I have a young KC/runner mix female who doesn't seem to be eating but is drinking a little. She actually looks tired, keeps isolating herself (she actually walked off to the corner while I was feeding the others greens!), and is just plain not acting ducky. She is in my bathtub of warm water now, we gave her peas, but she isn't eating peas or splashing around like she usually does. The other 3 in the flock seem just fine. We looked her over to see if she was hurt or something but she isn't missing any feathers or have any other signs of injury. We added vitamins to the water. Not sure what else to do. This is my sweetheart egglayer baby we're talking about here. PLEASE HELP! Thanks.
When was the last time she laid an egg? could she be egg bound if so then letting her sit in warm water is a really good idea, it will help her relax and possibly lay the egg. Of course I am just guessing but you need to search out all possibilities.
Thanks Miss Lydia. She hasn't laid an egg for about a month (they don't get very much sunlight this winter) so that did cross my mind. It's one reason I thought of the warm water. I was also wondering if the cold weather might be bothering her (although the others are fine). How long do you think she would need to be in the water? I already returned her to the coop with the others. I brought one of her friends in the tub with her since she looked so sad and lonely- that duck splashed away and ate all those peas. Chewy perked up a bit with her friend in there (started quacking to each other) but other than that... I didn't see any improvement in the tub so I figured no reason to keep her isolated and lonely. Their coop is in the garage over the winter so we'll peek in on her now and then and keep adding vitamins to the water. Other than that, I can't think what to do. I hope it is just one of those things that passes. I won't be able to take her to the vet, but we'll be brokenhearted if she doesn't come around. She's gotten so thin and it's very cold. It worries me. Thanks again. I know it's difficult to tell esp when it's someone elses duck, just hoping for as many options to try to make her better.
I don't know how long you had her in the water but maybe let her soak as much as you can. if it's an egg hopefully she'll pass it, but you say she is thin, could one of the other ducks be keeping her away from the food? have they started mating yet? also wondering if you have ever wormed them?
She was in the water a little over an hour. I don't think they could be keeping food from her. We have a large trough for their duck feed and we try to keep some food in there during winter months, plus they do free range (slim pikins this time of year I know) but they also get salad scraps and peas for treats. The feed store also recommended giving them a little corn bits for extra starch in the winter so we sprinkle some in the lawn once in a while. They were mating when the weather was warmer but I haven't seen much lately. No feathers picked out or signs of overmating. I have not wormed them. I didn't realize they need that. I have the Storey's guide and didn't see mention of doing so unless there was a problem. This didn't cross my mind as I thought all ducks would be affected? I will see about feeding her some DE and if we don't see improvement I will check out the feed store (we are currently snowed in!) Thanks again for your help
So, is she the only girl? If so, it's possible all the drakes have been mating with her and that can seriously affect a ducks health. It is also possible she has some sort of infection. If that's the case, oral antibiotics would be needed. Although it's not great for her to be isolated, she may need to be kept warm for a number of days at least, to free up some of her energy to recover. Have you been able to feel anything in her belly?
No, I have 2 drakes and 2 ducks (not a good ratio, I know but we don't have the heart to get rid of either of the boys but have no room for more girls). She doesn't show any signs of overmating and nothing abnormal in her belly, although she's thin enough now I think if she was eggbound it would be visually noticeable. puzzled.
She's still with us! But no signs of improvement. We are continuing the vitamin mix in the water but I don't know what else to try. It sounds funny but if I were to describe her behavior, I would call it depressed. Her feathers are dull looking and she is thin, but I think it's all due to that she isn't eating. We went out with greens last night again and she looked interested but stayed in the coop while the others flapped frantically to get the treats. It's so frustrating not knowing what happened to her. I understand cold weather can be stressful, but why are the other ducks thriving? All I can think of is that she ate something bad. My daughter says "Chewy" is acting a bit disoriented too. When my daughter rounded them up into the pen last night, the others went in fine but "Chewy" bumped into the wall before finding her way in. Eyesight maybe?..but maybe we're just looking for signs that aren't really there. As far as infection goes...When my cayuga had bumblefoot I noticed she also had a bit of a fever (hot beak) but Chewy's beak is rather cold actually. I hope something happens to turn things around. Not only will we be so sad if we lose her, but I hate the thought of her going through each day in pain (if that's what's causing her behavior) and I'm guessing this is the last of my eggs. Please send positive thoughts for our sweet Chewbacca. Here is a pic of how lovely she used to look. I will have to post pic of her now. She looks so sad.
I am so sorry Chewy isn't any better. it is so hard to figure what maybe going on, but have you thought about trying some type of antibiotic just in case it's some kind of infection? There are antibiotics that you can put into the water or give through needle. Maybe Tylan or Baytril,Baytril would have to gotten from a vet or ordered online. Tylan you can get at the feed store. She looks so pretty in the picture. Have you noticed them doing alot of mating? it might not have started over your way since ya'll have been having alot of snow and cold. Is she eating anything? is she drinking anything? there is electrolyes that you can get to add to her water to help with dehydration. I hope someone else comes along with something better to offer. I just wish i knew what it was...
