Problem With Our Male?

[gpollard]

Hi all!

Brand new to the forum and already hoping someone could help shed some light on an issue.
Last weekend we bought 3 khaki campbell ducklings so they are about 1 week old already (they grow up so fast

).
The two females are growing big and fast, but the male seems to be a little smaller that the other two,
We noticed last night that when we were holding him, he has what I can only describe as a clicking noise coming from him, as well as catching him sneeze a fair few times.
He is eating and drinking and sleeping with the other two, and not sleeping directly under the bulb. Any idea what this could be? Or are me and my girlfriend just being paranoid parents?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

George

 

[Finny]

What are you feeding them? Any supplements? Do they have a waterer where they can dunk their whole head under?

 

[gpollard]

Yeah they are eating duck crumbs which is recommended upto 6-8 weeks. Yeah they have fresh water every 2 hours to dip their whole beaks but mainly they drink it. No supplements just growing food

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah they are eating duck crumbs which is recommended upto 6-8 weeks. Yeah they have fresh water every 2 hours to dip their whole beaks but mainly they drink it. No supplements just growing food

You need to keep water deep enough for them to dunk their heads into 24/7. Do you keep food down for them 24/7? if not you should, they need to be able to wash their faces as often as they need to and when eating it's constant. yes they make a big mess but that comes with the owner ship of ducklings, Have you had them in a warm water bath yet? you can put them into warm water in the tub if you can keep your bath room warm let them have water just up to their bodies so they can stand up and scoot around having fun cleaning out their nares/ eyes then pat them dry and put them directly back into the warm brooder. only leave them for about 5 mins first swim you can also put some Apple cider vinegar into their drinking water it has antibacterial proprietors and if something is going on may help get rid of it, ACV is also a good tonic helps with digestion too. 1tab to 1 gallon of fresh water. There are poultry vitamins you can get at most feed stores and TSC . they can be added to drinking water also if you want to go that route.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for- ducklings#post_10611711 this will give you a picture of a safe waterer for ducklings plus other useful info.

forgot to ask do you know temp in your brooder? very important to keep track of temp to make sure not to over heat or chill.

 

[minihorse927]

Drakes tend to grow slower than ducks but the clicking noise concerns me. Can he completely dip his head to wash and clean the nares in the waterer?

 

[gpollard]

Yeah they've all had the first swim in the bath. Didn't know what the issue was so didn't want to put him into the water just incase. I'll make sure there is a pot deep enough to dunk their heads.

The brooder is warm enough as they have plenty of room around it and don't sleep directly under the bulb, sometimes as far away as possible. Sometimes just off center of the heat.

 

[gpollard]

And yes they have 24 hour food and water. Over night we can't always replenish the one to dunk their head though

 

[BooBoo45]

When my third KC (Scramble) hatched she was half the size of her siblings, well over a day later and she needed a bit of assistance in the end to get out of the egg. I was really concerned for her for a while as she was just so tiny. The first to hatch I think is a drake (Pip), the second another hen (Pumpkin) and they were the same size. They are coming up to 3 weeks old now and Scramble is as big as Pip and on the point of overtaking him, Pumpkin has just shot up and is now the biggest.

I've not worried about that as they are all really happy and eating well. They are on duck crumbs but enjoy chopped up cooked cabbage as a treat, they stripped a lettuce bare this afternoon! The way they are shooting up I can see why they need to eat so much too and I try to given them a varied diet. They all make a range of very different sounds, I convinced myself Pumpkin was asthmatic or had an infection as she was making this sound:

But at all other times she talks differently, it's just she's stopped the normal chunter that the rest make when sleeping. It's dawned on me that as she is growing up her voice is starting to change and she sounds like a squeaky gate opening when it suits her.

I think being paranoid is pretty normal, Miss Lydia has given me some great advice on here and I can see she has done the same with for you too. My ACV arrived today and they had their first dose. I want the very best for them, I worry over them, but now I'm realising that actually what is more important is to just enjoy being with them. They know themselves what they want, if they are warm they move from under the electric hen, if they are cold they'll go under it.

