Sudden Duckling Death

[3speckled3]

I recently bought a few ducklings from Tractor Supply. They are around 4 weeks old. I checked on them about 2 hours prior and everyone appeared fine, so I was surprised to find one dead.

The duckling was lying on the ground, and had blood coming out of one nostril and a few droplets around the mouth. I've heard about duck plague, but from what I've read, symptoms tend to show before death, and none of the ducklings have shown any signs of being sick.

I'm wondering how concerned I need to be about it being duck plague (or if it could be something else), and if there's anything I can do for the rest. I went ahead and disinfected the pen they're in, and disinfected their feeder and waterers.

They have also recently been allowed in one of the outdoor pens because they were beginning to crowd in the space I had for them inside.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Any chance it could have been injured?

 

[3speckled3]

I

Any chance it could have been injured?

I examined the body before I buried it (just in case it was something contagious) and the only spot I saw was a small bald spot on its neck, but the neck itself didn't feel broken. But it's likely I could have missed something

 

[Miss Lydia]

With blood on the nares and blood on the bill at the mouth maybe it flew into something? I don’t know that much about duck plague but it seems the others would be sick also