Sick duckling please help!

[GeeGi]

My duckling is a day shy of being 1 week. I noticed last night it wasn't as hyper as the others but jumped and moved when I put my hand in to pick it up. Today it isn't moving much and not eating, it did drink some water but didn't make the normal slopping. It keeps lying down and wanting to sleep on one of the others. It is staying under heat lamp and the feet feel cooler than normal, the others are warmer. I keep making it get up to move. Should I just let it sleep or keep it moving with the others? Is there anything I can give it to make it feel better?

 

[Amiga]

GeeGi,

The little one may need a vet. I would give vitamins, electrolytes and probiotics in drinking water right away, and if you can get to a vet, do so. Coukd be an infection, digestive trouble, injury....

What is the feed? The temperature? Who handles them? Bedding?

 

[GeeGi]

GeeGi,

The little one may need a vet. I would give vitamins, electrolytes and probiotics in drinking water right away, and if you can get to a vet, do so. Coukd be an infection, digestive trouble, injury....

What is the feed? The temperature? Who handles them? Bedding?

I ran and picked up stuff for little one and he/she was running around like normal when I got in but I went ahead and gave the special water to the little thing. I took them outside in the afternoon since it was hot and he/she was eating grass and dirt and drinking on his/her own. They all curled up together last night as usual and fell asleep. I woke up this morning and the poor thing didn't make it, I definitely wasn't expecting this since everything seemed fine when I went to bed. They are in pine shavings with a heat lamp at one end so if they get cold/hot they can move. I give them crumbles like I give the chicks (it's not medicated) and it's mainly me that handles them since they're so young but the boys hold them a little. I change their bedding daily, I think they like their pine shavings wet but I try to keep it dry and constantly clean out poo. Their water is changed several times a day since they like spitting the food in there. I did notice the others were growing faster, this one has always moved slower and was much calmer. He/she was a crested, are they more delicate? Should I be worried about the other little one that's a crested? It is acting fine, runs faster than the others and eats/drinks a lot. I've never had ducks and started with chickens less than a year ago, I love birds more than I would've ever imagined and wish I would have done this years ago!

 

[Tria821]

I don't normally give my ducklings anything but gruel for the first 3 weeks. (mix feed with water to get soupy consistency for younger ducklings and slowly thicken it up to thick oatmeal consistency as they age, at 2+ weeks I'll leave a bowl of crumbles available for them to try out) and I always have water available. If I see them getting listless I will sometimes add simply syrup (sugar solution) to their water for a quick boost but I rarely have to do that once they hit a few days of age. Finely chopped scrambled eggs shouldn't be an issue for them if they can handle crumbles.

Is there the possibility that they got into the water (as ducks are apt to do) got themselves soaked and then caught a chill? Temperature regulation in ducklings is the biggest issues I've had with my hatchlings. But no matter what, go back to that feed store and tell them. If the ducklings were healthy I wouldn't expect a chill to do them in so easily or quickly.

 

[Tria821]

Crested ducks are much less hardy than other ducks and it does sound like that one had a temperature regulation issue. One thing you might want to try when they are young is to avoid wood chips and use old towels or bed pads for the first 10 days. Just like human babies they will put everything into their mouths and that will eventually cause an issue. If you don't have towels or pads shred newspaper into thick strips. Don't just put down paper the way you would for a dog as it may cause them to slide and mess up their legs. When they are babies the bedding needs to be kept dry to help them stay warm. Without a mother to oil them up, water will wick right to their skin and leave them shivering. This is a constant issue as ducks are very, very messy.

 

[GeeGi]

Crested ducks are much less hardy than other ducks and it does sound like that one had a temperature regulation issue.  One thing you might want to try when they are young is to avoid wood chips and use old towels or bed pads for the first 10 days.  Just like human babies they will put everything into their mouths and that will eventually cause an issue.  If you don't have towels or pads shred newspaper into thick strips.  Don't just put down paper the way you would for a dog as it may cause them to slide and mess up their legs.   When they are babies the bedding needs to be kept dry to help them stay warm.  Without a mother to oil them up, water will wick right to their skin and leave them shivering.  This is a constant issue as ducks are very, very messy. 

