sick Runner Duck hen

[lynepie]

One of my hens has her head pulled in and her feathers just looking wild. She is eating and drinking, just doesn't look right. I have added electrolytes and vitamins to the water. What else should I do? I am in east Texas and it has been wet for so long! The run has a dirt floor with lots of pine needles over it. I change their water twice a day. They have an inside coop, but they sleep in the covered run. It has been in the 30's at night the past couple days, but gets into the 50's or higher during the day. I try to change out the dirty pine needles. I also put some DE mixed in the needles hoping to keep some of the bugs down. I have 3 hens out of 5 that are still laying, but I don't know if it is this one. Should I try giving her some duramycin-10 and if so, how much and what is the best way to give it? Also how many doses would you give?

 

[naivetefarm]

@lynepie - I had a similar issue, I think with one of my Kakhi Campbells. She looked a *mess* but seemed to be okay, otherwise. It turns out that my chickens were picking on her something awful and, as such, she was avoiding her watering hole and wasn't preening or eating as much as she should. She was also just super-stressed.

If you don't have chickens, a drake or other bully hen may be a cuplript, too - does she seem to be at the bottom of the pecking order?

I wouldn't jump to antibiotics immediately - especially if she doesn't seem to be displaying any other illness symptoms. Can you get get separated and keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours or so? I found that putting my hen together with her other favorite bird in a separate pen turned her around in a surprising amount of time.

I'm new to ducks, though, and I found @Miss Lydia and @Amiga to be really helpful in diagnosing my poor girl's problem. They might be able to offer more expert advice than I can.

Also, photos are usually really helpful in diagnosing issues - if you have some that might help others to offer other possible problems your duck may be experiencing as well as some solutions for dealing with it.

 

[Amiga]

Some of my Runners cannot take temperatures below 40F. Their feathers were fluffed out, their necks scrunched up, they walked stiff-legged, stopped laying, and shivered.

Once I got them into a night pen that was 40F or above, they recovered within four days.

She could be run down.

I would get her into a lukewarm tub of water for a while, let her relax and warm up and enjoy herself, then keep her in a relatively (45F or more) warm clean place with food and fresh water overnight, and see how she does in the morning.

I would also give her vitamins, and some warmed (not hot) peas.

 

[Amiga]

@lynepie

 

[lynepie]

I put the ducks inside the coop last night and let them out into the run this morning. It rained again last night I think I should have left a couple of the girls inside, they don't really look any different today than yesterday. I am adding pictures

The two in front are the ones I worry about.

This is the worst one, I know the pictures are not so good but as good as I can get. How do you put water inside and not have everything wet in the morning? I really need help with that. I thought about putting the wadding pool inside with the waterer in the middle, but am afraid they would slip and hurt their legs of something. I have had guineas before and they were not nearly as messy as ducks. I am still adding the electrolytes and vitamins to their water. I will try the peas in the morning, they are not much on trying new things.

 

[Amiga]

Here is what I do.


A large cat litter box with a low opening they can walk into



This is the bottom of a large plastic dog crate - they can walk into it


The bottom has a few inches of sawdust pellets. The water is in a flat-bottomed, straight-sided 2 gallon stew pot. The top inch or two gets scraped off in the morning and used as mulch. This serves eleven small ducks and keeps the rest of the bedding dry (except for the moisture for their manure).

 

[lynepie]

Thank you that is a great idea. I will try that tomorrow. I have an extra dog crate. Do you keep food out at night for them?

 

[Amiga]

Thank you that is a great idea. I will try that tomorrow. I have an extra dog crate. Do you keep food out at night for them?

Yes, I do. I put it a couple of feet from the entrance to the watering station. That way I scoop up spilled feed and a little dampness from them dribbling on their way out of the watering station.

Your ducks are gorgeous!

Please keep us updated.

 

[pattyhen]

Do you give your ducks grit with their food?

 

[Amiga]

Do you give your ducks grit with their food?

If they don't have access to grit from the outdoors - like in midwinter, when here are 3 feet of snow on the ground - I put a small heavy bowl of grit in the night pen - free choice.