I have two blue runner/cayuga mixed male ducklings, and both seem to be sick. Both seem to be panting (the temp in their brooder is not too hot and it is large enough for them to move away from the heat lamp if they want) and both have seemed more lethargic than usual. They also both sound like they could be a little wheezy/have sneezed a few times, and on occasion it sounds like a whistling sound is coming out of their nostrils (like when someone has a stuffy nose from having a cold and tries to breathe). They also both keep doing this thing where they look like they're about to choke and then it goes away. One of them seems to be worse off than the other. He has very loose stools, and cant seem to keep his head up at all, his legs look a little wobbly like he keeps needing to sit down, and his eyes keep closing more often than normal. They both are also allowing me to pet them, which they normally don't because they're typically too scared, and their chirps sound a little hoarse or raspy. I thought that one was for sure going to die on me right then and there because he already looked dead as he was sprawled out on the floor with his eyes closed. But then they both got up and acted normal for a little and were eating and drinking fine. Now they both look exhausted again. They seem to be going back and forth between feeling decent and looking slumped over, occasionally chirping in a quieter voice than normal.
They have plenty of clean water, I just changed their pine shavings so their brooder is all clean, and their food was freshly put in mixed with brewers yeast. The only thing I can think of is my boyfriend was having them wade in house temp. water in our kitchen sink while I was cleaning their brooder. They were in there for a little longer than I would normally have had them out. My boyfriend also filled the water up higher than I normally would have, and while they were able to touch the bottom it didn't seem like they could easily. I quickly took them out after I heard their cries and realized he had the water too high and they seemed distressed and scared and were shaking. I dried them up with a towel and held them for a bit to make sure they were dry and a little calmer before putting them back in their brooder. Shortly after, their symptoms started to appear. I don't live near a vet that could help me with ducks, and im not sure what to do. Can anyone give me some advice as to what may be happening and what I can do for them? I read about pneumonia or respiratory problems, but I couldn't find much help on what to do if they have any of those. Or could it be possible that they're just exhausted from being in the water, or that their brooder is still somehow too warm for them? Any help is much appreciated, thank you!
They have plenty of clean water, I just changed their pine shavings so their brooder is all clean, and their food was freshly put in mixed with brewers yeast. The only thing I can think of is my boyfriend was having them wade in house temp. water in our kitchen sink while I was cleaning their brooder. They were in there for a little longer than I would normally have had them out. My boyfriend also filled the water up higher than I normally would have, and while they were able to touch the bottom it didn't seem like they could easily. I quickly took them out after I heard their cries and realized he had the water too high and they seemed distressed and scared and were shaking. I dried them up with a towel and held them for a bit to make sure they were dry and a little calmer before putting them back in their brooder. Shortly after, their symptoms started to appear. I don't live near a vet that could help me with ducks, and im not sure what to do. Can anyone give me some advice as to what may be happening and what I can do for them? I read about pneumonia or respiratory problems, but I couldn't find much help on what to do if they have any of those. Or could it be possible that they're just exhausted from being in the water, or that their brooder is still somehow too warm for them? Any help is much appreciated, thank you!