We can all offer you advice but everyone lives in a different area or country, a different house, has a different set up, different weather right now, so really you can only follow the basic rules and you need to trust your instincts and learn to read your ducks. You might doubt you can do that, but actually the more you get to know them the more easier that becomes. They have different personalities, and they have quiet times and play times.

My ducklings have a cat litter tray in their pen at all times with just over an inch of water in, they happily jump in and out and play, as well as bathe. They also have drinking water too. In the past I've used a paint roller tray for a paddling as they could walk into that in their own time, but I always supervise that one and now we have a big plastic storage box that they swim in the kitchen, with a brick at each end so they can climb on if they want to get out of the water - again supervised.

Today we had a lovely day outside in the sunshine (with mummy trying to towel dry the ducklings off after they got out of the water and the ducklings thinking I'm mad! Don't I know they can do it themselves!?! They are big ducks now and can preen themselves, look mum, look! LOL) They ran around playing chase, they enjoyed their lettuce and then snuggled up for a nap. I'm trying very hard to stop being paranoid myself, it isn't easy as they mean so much to me that I get scared I'll do something wrong, but when that happens I ask myself if they are running round, drinking and eating well, appear happy and healthy and if the answer is yes - then I cuss myself.

Oooh, and I've had a duckling sneeze too - no snot or anything, but it can happen a few times in a row.

 

[minihorse927]

Just make sure they have a spot deep enough to dunk their head and then give ACV, it has to be unpasteurized ACV with the brown gunk floating in it or your wasting your time. I would just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get worse or develop any other symptoms.

 

[Miss Lydia]

When my third KC (Scramble) hatched she was half the size of her siblings, well over a day later and she needed a bit of assistance in the end to get out of the egg. I was really concerned for her for a while as she was just so tiny. The first to hatch I think is a drake (Pip), the second another hen (Pumpkin) and they were the same size. They are coming up to 3 weeks old now and Scramble is as big as Pip and on the point of overtaking him, Pumpkin has just shot up and is now the biggest.

I've not worried about that as they are all really happy and eating well. They are on duck crumbs but enjoy chopped up cooked cabbage as a treat, they stripped a lettuce bare this afternoon! The way they are shooting up I can see why they need to eat so much too and I try to given them a varied diet. They all make a range of very different sounds, I convinced myself Pumpkin was asthmatic or had an infection as she was making this sound:

But at all other times she talks differently, it's just she's stopped the normal chunter that the rest make when sleeping. It's dawned on me that as she is growing up her voice is starting to change and she sounds like a squeaky gate opening when it suits her.

I think being paranoid is pretty normal, Miss Lydia has given me some great advice on here and I can see she has done the same with for you too. My ACV arrived today and they had their first dose. I want the very best for them, I worry over them, but now I'm realising that actually what is more important is to just enjoy being with them. They know themselves what they want, if they are warm they move from under the electric hen, if they are cold they'll go under it.

We can all offer you advice but everyone lives in a different area or country, a different house, has a different set up, different weather right now, so really you can only follow the basic rules and you need to trust your instincts and learn to read your ducks. You might doubt you can do that, but actually the more you get to know them the more easier that becomes. They have different personalities, and they have quiet times and play times.

My ducklings have a cat litter tray in their pen at all times with just over an inch of water in, they happily jump in and out and play, as well as bathe. They also have drinking water too. In the past I've used a paint roller tray for a paddling as they could walk into that in their own time, but I always supervise that one and now we have a big plastic storage box that they swim in the kitchen, with a brick at each end so they can climb on if they want to get out. of the water - again supervisor.

Today we had a lovely day outside in the sunshine (with mummy trying to towel dry the ducklings off after they got out of the water and the ducklings thinking I'm mad! Don't I know they can do it themselves!?! They are big ducks now and can preen themselves, look mum, look! LOL) They ran around playing chase, they enjoyed their lettuce and then snuggled up for a nap. I'm trying very hard to stop being paranoid myself, it isn't easy as they mean so much to me that I get scared I'll do something wrong, but when that happens I ask myself if they are running round, drinking and eating well, appear happy and healthy and if the answer is yes - then I cuss myself.

Thanks for sharing them with us, they sure had fun.