Protecting ducks from wildfire smoke

[Miss Lydia]

Very good information. Not everyone sees their poultry as just live stock who can take care of themselves if needed I have read about how birds have a sensitive respiratory system and see my birds as pets so if at all possible I will do all I can to protect them from anything that may cause them harm. I know not every one feels this way and we do what we feel is best for what we have.

 

[BornToQuack]

Well, I've got some hopeful news:

1) Sunny and Starla (my raven friends) just paid me a visit and I've been seeing a lot of other ravens in the area. Still not seeing/hearing songbirds, but hopefully they're on their way back.

2) I called an avian & exotic animal vet that is thankfully just down the street from my house. The vet said she was surprised they hadn't received more calls/appointments due to the smoke and air advisory. Long story short, she said to monitor the ducks and make sure they have plenty of fresh water and food. If conditions get worse, we start getting ash, and/or any of the ducks show signs of distress, then they should be brought inside or to the vet. Since our ducks are young and healthy, they have a pretty good chance of riding this out until the advisory is over (right now that looks like it'll be Friday afternoon).

In any case, I've set up two pools of fresh water, two water stations, and plan on setting up misters to make the back yard a bit more humid (the vet said humidity is good and even suggested putting them in a shower or steamy bathroom if conditions deteriorate).

 

[casportpony]

Excellent! So glad you were able to get some feedback from the vet!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is awesome and very good advise. Sure hope they are right and by Friday this is all over with.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

We have wild waterfowl everywhere here, and almost every household heats with woodstoves in winter. Heavy smoke is hard on everyone, it isn’t all smoke.

 

[Sundevill11]

This is a great topic as many people don't think about it until a fire is near their home (if you live in a wooded or high fire danger area). Since moving out to the country with woods and distance between the homes and without a fire hydrant for at least 5 miles, it was necessary to have an immediate plan for the ducks if a fire got close. If the smoke is heavy we'll pull one of the vehicles out of the garage and set up the plastic octagon on a tarp with hay. Making certain that your garage's gaps and cracks are sealed so that smoke does not penetrate is a must. In addition, replacing the bottom seal of your garage door will help tremendously with keeping smoke out. We've also purchased multiple air purifiers and if need be, we'll put those out there with the ducks if they really need it.

If you don't have the ability to make your garage accessible then put them in your shower/tub and close the door or draw the curtain. In all honesty if you're having to do this it means you need to make sure they will be safe while you are scrambling to save your property or home.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

We don’t actually have a garage. It’s not bad enough around here for a go bag, but you do make a fair point, I’ll have to figure out something.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We live completely encircled by woods and our fire season starts in Oct I have containers full of necessary things in case we have to evacuate and I have been collecting dog kennels for a few years to have on the ready to evacuate all my birds and dogs this is my plan anyway to take everyone out with us.