The khaki-Campbell duck Thread !!!!!!!!

[Showjumperstar]

CUTE!

 

[Showjumperstar]

Does that work on internal problems? There is no injury and I don't want him to get to the point of no return and won't be able to use his leg at all.

From my experience with horse injuries, epsom salts will draw out the infection (if there is one) so it will surface eventually. Good luck!

 

[Amiga]

@Duck Love88

If he's lame, the problem may be he needs more B vitamins than he is getting.

Here is my writeup on that. I will post this, then try to find the original description of his problem. Any luck finding casportpony?

Response for ducklings with likely niacin deficiency
People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here

.

You have some options.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

 

[Amiga]

Where would one be able to find an antibiotic for ducks? as i have tried every avenue in contacting a vet to get my little guy looked at. I posted a few days ago and he isnt getting any better. any suggestions on what and where to buy?

Where did you post? I cannot find the description of the problem - so please repeat here. I apologize, I just cannot find it.

Edit - I found it, and my response.

Have you been using the Epsom salt compresses? You might be able to help by just doing that and following with a dab of antibiotic ointment (no painkiller).

Antibiotics can be purchased from some feed stores and online.

I would not be too quick to give them, but I would not delay too long, either. Without a vet, we just go with our best guesses.

Majestic Waterfowl has a vet finder page, by the way. You might be able to find one that way.

 

[nchvac]

I drilled two holes, one above the other and then used a hack saw to join them making the long *oval*. My original holes were 1.5" but 2" would have been better. I did enlarge the holes last night and I'm happier with them now. The goal is to allow the ducks access to water without putting their feet in it or getting too much splashed around but I still expect mess .. they are ducks after all. This is just to try and keep their drinking water clean and the coop semi-dry but they have a swimming pool outside. I have seen several good ideas for elevating the swimming pool onto a wooden frame that's filled with gravel and there is a drain pipe that sends the dirty water farther down to another area.


I saw one system like mine with holes in the bucket but they had another bucket beside it with a toilet bulb and garden hose that somehow automatically refilled whenever the water got too low. I don't have enough birds to need something that complicated and I'm happy with the one bucket. Then there was one with holes like mine but low to the ground and it had a 5 gallon water jug (from when you buy water for a water dispenser) up side down in it and as the birds use water it lets water from the 5 gallon refill their bowl. I thought I would just end up with 5 gallons of water all over so didn't like that idea. Great for chickens but not for ducks in my opinion.

I'm sorry, I don't seem to be able to post any links on this forum so I can't make it easy for you and you'll have to go search. Try You Tube and a website called Makin' it with Frankie (he's got a good waterer there)

Can I ask what you're feeding them? Eating a lot of mud sounds to me like they are missing something in their diet and trying to get it from the mud. Ducks also sift through mud on the bottom of ponds to get bugs and other nutrients but it doesn't mean they actually eat the mud, it just runs in and out of their beaks. Maybe that's all your birds are doing.

Ducks need water, it's the way nature made them. I don't think I would ever confine mine to a building or try to keep them away from water.

Im feeding Dumor Chick Starter/Grower

 

[mzmolly65]

I let the "kids" out today. It took them all of 5 minutes to find the pool and jump in. They were SO happy. They splashed, swam, dove, splashed some more .. they got out and back in again .. out and in again, LOL! They were so tired that Katherine was losing her balance and falling down and Wanda fell asleep in the pool. While they were entertaining themselves I cleaned their coop, added fresh bedding and refilled their water and feed buckets.

When they were finally exhausted from swimming they all found a sunny spot and preened until their feathers were fluffed and shining. How nice to be clean again. I went around the garden shed/coop to get something and the cheeky birds squeezed under the fence and got into the main part of the back yard (escaped but still safe). I can see I'll have to solve that problem before they can be left alone during the day (because if I wasn't watching they could have made it out to the front yard and the road or the creek and the wild ducks and I don't know if I could have got them out of the creek). So I herded them back into their pen and they decided it was time to grub around for creepy crawlies and eat lots of grass. They were finally so tired and the sun was starting to go down so I herded them off to bed for the night and they haven't made a quack since.

Wow are they thin. When they're wet and not fluffed up you can see every bone, it's so sad but I'm glad they had a happy day and filled their bellies (well crops) with all kinds of good things.

 

[Amiga]

@Duck Love88

How are things today?

 

[Showjumperstar]

I let the "kids" out today. It took them all of 5 minutes to find the pool and jump in. They were SO happy. They splashed, swam, dove, splashed some more .. they got out and back in again .. out and in again, LOL! They were so tired that Katherine was losing her balance and falling down and Wanda fell asleep in the pool. While they were entertaining themselves I cleaned their coop, added fresh bedding and refilled their water and feed buckets.

When they were finally exhausted from swimming they all found a sunny spot and preened until their feathers were fluffed and shining. How nice to be clean again. I went around the garden shed/coop to get something and the cheeky birds squeezed under the fence and got into the main part of the back yard (escaped but still safe). I can see I'll have to solve that problem before they can be left alone during the day (because if I wasn't watching they could have made it out to the front yard and the road or the creek and the wild ducks and I don't know if I could have got them out of the creek). So I herded them back into their pen and they decided it was time to grub around for creepy crawlies and eat lots of grass. They were finally so tired and the sun was starting to go down so I herded them off to bed for the night and they haven't made a quack since.

Wow are they thin. When they're wet and not fluffed up you can see every bone, it's so sad but I'm glad they had a happy day and filled their bellies (well crops) with all kinds of good things.

Thank you for the update They will be plump soon enough!

 

[kayray89]

Hi everyone!

I have two KC's and have a few questions. They are 13 weeks old and are the first two ducks I have ever raised. I'm so in love with them they are so cute and super cuddly. I'm pretty sure both are drakes. They both have the curly feather. But is there such a thing as a late blooming duck? One has shiney feathers and the other is plain? Also I have noticed that one's poop seems the smell so much worse than the other. Is it possibly an alpha duck thing?

My other question is - I live in Queensland, Australia and have been looking for a place to get more ducks. As the two I have are both drakes I want two females. I want to raise them from ducklings, as I raised the two boys from 5 days old and they are so friendly and loving and I want the additions to be equally as friendly. Everywhere I've tried so far has told me that it's luck of the draw if i want them from a young age and if I really want females they would be much older when I got them. Is there anywhere someone could suggest where I could get two female sexed ducklings in Australia.
Much appreciated. K

 

[Duck Love88]

@Duck Love88

How are things today?

I have not been doing epsom salt compresses. How do i do them is there a thred on here? Also last night I stopped at a local feed store and they had an antibiotic because it is definitely an infection. His foot is cold but the top knuckle is hot to the touch. Its also 2 times the size of the other leg. He has no reflexes left in that leg and im praying its not late for him. He is using his wing as a leg to get around. I put some warm water in a tote last night and let him float around for a while because someone had recommended that. I mixed the antibiotic in his water and he is drinking that i noticed this morning. I do have the Storeys guide to raising ducks book but it doesn't have much info on a case like this.
Will his reflexes come back after the swelling goes down? Have you seen this before? and how can I prevent it from happening.