Small duckling having digestion issues

[arcalinea]

One of my 4 indian runner ducklings is having digestion issues, it seems. Can anyone help me figure out what's going on? They're 1 week old.

- This duckling started out smaller than the rest, and hasn't grown as much.
- It had pasty butt for a few days, I soaked it in warm water twice a day for the past three days, and only today was I able to get the rock-hard crusted poop off.
- Despite the pasty butt, it was able to poop, just not very well. It pooped mainly when I put it in the water, I think. Other times I would hear it poop with a loud wet farting sound, but nothing would come out.
- Sometimes, a white stringy liquid came out after the wet farting sound, but no solid poop.
- It seems lethargic and less interested in food than the others. It spends a lot of time lying down, even when all the others are swarming my hand for treats.
- I can get it to eat food (flock raiser crumbles) and mealworms out of my hand - it's mostly interested in the mealworms though.
- When it stands, it wobbles a bit on its feet sometimes.
- Today, after I cleaned the rest of the crusted poop off, I saw it do a normal poop not in the water. However, it took two attempts, and it was watery.

Does it need grit, or does it have a blockage do you think?

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC!

Have you fed the ducklings any treats recently, if so what? Have you noticed her eating any bedding? Has there been any solids in her waste, or just urates?

 

[arcalinea]

I only got proper flock raiser crumbles for them yesterday, and for the first 5 days we had them they were eating assorted things:
- a mix of whole grains (corn, peas, oats, barley) they picked through, ground up in a nutribullet sometimes.
- some adult chicken layer feed
- dried mealworms.
- some small clover clipping, pieces of dried alfalfa, some chopped carrots and lettuce.
- corn meal and oatmeal I put through the nutribullet.

I know this diet sucks, but I'm in a household of people who've raised ducks and chickens before who said it was fine. It was only after reading lots of threads on this forum and seeing one chick start ailing (which has now died, probably from sour crop), that I insisted we go to town and get proper starter crumbles.

As of yesterday, they have only been eating flock raiser crumbles and dried mealworms for treats. The small sickly duck is enthusiastic about the mealworms, so I've probably been giving her more than I should - she was handled a lot when I was soaking her pasty butt the past few days, and I'd give her treats each time.

I have not seen her eating bedding. There are solids in her waste sometimes. Other times it's just white stringy liquid. Even when it's solid it's still more liquid than the others, and makes a much louder wet sound. Today I saw her do a projectile diarrhea that was brown liquid.

Picture of sick duckling - it's the small one.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sorry your little Runner is having problems I can sure under stand seeing what all it was fed. Get some “chick” grit and put some in a small bowl close to their feed not on their feed because then they may eat too much. Grit they will eat as needed but it’s very important for them to have if they are going to be eating anything other than their starter. I’d lay off of any other foods except their flock raiser crumble if you want to give a small amount of meal worms that’s fine after they have the chick grit. Hopefully her pasty butt will clear up too. Do they also have water at all times in their brooder and what are the temps in there?

 

[arcalinea]

Thanks! I put some grit in a dish by their food, and the small one does seem to be doing better today. Whether it's the grit or the switch to starter that helped, I don't know. At least she's pooping now.

Maybe this is TMI but here's a picture of her most recent poop. Liquid, but brown.

The have water at all times, and there is a red heat lamp. I don't know the exact temperature, but the ducklings and chicks are spread out around the box so I assume they're warm enough. The small one seems to stay closer to the lamp.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s great she is pooping and doing better. Hopefully your on the right track now. Poop looks good. Please keep us updated on those sweet ones. And Also get thermometer so you can keep track of temps. It’s very important. Sounds like it’s okay but you still need to keep track

 

[arcalinea]

Thank you for the feedback! I'll get a thermometer.

 

[Isaac 0]

Apply a light layer of vaseline around the vent area after you get the poop off to prevent more waste build-up from sticking.