Sick Pekin Duck

[DuckCommander]

What does she eat? You mentioned barley and fruit. Does she get a balanced ration?

Has she started laying? Does she get free choice oyster shell?

Is her belly swollen or squishy feeling?

Until she was moved into the chicken coop a couple days ago she was free range. She had access to barley, and oyster shells, I gave veggies and fruit as treats, and they ate all sorts of bugs and grasshoppers and such like that that live around the pond.

She started laying in September but I never found any eggs that were fully and properly formed. She almost had a full shelled egg, at least I assume it was her because I think my call ducks egg would have been smaller? She laid right on the edge of the pond, so most of her eggs probably fell in...

Her belly is normal.

 

[DuckCommander]

I'll give that a try if I can find it! Would probably be ok to give her neomycin at the same time?

Is human niacin (B3) ok to give? If so, how much is safe?

 

[Amiga]

Yes, niacin supplements are safe, use 100 to 150 mg niacin per gallon of water.

Get the capsules, just plain niacin, not the "no-flush" or "timed-release" kind. Then you can open the capsules into water.

Sometimes I like to dissolve things into a cup or two of warm water then pour into the cool drinking water.

 

[suki'smom]

Until she was moved into the chicken coop a couple days ago she was free range. She had access to barley, and oyster shells, I gave veggies and fruit as treats, and they ate all sorts of bugs and grasshoppers and such like that that live around the pond.


She started laying in September but I never found any eggs that were fully and properly formed. She almost had a full shelled egg, at least I assume it was her because I think my call ducks egg would have been smaller? She laid right on the edge of the pond, so most of her eggs probably fell in...

Her belly is normal.

If she's never laid a normal egg I would put her on layer mash asap along with the supplemental niacin. She may have depleted her calcium levels while trying to produce eggs. Not all birds will take calcium from a dish, so I would mix the oyster shell right in with her feed. Hope she gets better!

 

[DuckCommander]

Her diarrhea color has darkened today...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Her diarrhea color has darkened today...

Is she eating? that looks like she isn't eating much. How is she otherwise?

 

[Amiga]

I would put activated charcoal (not briquettes - I am talking about the food grade supplement) in her water starting immediately. She also may have a systemic infection. If you can get her to a vet, do. She could have swallowed some metal and have hardware disease which can be fatal, or she may have peritonitis which can also be fatal.

If you cannot find the activated charcoal, I would go with bentonite powder in her water also, a teaspoon per cup.

 

[DuckCommander]

Is she eating? that looks like she isn't eating much. How is she otherwise?

She isn't eating much anymore. She still isn't walking, she keeps putting her legs back behind her now. Last night, she did swim around the tub awhile and cleaned herself a bit...She has become an extremely grouchy duck, if I go in there she hisses at me and if I try to touch her or feed her she bites me. What should I do? Do you think she is suffering?

 

[DuckCommander]

I would put activated charcoal (not briquettes - I am talking about the food grade supplement) in her water starting immediately. She also may have a systemic infection. If you can get her to a vet, do. She could have swallowed some metal and have hardware disease which can be fatal, or she may have peritonitis which can also be fatal.

If you cannot find the activated charcoal, I would go with bentonite powder in her water also, a teaspoon per cup.

I don't think that she would have hardware poisoning as her pond is in a newly developed area that was trees before, never any buildings or anything so metal shouldn't be down there. How long does it take for symptoms to start showing for that?

I'll look into peritontis, is the treatment the same?

 

[Miss Lydia]

She isn't eating much anymore. She still isn't walking, she keeps putting her legs back behind her now. Last night, she did swim around the tub awhile and cleaned herself a bit...She has become an extremely grouchy duck, if I go in there she hisses at me and if I try to touch her or feed her she bites me. What should I do? Do you think she is suffering?

It's so hard to know what to do. And since we're not vets even harder, before this all started what was she like/ was she friendly and let you touch her or is this that your seeing now the biting and hissing just started? might give you a clue to how she is feeling. Also have you palpated her tummy down around her vent? maybe even putting on laytex gloves and using some kind of stuff like vaseline and felt up inside very carefully to see if you can feel and egg. Or she could have an infection going on. I'm sorry i wish i could give you more exact ideas, but is it possible she might have gotten hold of some metal, screw, staples? This place we live was under construction off an on over the years and that is my biggest worry that they come up with something when out rooting in the yard mud. Since you had her in water last night try again using warm water and just let her stay till she wants to get out, if she has an egg stuck soaking in warm water sometimes helps. And her not using her legs could mean it is pressing on the nerves in her back. you say she swam around in the tub so she was using her legs then right?