Poorly cayuga

[DexMax]

Hi all,

Ive got 2 beautiful cayugas (about 3 1/2 years old now). They're brothers who we've had since about 3 months old so we've unfortunately not managed to tame them too much but they are such characters to have pottering in our garden we love them! Anyway, the older brother Dex has recently started to looked very unkempt and dishevelled, his feathers are no long sitting flat and smooth. I thought he had a bit of a growth appearing on his chest area, and wondered if he had an impacted crop since theyve been mowing our lawn for us and yesterday he was doing what can only be described as heaving/wretching to be sick, however this appears to be back to normal now. He is still eating and drinking for what I can tell, he's also still very active waddling around, cleaning and swimming in the pool. Im struggling to establish what is going on with him. The only problem we've had in the 3 years with them is recently that we both thought the other had cleaned out their hutch so it was left for 2 weeks and the result was a few maggots under the straw but none since. Anyone have an experience with cayugas that could help please? Id be really sad to see him go if we cant help him out.

Thanks
Liam

 

[GitaBooks]

Ducks with access to a little pool aren't likely to get mites or lice problems. Could he just be molting? Are they getting enough protein in their diet?


I do hope he stays healthy. Best of luck!

 

[Amiga]

Liam, I would get a fecal test done for internal parasites.

I would also start once a week poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics in their water. If he is retching, I am wondering about the possibility of gape worm.

Those are my initial thoughts. A good duck vet is always best, and not always possible.