Sudden duckling death?

[pappaduck]

Hi
Sadly this is my first post on this forum. We're first time duckling parents and for the last four week all has been great. We got a mixed breed batch of 8 females (hopefully). They started in the bathtub and after three weeks we moved them out into the duckhouse. They are four weeks & 4 days old.

This morning I went into the duck house and gave them their morning feed. Nothing was out of the ordinary and the largest duckling, a pekin, was first into the food.

We went back about an hour later to move them into the duck run and the same bird was stuck on its back. We picked it up and turned it over and she just felt straight onto her back again. A quick google suggested a Niacin deficiency (they were just about to switch over from duckling starter to duckling grower - while Niacin wasn't listed in the ingredients neither were any other vitamins so I just assumed they didn't list any). We nursed her for about an hour, deciding what to do next.

My wife went out to get some Niacin from the drugstore, I went back and hand fed her some water from a bowl, which she drank fine. I put her back and she flopped on her chest and crawled away into the straw (normally she would have run away so I figured this was just her condition).

15 minutes later she was dead. This was no more than three hours from her feeding as normal.

So my question to forum is - can a duck die of Niacin deficiency, and if so could it be so fast? Or do we need to worry about something more sinister and if so are the other 7 ducklings at risk?

We are going to get rid of all the bedding straw and try disinfecting the duck house and all feed/water utensils, and we've already got the other 7 on Niacin added to their water. Anything else?

thanks
PD

 

[pappaduck]

and reading other similar threads I realize one of the first questions is always 'what have you been feeding them?'. So it was this...

 

[NoahSully]

Welcome to BYC, although unfortunate circumstances.
If the duck was perfectly healthy the day before then got sick and died the same day, I don't think it would be a niacin deficiency, but it could be possible. Is there anything toxic you can think of it could have ingested?

Could it have been a seizure? Was the duck trembling or anything else odd about her body?

 

[pappaduck]

Welcome to BYC, although unfortunate circumstances.
If the duck was perfectly healthy the day before then got sick and died the same day, I don't think it would be a niacin deficiency, but it could be possible. Is there anything toxic you can think of it could have ingested?

Could it have been a seizure? Was the duck trembling or anything else odd about her body?

didn't really notice anything odd prior. We had put them all back in the duck house (so the one wasn't on her own) and they were all panting, which we assumed was due the heat. It's about 26 C in the duck house, and 24 outside. I did notice her trembling for a while when I was nursing her, and thought that was due to being held by me.

and I can't see, or think of, anything toxic they may have got into. The bedding is just straw on concrete.

We wonder if the death was caused by stress brought on by heat and not being able to stay the right way up...

 

[pappaduck]

She was bigger in size to the other Pekin of the same age so we wondered if a deficiency could have affected her legs more than the others as she was carrying more weight?
When I held her her head seemed to be unbalanced on occasions the morning of her death.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC and sorry for your loss. Do you live in Canada?

and reading other similar threads I realize one of the first questions is always 'what have you been feeding them?'. So it was this...

Contact the maker of that feed and ask them how much niacin is in it.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings pappaduck,

I am so sorry for your loss, of the little duckling.

I do not have ducks, but, had intended on getting some this Summer. During my research of diseases particular to ducks, I came across the following disease.

Anatipestifer infection (New Duck Disease), it is a blood poisoning disease in ducklings, from 1 to 8 weeks of age. It is caused by the bacteria, Pateurella anatipestifer. The disease occurs rather suddenly. Birds lose their balance, fall into a coma, and die. Sometimes ducks lie on their back flapping their feet.

There are many other symptoms that can be present as well. So if you want to look up the disease, here are my sources.

The above description, is an excerpt from the book, "Raising Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, pigeons and Guineas", by Cynthia Haynes, page 306, 1987.

Here is a link to Cornell Universitie's page on Duck Health Care. The treatment is listed there. You will find it, in the middle of the page, Riemerella anatipestifer Infection.
https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/Sects/duck/health.cfm

You may want to be prepared to treat if any other of the ducklings fall ill. Which I sincerely hope doesn't happen.

I hope this has been helpful.

God Bless and good health to your ducklings.

 

[casportpony]

I pray it's not that.
http://www.duckdvm.com/condition/new-duck-diease

 

[pappaduck]

Welcome to BYC and sorry for your loss. Do you live in Canada?


Contact the maker of that feed and ask them how much niacin is in it.

Yes, Ontario, and I was planning to call them tomorrow (Mon) to find out if there is Niacin in the feed

 

[pappaduck]

Greetings pappaduck,

I am so sorry for your loss, of the little duckling.

I do not have ducks, but, had intended on getting some this Summer. During my research of diseases particular to ducks, I came across the following disease.

Anatipestifer infection (New Duck Disease), it is a blood poisoning disease in ducklings, from 1 to 8 weeks of age. It is caused by the bacteria, Pateurella anatipestifer. The disease occurs rather suddenly. Birds lose their balance, fall into a coma, and die. Sometimes ducks lie on their back flapping their feet.

There are many other symptoms that can be present as well. So if you want to look up the disease, here are my sources.

The above description, is an excerpt from the book, "Raising Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, pigeons and Guineas", by Cynthia Haynes, page 306, 1987.

Here is a link to Cornell Universitie's page on Duck Health Care. The treatment is listed there. You will find it, in the middle of the page, Riemerella anatipestifer Infection.
https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/Sects/duck/health.cfm

You may want to be prepared to treat if any other of the ducklings fall ill. Which I sincerely hope doesn't happen.

I hope this has been helpful.

God Bless and good health to your ducklings.