Strange behavior but no other symptoms

[Debby Duck]

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about taking my drake to the vet, but I don't know what to tell her is wrong. I just know something is. Are there any tests she can run to determine if there's a problem?

He eats, he drinks, has no eye infection. He just seems very lethargic, doesn't want to pick a fight with the poop scooper or me anymore. When he comes up to eat he makes these weird detours, sort of wandering a bit before coming to the bowl. When he gets into the coop he just wants to go to sleep and not be disturbed.

Also he is a 4 year old white crested breed. He's always had small head tremors, so I'm wondering if something is going wrong is his little head.

Can they do anything to find out what's happening.

Thanks for reading this. I'm so worried about my little guy.

Deborah

 

[DaffytheDuck20]

I hope he's ok, I wouldn't know whats wrong but hopefully some people will. Its going into winter now so maybe mating season ect. is over and he's a bit more chill? Has he ever done this over the other years?

Maybe these people can help

@KathiQuacks
@Miss Lydia
@SilverBirds
@Jenbirdee

 

[Debby Duck]

I hope he's ok, I wouldn't know whats wrong but hopefully some people will. Its going into winter now so maybe mating season ect. is over and he's a bit more chill? Has he ever done this over the other years?

Maybe these people can help

@KathiQuacks
@Miss Lydia
@SilverBirds
@Jenbirdee

No he's never acted like this before. Mating season ended for them a few months ago. This is all new. I'm just wondering if there's anything the vet can do since it's just a personality change.

 

[DaffytheDuck20]

No he's never acted like this before. Mating season ended for them a few months ago. This is all new. I'm just wondering if there's anything the vet can do since it's just a personality change.

Yeah didn't think it would be that but you never know! lol

Hopefully the people I tagged will reply soon I hope theres nothing wrong with him I don't know what I would do if my drake Taffy, would suddenly stop chasing me!

 

[Jenbirdee]

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about taking my drake to the vet, but I don't know what to tell her is wrong. I just know something is. Are there any tests she can run to determine if there's a problem?

He eats, he drinks, has no eye infection. He just seems very lethargic, doesn't want to pick a fight with the poop scooper or me anymore. When he comes up to eat he makes these weird detours, sort of wandering a bit before coming to the bowl. When he gets into the coop he just wants to go to sleep and not be disturbed.

Also he is a 4 year old white crested breed. He's always had small head tremors, so I'm wondering if something is going wrong is his little head.

Can they do anything to find out what's happening.

Thanks for reading this. I'm so worried about my little guy.

Deborah

what does his poop look like?
(post a picture) in the meantime
you could start by giving him a dose of a good poultry vitamin such as roosterbooster poultry cell or nutridrench
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Jenbirdee]

this may be helpful as well
http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/diagnostic chart.htm

 

[SilverBirds]

How long has he been behaving like this? Has he started molting? Molting can be very uncomfortable at times and can cause them to be more lethargic. How does his poop look? Any signs of worms? Is it possible for him to have eaten something toxic?
Since he is crested, I wouldn't rule out something is wrong with his little head.

Does the vet you are trying to take him to specialize in avians? An all-animal vet will probably have a harder time figuring out what it wrong than someone who is an expert on birds.

 

[Jenbirdee]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/anyone-else-have-a-crested-with-neurological-issues.720702/

 

[HollowOfWisps]

If everything else is fine and he is otherwise healthy it sounds like he is just getting older. From my experience the 4-5 age range in ducks is when they start to slow down some. My drake when he hit 4 years old he slowly started to slow down and not be as energetic. My hen who is the same age is also slowing down. 4 is middle aged for a duck and just like any animal when they hit that middle age mark they start to slow down. My dogs once they turned 4-5 all have started to just be calmer and less energetic. 4 years doesn’t seem old at all to us, but if you think about a ducks lifespan 4 is pretty close to be the equivalent of 40 in human years. Now compare the energy of a 40 year old man to that of a 20 year old.

 

[Debby Duck]

Thank you all for your responses. The links suggested were really interesting. And I wish I'd seen those and done better research before getting this breed. I feel bad that I helped contribute to the market for them. It seems cruel.

So that brings me to an incident that happened this evening when I was bringing them in. Pinky walked into the wall of the coop missing the door. So I think my poor little guy is losing his eyesight. I had made an appointment this afternoon to take him to the vet. I sort of suspected that his eyesight might be part of the problem but wasn't sure.

I'll try and answer some of the questions asked before. Though it may not be relevant now if eyesight is indeed the problem. I'm not certain, but I don't think there's anything remarkable about his poop. It's a little difficult to tell because there are four of them. Also their poop seems to look different all the time. They roam free on the lake behind my house and I know they eat all kinds of stuff out there and in the grass sometimes. They are really good foragers. He's been acting like this for maybe a month or a little longer, but it came on slowly and signs were minimal until recently.

The vet I take him to is an avian vet. She's actually an avian and exotic animal veterinarian. She sees all kinds of unusual pets. She also had a TV show for a while I don't know if it's still on. Called Dr K's exotic animal ER, I think. The K is for Kelleher, Susan Kelleher.

I'll let you know how the vet visit goes. I take him on Wednesday.