sick duckling

[threeducks]

I have three mallards (4 weeks old..about ) and a1 wk old pekin. Ive noticed that the smallest mallard has been sneezing occasionally and has loose stool and diarrhea. I cant blame it on the new guy because this started a day or two before the pekin came. There doesnt seem to be any other symptoms such as discharge from eyes or nose. I do let them out and forage in a pen during the day (supervised). Could he /she just be more sensitive to diet and environment? What should I do? I havent been this neurotic since my first baby ! Help !

 

[DuckLady]

Do the ducks have water deep enough to dunk their heads in and blow out their nares? Giving them clean water to bathe in will usually clear that up.
Loose stool will happen when they drink a lot, more so in hot weather.

 

[kingmt]

Sounds normal. Mine don't sneeze but blow there nose ( for like in a better way of putting it) a lot. Ducks poop is very runny. If they have stiff poop then they need more water.

 

[M@M@2four]

Quote:
Agreed!!!

 

[threeducks]

Thanks everyone ! They all have plenty of water to clear their nares and they get to swim in the tub almost every night .( I have been taking the water and food out of the pen at night) I guess this little guy could be "blowing his nose" vs. a sneeze. I was more worried about the watery stool. All the others have formed (all be it wet) poop. I will keep an eye on him but I feel a lot more at ease ! lol ! BTW....I love these ducks ! I cant believe the amount of work and worry they have caused me but they are so worth it !

 

[Im4Eggcellence]

Quote:
So how does one give them water deep enough to dunk their heads without having them getting totally soaked. I just inherited a couple of orphans that couldn't be more than a couple of days old. I had a tuna can of water in with them but one of them promptly got soaked to the bone and was shivering. They're under a heat lamp now and are fine, but I don't want to stress them like that again.

Do you wait awhile till they are more water repellent, or is there some setup you can do that is better than an open container that they can dunk their heads in?

 

[Wifezilla]

Use a shot glass. A heavy bottomed one they can't tip over.

Another thing you can try is vitamin drops (poly vi sol) in the water or a little raw apple cider vinegar in the water.

 

[jmc]

I'm4.............., if you get a chick sized one quart waterer to start with, that will be ok for the little ones. then you can switch to a one gallon one as they grow.

They can go for a swim in warm weather as early as two weeks of age. If really hot and they're protected from blazing sun, then even sooner. BUT THEY MUST BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF WATER LEST THEY DROWN.

Eventually, you can give them an open container of water, maybe up on a wood block so they don't poop in it.

By doing the above, the waterer will more or less always have water deep enough for them to blow out their nostrils and keep their eyes clean.

Really not that hard--and you will be able to tell. Observe them, but don't panic. Remember they're tough--yet they still do need care, don't get me wrong.

blessings to you

 

[Im4Eggcellence]

Thanks for the tips folks, they were helpful and the little guys are off to a good start all things considered. They were probably born on the half-acre pond I have. But yesterday (the 5th), un-escorted individual ducklings began showing up on various properties surrounding mine. We figure mom must have been either killed by a coyote, hawk, etc. or was frightened off the nest by fireworks and some of the chicks scattered. A check found no trace of mom anywhere.

Anyway, since I have chickens, the neighbors brought them all to me. A check found no trace of mom anywhere... and I didn't want to just leave them by the pond as they were clearly too young to swim and quite chilled already. So we got them under a heat lamp and settled down to where they were taking water and crumbles. They've now been relocated to a vet-tech with lots of duck raising experience and connections to wildlife rescue groups who might take them as we'd like to get them back into the wild rather than domesticated if possible.

But they're off to a good start and I continue to patrol for other stragglers.