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- #81
Just a follow up to my original post, as I get a few enquiries from time to time from those experiencing similar illness in their ducks.
My little Campbell duck initially took sick in January 2011. She was very sick and I didn't expect her to live.
She made a full recovery and is still around today (2016), very well, and very much the matriarch of the flock bossing everyone around, including the drakes.
I have observed over the years that the slightest tremble in a leg of any of the ducks is a warning sign of impending illness. My immediate reaction is to dose the entire flock using garlic in their favourite food. I use garlic as a homeopathic treatment for bacterial or fungal infection and as a wormer, as it has these medicinal properties. While garlic in high doses and constant feeding would be toxic to the ducks, I find that a small, regular dose works like a herbal medicine treating the infection without harm to the duck. To give you an idea of the dosage that I use, my flock consists of three Campbells and three Indian Runners, and I crush a clove or two into a dish of a wet mash. I use one or two cloves depending upon size of the garlic cloves, the amount of food and the current health state of the ducks.
In addition, I have taken to the practice of feeding this at three monthly intervals to the entire flock as a preventative measure, with one feeding timed to coincide with the commencement of the wet season, when bacteria become active in soil and water in my tropical climate.
This is just what I have found works with my flock, in my climate.
My little Campbell duck initially took sick in January 2011. She was very sick and I didn't expect her to live.
She made a full recovery and is still around today (2016), very well, and very much the matriarch of the flock bossing everyone around, including the drakes.
I have observed over the years that the slightest tremble in a leg of any of the ducks is a warning sign of impending illness. My immediate reaction is to dose the entire flock using garlic in their favourite food. I use garlic as a homeopathic treatment for bacterial or fungal infection and as a wormer, as it has these medicinal properties. While garlic in high doses and constant feeding would be toxic to the ducks, I find that a small, regular dose works like a herbal medicine treating the infection without harm to the duck. To give you an idea of the dosage that I use, my flock consists of three Campbells and three Indian Runners, and I crush a clove or two into a dish of a wet mash. I use one or two cloves depending upon size of the garlic cloves, the amount of food and the current health state of the ducks.
In addition, I have taken to the practice of feeding this at three monthly intervals to the entire flock as a preventative measure, with one feeding timed to coincide with the commencement of the wet season, when bacteria become active in soil and water in my tropical climate.
This is just what I have found works with my flock, in my climate.
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