Support Group for Abused Duck Keepers

[BoundlessLove]

Has anyone else had insanely broody ducks this year?
We’ve kept ducks for years, but Oh My Goodness!
If it’s not one girl it’s another.
And this hide and seek eggs and nests every week.
Mainly my Blue Swedish!
What in the world is going on?

 

[Project Blue]

I had a huge scare last night. Dougie was eating one moment and then the next she had a build up, very hard compact lump in her throat. It was high in her throat and she was trying to get it out by shaking her head, and then she was trying to swallow, then holding her bill open and being unable to breathe.
I felt the big lump in her throat and it was unbudging, she was not getting air in and her movement and distress, bill held open wide, was very apparent.

I didn't know what to do, I held her upside down and stroked her throat in hopes of it coming out (yes I know holding a bird upside down is bad, but in this moment I had to get it out and that was my priority), didn't work, I tried stroking it down, didn't work, I opened her mouth looking for the obstruction, she still wasn't breathing, wasn't fighting me, wasn't moving. The fear totally overtook me by now, I felt she was going to die for sure and I felt totally hopeless I almost stopped.
I couldn't stop, I opened her mouth and pushed my finger down her throat and worked to clear the obstruction, took two attempts, all happened very quickly, and it started going down. I stroked the outside of her throat and got it down into her crop, and checked again and she was breathing, but shaken up a bit.
I sat with her a while and she drank water slowly and then eventually felt okay enough to walk away.

I don't know for certain if I saved her or what. She couldn't breathe or clear the obstruction so I guess I did.
Shes okay this morning, back to herself, but a bit slower with food, probably feeling a little bruising in her throat?


I'm still stressed about it. Do you guys think I did the right things? I feel awful for having to be so rough with her, but I don't see how else it could've played out....
Any of you had a bird choke?

I have not had experience with animals choking that I can remember, but the four cases of humans I'm intimately aware of, the one that died had immediate gentle medical attention by an emergency room nurse. The other three lived. One had the Heimlich maneuver done, (very rough) at a wedding reception steak got lodged in his throat, another a kid had a mozzarella stick lodge in throat but it could be pulled out with fingers, the last a sailor breathed in salt water and three sailors roughly held him upside down and were very violent with him. Your instincts kicked in and you saved the duck. You did an amazing job. I had a great grandmother that cut opened a crop and sewed it back up to save a chicken, but have no idea of the details. Whatever works!

 

[Goosebaby]

Has anyone else had insanely broody ducks this year?
We’ve kept ducks for years, but Oh My Goodness!
If it’s not one girl it’s another.
And this hide and seek eggs and nests every week.
Mainly my Blue Swedish!
What in the world is going on?

My only broody so far this year was Bee, the other three little girls are only just laying their first eggs so I’d be surprised if anyone goes broody again this year but it could happen.

The only strange thing is Be resumed laying two days after brooding and then hatching Bramble so maybe something’s in the air? Bees about 7 years old and has some hormonal issue going on though “She grew drake feathers when she started laying this spring” so it’s most likely that for her in particular.