Re: Duckie Help...Please read...

[alliekrpc]

I posted awhile back with some pics of my ducklings. There was something wrong with their legs.
You can find the original post here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4344619#p4344619
Well, today I'm posting because I am absolutely appauled at the outcome of this situation. Being that I have never come across this issue before, and although I got many replies with muchly appreciated help and advice, I decided to take these two little girlies to the Wild Bird Care Centre in my area. Let me tell you...I will never make such a mistake again in my life.
I took the duckies over on Monday morning, when I swore to myself I would take them if there was no improvement over the weekend. They took them in, gave me an ID number for both and sent me on my way. While I was there, I mentioned to them that if they were healthy enough to come home, I would love to have them back, and they put a note on the file that I wanted to "foster" these ducklings.
I called later that night to get an update. To my amazement it turns out that the Grower I was feeding was toxic. Yes folks, the FEED was TOXIC. It had caused some neurological issues and made their legs stop working. Anyhow, again, I was told that I would be contacted when they were ready for adoption.
The next day I called again, to see how they were doing. This is when I got the "volunteer from Hell" on the line. She began by telling me that these ducklings came in disgusting. First of all, I would like to mention, I take great care of my duckies. They get a huge area to run around in, unlimited food and water at all times, and a nice warm barn to sleep in at night away from any predators. They swim everyday and as a result, the kiddie pool in which they play is emptied and refilled on a daily basis. Anyhow, she continued by telling me that I SHOULD be bathing my ducklings TWICE per day, with Dawn dishsoap and warm water. All I could think was...uhhh, I don't remember the last time I saw a duck bathing with Dawn in the wild...I could be wrong though

Not to mention these two ducklings could not stand to clean their tail feathers. I would wash them in my Jacuzzi bathtub every day to make sure their feathers were clean. But they just get dirty as soon as they poop again. Also, after an hour and a half drive, they were sitting in a cat carrier and yes...here it is folks...can you believe it? They POOPED. So no...they were not gleaming white.
Next she told me that because these ducklings were CLEARLY neglected (let me just say that I have 8 perfectly healthy, full grown ducks and drakes, and 17 NEW perfectly healthy ducklings!) because they were fed bad feed. Now I might just be defending myself here, but when you buy feed from the store and see now visible signs that it might be bad, and when the feed store promotes this product like candy, do you not feel it should be safe for your animals? Needless to say, they are now not going to let me "foster" my babies back. It kills me to know that these people actually think that I would do this intentionally to my ducklings. I can't believe that someone would make accusations like this when my ducklings have a lovely paradise to play in. Aside from the kiddie pool, there is a pond where they can play...that's also constantly stocked with minnows and other little things for them to eat.
Anyone? Thoughts?

 

[Wifezilla]

Holy crap!

I would call and demand to talk to the director ASAP, not some stupid volunteer. You DO NOT wash a duck with dawn unless it has been caught in an oil spill. What a moron!

 

[alliekrpc]

Thank you Wifezilla,
I agree, no Dawn unless it's really a life or death situation...they know how to clean themselves just fine with water.
I am so upset that they would do this. I can honestly say...NEVER AGAIN.

 

[gretchenhau]

Get the top person in charge, get the ducks bacK

 

[Wifezilla]

I forgot to ask, what was the feed? Was it a problem with the mill or storage at the store? Any clue?

 

[goosedragon]

So many of these places are run by animal rights nuts that I would put a bird down before taking one to an unknown "care center". They may at the most have one real person who knows and actually cares about the animals but even s/he might be a complete nut. I once took a small hawk that got tangled in my netting that I had covered my duckling-gosling run with to protect them from the many hawks/owls in my area. I love Raptors and they are welcome on my place any time any where EXCEPT eating my waterfowl. I had donated $100/year to this Raptor Rescule outfit after meeting the Director at our county Fair. Anyway I was called all kinds of names when I brought in the hawk still entangled in the netting that I had cut away to get the bird to help fast.
After listening to enough abuse I looked the person in the eye handled her my donator card and said "I could have saved us all a lot of trouble by just putting the bird down, a sharp rap on the head or wring her neck and it would have been all over" and walked out. Sure enough the game warden came visiting the next day to investigate me for illegal bird trapping. I showed him my run and my young birds and even pointed out the two nest trees for red tailed hawks ( one just 50 feet from my coop ) to show that I was hawk friendly. He said I was well within the law and the matter was closed as far as he was concerned. After I had cooled off again I got the Director on the phone and gave her my side of the story. I said that I could forgive the upset person I had to deal with, but using my donator card to set the law on me had cost them all future support and I should be removed from all mailing lists and that it would be 20 below zero in NC before they would ever see any of my money again. Still love hawks but hate nuts.

 

[Wifezilla]

So many of these places are run by animal rights nuts that I would put a bird down before taking one to an unknown "care center". They may at the most have one real person who knows and actually cares about the animals but even s/he might be a complete nut.

Exactly. I remember reading your hawk story a while back. Combine that with the stories about people trying to adopt dogs being treated like garbage for actually giving a working breed a job like herding sheep or flock guardian...well...I would think not just twice but 10 times before contacting a rescue center.​

 

[Cetawin]

Oh I would get pictures of my place, my duckies and etc. Take them down and DEMAND to see the director. I would park my arse right there until I saw the Director. Then I would give that SOB a piece of my mind, wring the neck of the animal rights activist from Hell that does not know a butt from a hole in the ground and demand my ducklings be handed back to me immediately!

I would not stand for that nonsense. I would be all over the newspapers and TV & Radio stations in the area and tell everyone about their behavior, the situation and etc.

That chaps my backside....I took an injured hawk to a "Wildlife rehab" facility once after it flew into the mirror of my motorcycle. I took great risk stuffing a raptor in my jacket and driving it to this place. The vet there said he would call and let me know how the hawk was healing (wing had a fracture)...the SOB put the hawk down because they were not set up to care for Raptors that injured. WTH?

I am over those people....was long ago.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I would NOT let this go.

If it were me (and my aggressive personality), I would be up there talking to the director about this. You also need to take a look at the feed and see what's in there. Have you changed your feed, so that the other ducks and/or future ducks don't have the same problem? If it were me, I would invite the Director out to my home, so that he/she could see exactly how well I take care of my animals so that they would not ASSUME that I was a neglectful owner. I would also demand an apology from the volunteer. And last but not least, I would write a letter (i love writing letters) to the local paper telling my story. But that's just me.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Exactly. I remember reading your hawk story a while back. Combine that with the stories about people trying to adopt dogs being treated like garbage for actually giving a working breed a job like herding sheep or flock guardian...well...I would think not just twice but 10 times before contacting a rescue center.

One of the dogs that raided my flock one Christmas vacation when I wasn't home was turned over to the breed rescule group for that breed. I was very ticked about that until I learned that it was relocated about 60 miles away and was gainfully employed in chasing Canada geese off golf courses (for a fee for services) that was a win-win I'll never see the dog again and it is doing something it loves.
I'll be darned this board must have a built in censor, it replaced a word that I wasn't that confortable with and changed it to "ticked" isn't tech wonderful? Much better than only using it to amaze people on April Fools Day!