**Update 3/2/11**Last sad update - Help help help quickly

[azhenhouse]

Thank you, jack & mommy's duckies.

 

[easttxchick]

I think you did everything you could to save them.
I honestly believe it was the cold and the holiday combined that caused them to pass.
Praying that when your new duckies come in, you'll see what they SHOULD be doing when you put them in the brooder. Running around, eating, drinking, peeping and generally causing a ruckus and making a mess, like most ducklings do.

I'm so sorry about Angel-you tried your best.

 

[TLWR]

When I was getting my ducks last summer (in the heat of the summer), I left a note in my mail box for my mail carrier so she'd know I was expecting a package of ducks.
She delivered that note back to the post office. They deal with live birds coming in rather often I guess - was nothing new for them. They called me at 6am on Wednesday morning and said I had a box of peeping ducks ready to be picked up as soon as I could get there. When I arrived, they said they'd already peeked in at them and all were doing fine.

So just give your mail carrier a heads up. Maybe go talk to the post office where they are delivered to at the end and see if there is a way to get them to the po quicker or if you should expect 3 days again.

Good luck with the next shipment.

 

[desertdarlene]

Awww, sorry to hear about Angel, I thought she was going to make it. At least the last day of her life was spent in a loving home.

We're going to get a big storm here in San Diego and there might be snow even down to almost town level. It should hit your area a couple of days after we get it. So, hopefully, they will wait a few days to ship out your new ducklings so you don't have to make a treacherous trip down to Phoenix to get them.

They might send you an extra duckling or two this time, too.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

 

[TLWR]

Quote:
They won't. If she only ordered 3, they will only send 3. Metzer's is one of the few places that will do small orders and figure you ordered a small number because that's how many you actually wanted, so won't send extras.

 

[mominoz]

Umm, When my ducks and geese came from both Holderreads and Metzger, I had notified the P.O. in town they were coming and they called me in the morning like 6 am and I drove and picked them up so they wouldn't have to be in a delivery truck. I don't know if you can do that, but that is standard procedure around here. I also cut open the box at the post office and looked inside to make sure they were "jumping around" and no dead birds. A lot of places you order from say you should always open the box at the office so you can file a claim with the insurance and they have to sign if there are dead birds.( I guess this also keeps dishonest people from cheating them out of expensive birds.....) But I'd see if you could do this if possible... I have vivid memories of waking early like 4:30 and going to get poultry and waterfowl, it's so memorable ..................

 

[azhenhouse]

Thanks everyone, you are all making me feel better

Desertdarlene, We are under a severe weather watch for Saturday and Sunday, already. We are expecting 10 -18 inches of snow. It is suppose to be gone by Sunday afternoon. Next week is clear with highs in the low 50's. However, the ducklings leave Phoenix for Pinetop at 2:30/3:00am when the temps are in the low 30's, here on the mountain. That is when they probably get the coldest. I am going to talk with the post office to see if they could get the driver to put them up front with him, and not in the back where the last bunch had to ride. We'll see what happens.

I just got a call from Metzers, and they are sending the replacements on Monday. I let them know about the cold, and asked if I should wait. They seem to think they will make it here fine, and faster. Hopefully, their heat pack will last the whole trip this time.

Kris

 

[crtrlovr]

I'm so sorry you lost your babies. I hope your next babies thrive and are a tribute to your tender care.

 

[ultasol]

Quote:
Whoooo boy, there is a LOT of misinformation on this thread.

I'm not going to remember all of it, but I can start with this.

1) Medicated starter: It used to be that the medication in medicated feed was a sulfa-based coccidiostat. The reason waterfowl had issues with it is because the dosage was calibrated for chickens, and waterfowl eat more, hence would need less medication per lb of food. Sulfa-based coccidiostats are very hard on the organs, and can cause liver failure if overdosed. The margin of safety is narrow.
Most medicated foods now contain (spelling might be slightly off) Amproloprium (amprol) which is much safer. In fact, when I had a case of resistant coccidiosis in some landfowl I was instructed to give it at 3x the normal dose, which I did, without deleterious effects. So, if the medicated food contains amproloprium then it is safe for waterfowl.

2) Ducklings and Goslings will rest or sleep with their head down.
They are tired and stressed from the trip. Each time we handle them we raise the heart rate and cause them mild stress. When you get the replacements make sure you have your brooder already calibrated (use a thermometer the day before and make sure it's not too hot or too cold), add some electrolytes to the water. Feeding by hand would be an absolute last resort, and give tiny amounts each time to give them time to swallow and breathe or they will aspirate. If I ever have to hand feed I use a tube feeding setup for baby parrots, I can tell if the tube is in the right spot and I remove the risk of aspiration, but this isn't for everyone.
Let them rest, let them recover.

If the final baby is strong and recovered from her trip you could hold her I suppose, but the mirror idea sounds pretty snazzy- I've never tried it as I've never had a single duckling.

Dave Holderread wrote the Storey's Guide to Ducks, and it's a good read.