Sudden death

[AmberCamilia]

Hey everyone. I hope all is well with each of you. I’m curious if anyone has experienced anything like what happened to me today.

I picked up one my ducks (2 y/o female Pekin, seemingly healthy) to clean some fluff out of her nostrils. She didn’t really enjoy being held, so she flapped her wings a bit but nothing major. I cleaned her nose and talked to her a bit (just the normal baby talk ) before putting her back down. As soon as she was back on the ground, it was like she immediately started having a seizure. Her head went all the way to her back and her legs stiffened. She fell onto her back like this. I picked her up but her head just dangled — she was already gone. It all happened in a matter of seconds. I am so confused as to what happened. I hold my ducks often and I’ve never had anything like this happen. At first I thought I somehow broke her neck, but I just sat her back down like normal so I don’t think that’s what happened. Are their necks that easily broken? Could it have been a heart attack?

I am heartbroken that this happened. I feel like a monster and I want to prevent this from ever happening again. Has anyone else had a duck just up and die like this?

 

[Jenbirdee]

In so sorry. Don’t blame yourself. I pick up my ducks , one or two of them almost every day and they don’t like it but I have to give some of them medicine sometimes vitamins some of the older ones need extra calcium w/e but yeah, they don’t like it and they flap a little and I when I put them down sometimes they jump and fly a little and even occasionally stumble a bit . So you did nothing wrong . It’s very strange she may have had a heart attack and just passed quickly could’ve had an underlying issue that you would’ve had no way of knowing about maybe something nutritional or in her reproductive system going on., maybe someone else has experience this but I just want to say don’t be so hard on yourself. You took good care of your duc kyou even picked her up just to clean her little fluff nose that’s so sweet.

 

[ruthhope]

I am so sad for you and your duck. Do not blame yourself, ducks need love and care and you did the right hting picking her up to remove fluff from her nostrils -- I do it all the time with my Pekin. I do not know what happend to your duck, but something quick and painless. She had you to cuddle her. She wasn't alone.

 

[AmberCamilia]

Thank you both for your kind words. I’m going to try to accept it as just a freak accident. Life sure is painful sometimes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very sorry for your loss. It’s so heartbreaking to lose one.

 

[Lor]

How sad. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Awaytome]

I've seen this happen when working goose round-ups in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska where the bird just died of fright from being handled. I have no idea why some birds are so fragile or over-reactive.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

As soon as she was back on the ground, it was like she immediately started having a seizure. Has anyone else had a duck just up and die like this?

Yes, I lost two ducks from eating avocado and that sounds similar to how I found them. Legs outstretched behind the body and the head and neck off to the right and far back. The first one I found outside the coop first thing in the morning. The second one seemed lethargic, so I brought it in overnight and put it in the bathtub. I heard what sounded like a slight struggle early in the morning, and when I checked on her she had passed in the same position as the other.

 

[amanda_rimo]

so weird that you say this happened to you. our one duck Stanley, just passed away last night. Stanley however wasn't able to walk, so we knew she eventually wouldn't make it unless we were able to get her walking. we were just about to finish her wheelchair this weekend, but this week has been rough. she started to not eat as much and she was really slowing down. yesterday was a normal day, we let her swim before bed, and rewrapped her legs and wings. we put her down to let her eat and drink and get her medicine and her head started to do this weird thing going back and forth. we knew something was wrong. i picked her up and she usually flaps her wings, but nothing happened. She just kept moving her head. i sat down with her on my lap and just loved her and tried to calm her down and tell her its okay. it seemed as though she was going like in and out. My girlfriend tried to give her some water because we had no idea what was happening. her head dove at the water and she freaked out, every part of her body was flapping and moving. so my girlfriend took her and just held her and walk to the front of the yard. She slowly stopped breathing and she was gone... we don't know if she had a seizure, or a heart attack, or something else. We are convinced she had something wrong internally, because at first we thought it was niacin deficiency, but we upped the niacin and saw no improvements. so the only thing we can think of is that something was going on inside that we couldn't see.


im so sorry you lost your duck as well.... they really become part of the family when you spend so much time with them...

 

[CoriM]

When I lost my final pekin last April at 4 years old she also seemed to be having a seizure and her neck went the opposite way it should, straight across her back, as she died. It was a bit horrific to watch and traumatizing, but I think at that point she wasn't really aware of what was going on and she passed pretty quickly. She had been slowing down a bit. I think the pekins that come from hatcheries sadly just don't last long. They're such great ducks, it's sad. I'm sure it's nothing you did!