Sudden Duck Death

[MarshyRooster]

Monti was nearly a year old, female Blue Swedish duck, perfectly healthy, laying a LOT. (We thought Danni was a female, because she laid enough for two ducks.) But suddenly, when her eggs were in the incubator, she died. This happened a while ago. My dad found her body in the coop. When I got home later that day, he told me he'd found her body in the coop. No wounds, just dead. She went to the little bird cemetery in the yard. She had a funeral. I was really sad- I still am. Monti was a really wonderful duck. Do you have any ideas about what killed her? No wounds. Just lying dead in the coop. Maybe a heart attack? She was always really panicked and anxious. Please tell me if you have any ideas, I really want to know so it doesn't happen again.

 

[Ratchnick]

Without more information its impossible to tell. Could be heart attack, egg binding, disease or anything else.

 

[Weeg]

I'm so sorry for your loss, these things are so hard. You never know how much you love them until there gone.
Do you supplement them with Oyster Shell? You mentioned she laid a lot, could have been an egg issue? Did she show any odd symptoms at all before she died?
The best way to know is to get a Neocrospy done. We can guess but will never have any really evidence or a good idea as to what happened.
Assuming nothing out of the ordinary happened, nothing changed, then we really have no idea. So sorry for your loss, its so heartbreaking. *Hugs and more hugs*

 

[lost-duckling]

the drake could have snapped her neck or back. I got a new drake once that killed another larger drake that way. there was no blood so it was really wierd untill i rememberd him fighting earlier.

 

[SolarDuck]

Very sorry for your loss, it is tragic to lose a loved one. Just because you say she laid enough for 2 ducks, do you mean she often laid 2 eggs in 1 day? If so she might have had some sort of egg laying issue that contributed to her death.

 

[MarshyRooster]

Thank you, everyone. No one really monitored her egg amount that closely, we just knew it was a lot and thought it was two ducks. We didn't give her oyster shell (I thought it might've been food poisoning, but I doubt it). And would a drake really snap her neck? She was sort of the leader of the ducks. The other ducks were all friends with her. Again, thank you all for replying.

 

[SolarDuck]

If you didn't give her oyster shell maybe it was some kind of soft shelled issue that you didn't notice until it was too late. Ducks have a much harder time pushing out soft shelled eggs and can become egg bound with them. Make sure you always offer a pile of oyster shell to all female birds in the future.

 

[MarshyRooster]

Thank you! But the feed specifically has a lot of calcium in it, so oyster shell isn't needed. I mean, I think. Would it help anyway?

 

[SolarDuck]

Thank you! But the feed specifically has a lot of calcium in it, so oyster shell isn't needed.

I always offer oyster shell, it's always a good idea to have a pile of it, as hens can tell how much calcium is in their system, and how much they need, so they can take any extra whenever they need it. It definitely helps.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Monti was nearly a year old, female Blue Swedish duck, perfectly healthy, laying a LOT. (We thought Danni was a female, because she laid enough for two ducks.) But suddenly, when her eggs were in the incubator, she died. This happened a while ago. My dad found her body in the coop. When I got home later that day, he told me he'd found her body in the coop. No wounds, just dead. She went to the little bird cemetery in the yard. She had a funeral. I was really sad- I still am. Monti was a really wonderful duck. Do you have any ideas about what killed her? No wounds. Just lying dead in the coop. Maybe a heart attack? She was always really panicked and anxious. Please tell me if you have any ideas, I really want to know so it doesn't happen again.

I’m so sorry. I don’t have any idea what it could be, but I am praying for peace and comfort.