Thin runner ducks and goose- Youngest runner the sickest.

[AbbeyRoad]

Thanks! It is very frustrating to be doing everything I can think of and not seeing her turn the corner. I am hoping to get her through the winter's lack of grass, and hopefully she will bounce back when spring comes around.

As for vitamins, I was giving them daily when she was inside, and have cut back now that she is with the group. But I can try giving her oral vits more often.

Thanks again for the support. Its good to know I'm not on the completely wrong track.

 

[Amiga]

I just started making and feeding fodder to my ducks, and they love it. To find out if it would work (before much effort in setting up something bigger), I soaked a half a cup of winter wheat (whole, not ground) in water overnight, then drained it and spread it around in a pyrex pie plate. I rinsed it three times a day with clean water. After a couple of days it sprouted, then four or five days later it started to green up and I fed it on about the seventh day. After a few trials, I got some clear plastic trays, drilled holes in the bottom and some air vents on the side with my Dremel, and now I can give them fodder just about every day (I have to remember to soak seeds overnight to get started).

You might try it.

 

[AbbeyRoad]

Amiga- thanks so much for all the help and suggestions. I really do appreciate the moral support!

We have talked a lot about doing some sort of fodder/hydroponic method, just haven't gotten around to it. I was researching it more for our future sheep/horses. I will order some asap. Is this the right stuff? Any suggestion on best place to get it?
http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Red-Wint...8&qid=1390853765&sr=8-4&keywords=winter+grain

Once spring comes again, we can set up our gutter hydroponic lettuce system. We had so much lettuce last year! We are hoping to expand it this year to other duck treats.

I did do the sunflower seed/corn sprouts to mediocre response from the birds. I think the wild song birds enjoyed it more. You think the winter grain will be more successful? I bet the geese will like it even if the ducks don't.

I do think I have found out a big chuck of our issue!!!!!! I ended up bringing the runner female inside again last week. And when I swam her in the tub, she was a sponge. Just soaked on her belly. Her wings were water proof, but nothing else. I dried her off and she didn't preen for a day or two after her baths. But now she is preening after I inspected her oil gland on saturday. It looks normal compared to the photos on BYC. I am hoping she can water proof herself and beef up and rejoin the flock and that will be the end of it!

I suspect that even with daily access to water tubs (4-5 tubs) that the sebbie goose was not allowing them to swim/bathe long enough to get a good oil coverage.

Today was nice and warm, all our snow melted. So I moved the tubs into two very different areas with a visual blocker. The outside ducks got in and cleaned like crazy, some were wetter than I would like. So I think that was contributing to the runner weight loss. It has been so cold, they were just burning away their stores to keep warm. That explains why she eats like crazy but is not gaining.

I was keeping them in during the very bitterly days and tried to let them out when it was warmer but snow on the ground. The ducks ran out, did one loop and then ran back in to their stall. It is just hard to manage any large water tubs in their stalls. The horse mats wick water around and will leach it back out and soak the shavings. And I end up with a muck mess in no time. So all their swim time was always outside, with normal waters inside with food.

So hopefully making sure they get their swims in, we will have a turn around.

The geese have learned to eat pellets well, so not as concerned about them anymore, they are waterproofed and doing well.

 

[Amiga]

Hmmm, The link shows $8.99 a pound? Am I not reading that correctly?

There is also this, $50 for 50 pounds, if I read correctly.

http://www.amazon.com/Bulk-Grains-Organic-Winter-Berries/dp/B001KWF4Z8

Or here, a 25 pound bag for 15.30 (I am sure there is also a shipping charge)
http://www.bobsredmill.com/hard-red-wheat-berries.html

I buy through a mom n pop health food store, I can order by the 25 or 50 pound bag and get a 10% discount. Maybe there is something like that around you.

Very, very happy you have had a breakthrough there. Mercy. It can get complicated, and they just cannot tell us exactly what is going on.

We have been doing winter wheat fodder and sprouts for almost three weeks now, and the ducks rave about it.

Still haven't tried the millet or other seeds, but still plan to.

Some of these things take time. I know Hazel's feathers are tired and she needs a molt, but please, Hazel, not now!!! It was above freezing so we had a few hours outside, I was able to fill a couple of swim pans and we were all rejoicing.

I very much appreciate this update, thank you!!