- Mar 22, 2012
- 83
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I came home from work the other day and did the usual looking to the back fence and counting ducks. I counted 5 and got worried b/c I had seen a hawk that morning watching my rabbits. I walked around the usual spots but found no Duckie. I noticed Moe was being a bit sluggish as well, which as you all know is NOT normal behavior.
After a few min. I found Duckie. She was sitting in their old overturned pool that the dogs played in and made very mis-shappened. Poor Duckie was a bit stuck and wobbling like she had drank a bit too much.
I picked her up and noticed she was VERY hot, especially on her belly and she was wet even with only about an inch of water around her. I took her out of the sun and put her in their new pool for a few min. before adding newer fresh water (I didn't want to cool her down too quickly). After about 10 min. (probably less as time didn't really mean much at the moment) I took her inside and put her in the bathtub. I filled the water where she wouldn't be standing anymore and spent 4 hours force feeding her clemintines and water mixed with Pedialite. I checked on her at least every 3 min. when I was cooking, eating supper, etc. I also went to the store and bought a bag of crickets. I couldn't get her to eat them so I fed most of them to the ducks outside and brought the other sluggish girl inside where she gladly gobbled up the 15 or so in the tub. When Duckie looked much better I took her outside and put her in their old pen with the rabbit where I tried again to feed her some fruits. I had run out of feed the day before and had supplemented fruits/veggies and overturned several things in the yard where they quickly ate the bugs running/crawling away.
I checked on Duckie at least every hour until about 2 AM. When I got up the next morning she was her old self again, as was Moe. They had a new bag of feed that night and have been great ever since.
I'm sharing this because I didn't expect it to happen. The ducks are free range, fed at least once if not up to 3 times daily, always have access to fresh water, and have LOTS of shaded areas all around the yard. I don't know why Duckie was in the pool in the sun with so little water when only 15 or so feet away was a pool in the shade with water from that morning in it. I almost lost her and I could have prevented it. That pool has been moved and is propped up against the back of the fence where they will ignore it. Their pool has been moved to an even shadier location. I believe this feed may be better than what they had before as well because they are eating less but staying satisfied much longer. They had a generic layer/finisher feed before and this is the Purina Layer Feed pellets.
After a few min. I found Duckie. She was sitting in their old overturned pool that the dogs played in and made very mis-shappened. Poor Duckie was a bit stuck and wobbling like she had drank a bit too much.
I picked her up and noticed she was VERY hot, especially on her belly and she was wet even with only about an inch of water around her. I took her out of the sun and put her in their new pool for a few min. before adding newer fresh water (I didn't want to cool her down too quickly). After about 10 min. (probably less as time didn't really mean much at the moment) I took her inside and put her in the bathtub. I filled the water where she wouldn't be standing anymore and spent 4 hours force feeding her clemintines and water mixed with Pedialite. I checked on her at least every 3 min. when I was cooking, eating supper, etc. I also went to the store and bought a bag of crickets. I couldn't get her to eat them so I fed most of them to the ducks outside and brought the other sluggish girl inside where she gladly gobbled up the 15 or so in the tub. When Duckie looked much better I took her outside and put her in their old pen with the rabbit where I tried again to feed her some fruits. I had run out of feed the day before and had supplemented fruits/veggies and overturned several things in the yard where they quickly ate the bugs running/crawling away.
I checked on Duckie at least every hour until about 2 AM. When I got up the next morning she was her old self again, as was Moe. They had a new bag of feed that night and have been great ever since.
I'm sharing this because I didn't expect it to happen. The ducks are free range, fed at least once if not up to 3 times daily, always have access to fresh water, and have LOTS of shaded areas all around the yard. I don't know why Duckie was in the pool in the sun with so little water when only 15 or so feet away was a pool in the shade with water from that morning in it. I almost lost her and I could have prevented it. That pool has been moved and is propped up against the back of the fence where they will ignore it. Their pool has been moved to an even shadier location. I believe this feed may be better than what they had before as well because they are eating less but staying satisfied much longer. They had a generic layer/finisher feed before and this is the Purina Layer Feed pellets.