Oh dang! I'm glad you told me this, they have them on shavings in the store so I thought it was what they needed. I kept dumping out their wet food to the chickens and was trying to keep everything fresh, I guess I won'throw it out anymore. I feel horrible, this is probably my fault, I took the bird bath down so they could swim in it, I had no idea they couldn't be wet, I let them play in it off and on for last few days because the weather has been so warm. I did dry them off but they were still damp when I put them down, it was so warm they were dry pretty quick. I have seen videos of little ones swimming with mothers and thought it was okay. They should tell you this when you buy little ones, the only thing I was told was not to buy medicated food. I will definitely be telling people what I'm learning if I see them buying any ducklings. The others are doing fine but will not be going outside today since it's a good 20 degrees cooler and no more swimming for awhile either. Thank you so much for the information, I'm heading downstairs to dump their shavings under the chicks and steal some doggie blankets for them!

 

[Amiga]

I ran and picked up stuff for little one and he/she was running around like normal when I got in but I went ahead and gave the special water to the little thing. I took them outside in the afternoon since it was hot and he/she was eating grass and dirt and drinking on his/her own. They all curled up together last night as usual and fell asleep. I woke up this morning and the poor thing didn't make it, I definitely wasn't expecting this since everything seemed fine when I went to bed. They are in pine shavings with a heat lamp at one end so if they get cold/hot they can move. I give them crumbles like I give the chicks (it's not medicated) and it's mainly me that handles them since they're so young but the boys hold them a little. I change their bedding daily, I think they like their pine shavings wet but I try to keep it dry and constantly clean out poo. Their water is changed several times a day since they like spitting the food in there. I did notice the others were growing faster, this one has always moved slower and was much calmer. He/she was a crested, are they more delicate? Should I be worried about the other little one that's a crested? It is acting fine, runs faster than the others and eats/drinks a lot. I've never had ducks and started with chickens less than a year ago, I love birds more than I would've ever imagined and wish I would have done this years ago!

Ducks have touched my heart, too.

Cresteds can have their own difficulties, often neurological. And sometimes ducklings have congenital problems that do not show up right away, but as they develop, these problems can prove fatal. Crested ducks can do just fine. So many duck folks have them. Tevye's Dad is someone to check in with. I would definitely give B Complex in their water (based on 150 mg B3 per gallon) or add a tablespoon of brewer's yeast (not baking yeast) to each cup of food.

Ducklings can get wet, they just need to be kept at brooder temperature. And make sure they dry off after bath (no soap). So at one week, the water needs to be 85 to 90F, same as the brooder.

Here are some links to help you with water management. That was the thing I had the most trouble with - and it was minor trouble. Never any odor problems - I used towels for bedding. I washed towels many times each week. The garden went crazy, as I dumped the towel rinse water, and shook the manure off the towels, into the garden.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

post number 8 from this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#post_14939819

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/969751/help-baby-ducklings#post_15125952


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...for-water-for-ducks-and-chicks-in-the-brooder

 

[GeeGi]

Ducks have touched my heart, too.

Cresteds can have their own difficulties, often neurological.  And sometimes ducklings have congenital problems that do not show up right away, but as they develop, these problems can prove fatal.  Crested ducks can do just fine.  So many duck folks have them.  Tevye's Dad is someone to check in with.  I would definitely give B Complex in their water (based on 150 mg B3 per gallon) or add a tablespoon of brewer's yeast (not baking yeast) to each cup of food.

Ducklings can get wet, they just need to be kept at brooder temperature.  And make sure they dry off after bath (no soap).  So at one week, the water needs to be 85 to 90F, same as the brooder. 

Here are some links to help you with water management.  That was the thing I had the most trouble with - and it was minor trouble.  Never any odor problems - I used towels for bedding.  I washed towels many times each week.  The garden went crazy, as I dumped the towel rinse water, and shook the manure off the towels, into the garden.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

[COLOR=0047A4]http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html[/COLOR]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

post number 8 from this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#post_14939819

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/969751/help-baby-ducklings#post_15125952


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

[COLOR=0047A4]http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html[/COLOR]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...for-water-for-ducks-and-chicks-in-the-brooder

Thank you so much! I think I will try the yeast since most of the water ends up on their bedding. I think towels might be the way to go, doggie blankets are not going to work since some have fuzzies and I didn't think about them trying to eat everything, one found a string (thank God I saw it before the little thing ate it). They are too cute, my poor chickens don't get all my attention anymore. Ruby is already having issues and refuses to sleep in the coop so she's back on top of the fridge again (long story and she is spoiled rotten), at least she still lays her eggs there.