*~*Runner Duck Club*~*

[Miss Lydia]

Pretty girls

 

[Kendrasueh]

Very sorry you ducklings didn't make it, sometimes first time mamas just aren't sure what to do with lil ones. They seem to do better their 2nd time round.

As for your girls not laying could be a few things, time of year, less daylight being one, a few of my Runners have been having thin shells on their eggs to where when I pick them up if not careful they break, Mine are fed layer with broiler mixed in since I have drakes and roosters and ganders in the mix.

Your feed sounds like they are fed a good diet. Do you also put out oyster shell for extra calcium?
Another thing could they need worming? at almost 2 yrs old if they haven't ever been wormed this would be a good time of year to do it.
@casportpony can help you with worming. That maybe another reason for weight loss.

Around 2 yr of age they will drop off on egg production too. So combination of things maybe going on here. I have 4 female Runners at 1.5 yr of age and their first year they laid like there was no tomorrow about 2 months ago they went into molt and since then I may get 2-3 eggs a day now and that has just been lately.

Thanks Miss Lydia, Yes they've always had free choice oyster shells but Ive rarely seen them in them. Ive noticed these changes since mid June and its only getting worse so Ill look into worming.

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rmer-misinformations-graphic-pictures.933643/

 

[Amiga]

Im really worried about my girls and need help!! I have four almost 2 yr old runner ducks. They are completely free range one our 11 are farm and share a 1/2 acre pond with catfish, and bass. I do call them into a small coop at night and lock them in. When they started laying, they all layed beautiful perfect eggs almost daily and we were being overrun with eggs. then 2 of them decided they wanted to be mamas on the same nest in the coop ( notice I didnt mention anything about having a drake). I didnt have the heart to tell them about the birds and bees so I sent away for fertile eggs. They seemed to share the nest fairly well but eventually eggs started disappearing until we were down to 2, which hatched. One hen was aggressively mama and the other one sat back and observed. Mama never showed any signs of agression to the babies but also never tried to mother them either. I dont know why but neither baby made it :-( . Anyway shortly after that their egg production sharted dropping , and every once in a while I would find an egg with a "paper" shell. Now Im down to one egg a day if Im lucky and I might see a paper egg floating in the pond or broken somewhere once in a while. I have also noticed even though they all seem to eat well, and have high energy, three of them have lost weight. They used to be on Purina flock raiser, scratch, wormies and peas until they started worrying me (about a month ago) and I read something somewhere that made me switch them to a diet of wheat, fed under water, water fowl feed and I still give them their wormies and peas. Any Ideas what is happening to them?? Please Help!

I would get their stool tested for parasites. Most vets can do that even if they are not duck vets.

Broodies can lose alot of weight. You can give them some dry cat kibble as treats in addition to regular feed. Mine like peas. I supplement with calcium citrate. I buy tablets and dissolve them in water and add that to their feed. If someone lays thin shelled eggs I give 200 mg a day till the eggs look good again for several days, then 80 to 100 mg for a while after that.

Poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics once a week is a good idea.

 

[Tlmcq]

Hi guy! One of my girls just looks terrible. She is eating and drinking well, acting perfectly fine. Problem is her feathers just look dull and scraggly. The rest of the ducks are smooth and shiny as they should be. She is however an egg laying machine. Lays everyday and rarely skips a day. Even now that it's coming into winter her laying hasn't slowed, yet even with the big decrease in daylight hours. She won't be a year old til February. Could this be a fall down molt? They are all fed same thing an 18% layer and free ranged 8 to 10 hours everyday. Locked up at night and let out to run all day. They get very few treats which usually consist of sunflower seeds or nuts and occasionally peas. They all forage very well. Here are a few pics. Any ideas what's going on with her?

She's the one in back middle if you couldn't tell from feathers.

 

[Amiga]

Some of my Runners were like this the first year, and my KC Rouen mix girl is now like this. I think they tend to hold on to their feathers while they lay. Then they stop laying, molt, rest, and start again. My Runners laid for I think sixteen months before they took a break, their first year. The older they get the longer their rest periods.


Giving good quality food, perhaps some higher protein snacks, and vitamins once a week or two may be a good idea.

 

[Tlmcq]

Some of my Runners were like this the first year, and my KC Rouen mix girl is now like this. I think they tend to hold on to their feathers while they lay. Then they stop laying, molt, rest, and start again. My Runners laid for I think sixteen months before they took a break, their first year. The older they get the longer their rest periods.


Giving good quality food, perhaps some higher protein snacks, and vitamins once a week or two may be a good idea.

Thanks for responding. I did start adding a bit of ground flax to there food to up their protein a bit. I usually do this for all my birds before winter hits since good forage supply decreases. The ducks usually aren't as interested in treats as my chickens and guinea are. They would rather go to Creek and dabble or forage, but they will occasionally get in on the fun with the others. Everyone except her and my Pekin have stopped laying now. So, I was wondering when her lil body was going to get a break...lol. She has always been the daintiest of the bunch so I worry if she shows any sign something is not quite right as she doesn't have as much extra weight available to lose if she were to get an illness.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I have 2 runners 1 is 5 the other is under a year my oldest got attacked by a fox when she was 2 so she cant fly had a drake but he was aggressive to my goose had his replacement duckling my broody serama hatched but something killed them and my serama roo so now its just two im not getting more runners might switch to pekins as the eggs are bigger

 

[Amiga]

You are right to pay attention. Sometimes I will have a secret rendezvous with a duck to give some extra treats to help through a stressful time.

@Tlmcq

 

[Duck Hill]

I've posted on the emergency thread, but... Help! Duck has a hard time breathing...


Her bill is swollen. The swellings are hard. One side (shown) is more swollen than the other. The sides of her head go in and out because she finds it hard to draw breath through her "nose".

If I force her mouth open, she breathes without any problems, since only her "nose" is partially blocked.

There is no discharge of any kind. She is quite healthy otherwise.

Any ideas as to what is wrong and what needs to be done to help her?