Seizure!!!

Sarahloveslulu

Chirping
May 20, 2020
74
53
91
My ducks were acting normal.Like every other day.They went in there pool.Ate drank Played.But then one of my females falls on her back and starts to shake.She started to honk and shaking as she moves her head side to side.Is this a seizure or another disease?Is she in pan? And is there a cure?
 
Hi there, welcome to BackYard Chickens! :frow

Seizures can be caused by any disease condition that causes a sudden electrical discharge to the brain, symptoms will vary with each bird, but some may experience lack of appetite afterwards, disorientation, paralysis of the anterior neck muscles, partial seizures, etc. How is she doing now, is she moving around well, this can help determine the underlying cause of the seizures.

The most common cause of seizures in adult ducks seems to be toxicosis ( Most commonly lead), bacterial/ viral, neurological damage, or a vitamin deficiency specifically in thiamine (B1) or vitamin E.

We'll need some more information about the bird and her past history to help narrow down a possible cause. What are they being fed, have you dealt with any problems in your flock in the past, if so explain, do you have an open or closed flock, is there any chance she may have been in contact with anything toxic, a few common sources of toxicity may be, toxic plants, fishing weights, staples, nails/screws zinc coated, hardware cloth pieces, moldy feed, or bedding, decaying plant matter, or dead animal carcasses, has she experienced any neurological damage in the past?

Could you post a picture/video of her, and her feces? Is she eating/drinking?

She should be placed in a dog kennel located inside the house, in a warm, quiet, stressful free environment, with birds experiencing seizures, it's often recommended that the cage be padded to prevent further damage when experiencing one, if the duck seems restless and depressed the feed and water containers should be shallow enough to prevent drowning or aspiration. Is she blinking ok, if not her eyes will need to be lubricated. Ducks experiencing seizures often become hyperthermic so watch for any signs of overheating.

Seizures in birds is serious, if you have the ability, she should be taken to a vet as soon as possible. They'll be able to offer advanced supportive care, use certain drugs to reduce the frequency of the seizures initially, and use diagnostic testing to help narrow the underlying cause.
 
Toxicosis Sources,

*
Gasses like carbon monoxide, smoke from tobacco products, and fumes from new carpets and furniture, air fresheners, scented candles, paints, glues, household cleaning products, mothballs, hair spray, and nail polish can all be harmful when they are in close proximity to birds. *

*Lead poisoning has historically been the most common metal poisoning in caged birds but, due to increased knowledge of the human health problems caused by lead, its use in the home has significantly decreased.
Sources: Lead-based paint, foil from some champagne and wine bottles, curtain weights, bells with lead clappers, imported bird toys, stained glass.**


*Zinc poisoning is the most common metal poisoning in caged birds and occurs following ingestion of zinc-containing items. Sources: Galvanized products such as wire cages, mesh, staples, nails, and toys. (Galvanization is the process of coating a metal with an alloy containing more than 98% zinc which is done to protect against rusting.) Additional sources include fertilizers, some paints, zinc pyrithione shampoos, zinc oxide, and pennies minted after 1982*

This link contains some good info,

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/seizures.html
 
Hi there, welcome to BackYard Chickens! :frow

Seizures can be caused by any disease condition that causes a sudden electrical discharge to the brain, symptoms will vary with each bird, but some may experience lack of appetite afterwards, disorientation, paralysis of the anterior neck muscles, partial seizures, etc. How is she doing now, is she moving around well, this can help determine the underlying cause of the seizures.

The most common cause of seizures in adult ducks seems to be toxicosis ( Most commonly lead), bacterial/ viral, neurological damage, or a vitamin deficiency specifically in thiamine (B1) or vitamin E.

We'll need some more information about the bird and her past history to help narrow down a possible cause. What are they being fed, have you dealt with any problems in your flock in the past, if so explain, do you have an open or closed flock, is there any chance she may have been in contact with anything toxic, a few common sources of toxicity may be, toxic plants, fishing weights, staples, nails/screws zinc coated, hardware cloth pieces, moldy feed, or bedding, decaying plant matter, or dead animal carcasses, has she experienced any neurological damage in the past?

Could you post a picture/video of her, and her feces? Is she eating/drinking?

She should be placed in a dog kennel located inside the house, in a warm, quiet, stressful free environment, with birds experiencing seizures, it's often recommended that the cage be padded to prevent further damage when experiencing one, if the duck seems restless and depressed the feed and water containers should be shallow enough to prevent drowning or aspiration. Is she blinking ok, if not her eyes will need to be lubricated. Ducks experiencing seizures often become hyperthermic so watch for any signs of overheating.

Seizures in birds is serious, if you have the ability, she should be taken to a vet as soon as possible. They'll be able to offer advanced supportive care, use certain drugs to reduce the frequency of the seizures initially, and use diagnostic testing to help narrow the underlying cause.
After the seizure she acts as if it didn't even happen.She eats and drinks and acts normal.We have never had ducks before so she and her 3 siblings are the first.We have a little stream its about 4 feet wide and two feet deep in some spots to 3 inches wide and 4 inch deep in others.Before the stream was there,there was a rail road.We still find big metal screws and beams.She loves to swim in a deep spot, in the stream.We live in the front of a forest.I hope that helps
 
I have one more question,I heard that male ducks don't honk as much as the female's.I can say that's true.But my male duck squeaks instead of honks.Almost like a loud wheeze. He is a quiet bird.Is there something wrong with him.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom