish deep enough for him to flush his beak? I found that a milk carton or plastic coffee can with a duckling sized hole cut into it at chest level worked really well to minimize mess and give them deep enough water. A desk lamp with a 100 watt bulb might be a more efficient heat source for him. I love using heating pads for brooding, but using it on the bottom of the brooder isn't a great idea with a duckling. They get water everywhere. And you have to be sure it's not one with an auto-shutoff. If your heating pad doesn't automatically turn off, I suggest draping it over a piece of wire fencing so that it's off the wet floor and they can snuggle under it just like they would if raised by a hen.