Sick duck? Poop is different

[Isabelle Johnson]

I’m a little worried about one of my ducks. This morning I open the top of the chicken coop and one of the ducks came straight down and the other stayed in the top which isn’t common or uncommon. They don’t always come down right away. But I didn’t have anything this morning so I wanted to see if she wanted to come down. She was laying in some of the wood shaving in the top. When I open the little door in the top of the coop she came over to me and started quacking softly. She quacked quite a few times which is a little weird because I haven’t heard them quack that much because they are still kind of little. I decided to just watch her through out the day to see if anything else seemed off. I noticed she’s been pooping and not much comes out, it also sounds that there is air that comes when she poops. I’m not sure what the cause of this is or if it means anything. I don’t want her to be in pain or be struggling with something. If you have any advice on what is happening or what is causing this please please let me know.

 

[Callender Girl]

Everything little thing out of the ordinary worries me, so I understand your concern. Maybe @isaac o can offer some advice.

 

[Isaac 0]

Is this duck a layer? Oftentimes when you see a female suddenly acting lethargic, appears to be hiding away from everyone else, maybe straining to poop near her abdominal area, it's possible she's suffering from egg binding, where the egg in her reproductive tract is taking longer than normal, to expel. If the egg is in the oviduct, that can put pressure on the intestine, only allowing liquid to come out when she poops.

Most times the egg is of abnormal size, or it's soft-shelled, etc. In my experience, it resolves itself, but if she continues to act how she is, consider bringing her inside in a humidified/warm area, and administer a calcium supplement like Calcium gluconate. Dosing at 1ml, orally.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-calcium-gluconate-500-ml

There are other problems to consider, but this would be my first guess.

 

[416bigbore]

IMO, That Calcium Gluconate is some amazing stuff to have on hand for egg layer issues and it's not very expensive. I think our 16 oz bottle was something like $7.00 at TSC. Super cheap to have on hand in the poultry first aid kit in case of an emergency.

 

[Isabelle Johnson]

Is this duck a layer? Oftentimes when you see a female suddenly acting lethargic, appears to be hiding away from everyone else, maybe straining to poop near her abdominal area, it's possible she's suffering from egg binding, where the egg in her reproductive tract is taking longer than normal, to expel. If the egg is in the oviduct, that can put pressure on the intestine, only allowing liquid to come out when she poops.

View attachment 2426909

Most times the egg is of abnormal size, or it's soft-shelled, etc. In my experience, it resolves itself, but if she continues to act how she is, consider bringing her inside in a humidified/warm area, and administer a calcium supplement like Calcium gluconate. Dosing at 1ml, orally.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-calcium-gluconate-500-ml

There are other problems to consider, but this would be my first guess.

I’m not sure if she is a layer. She is a mallard ducks and has never laid eggs before. They are almost 4 months old.

 

[Isaac 0]

I’m not sure if she is a layer. She is a mallard ducks and has never laid eggs before. They are almost 4 months old.

Four months seems a little young for a mallard to be laying anyways, and if you're in the U.S it's unlikely she'd be laying this time of year.

If she's still acting lethargic tomorrow morning, It may be good if you post a video/ or pictures of the duck, and a few pictures of her feces. Performing a thorough physical exam may be helpful too.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exot...ltry/physical-examination-of-backyard-poultry

 

[Isabelle Johnson]

Four months seems a little young for a mallard to be laying anyways, and if you're in the U.S it's unlikely she'd be laying this time of year.

If she's still acting lethargic tomorrow morning, It may be good if you post a video/ or pictures of the duck, and a few pictures of her feces. Performing a thorough physical exam may be helpful too.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exot...ltry/physical-examination-of-backyard-poultry

Yeah, that’s why I wasn’t sure if she is a layer because they are still little. I will see how she is doing tomorrow.