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?
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
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?