ViolinPlayer123's Duckumentary!!!!!

[MagpieDucks]

The eggs were set yesterday!!!!!!

 

[Debs Flock]

The eggs were set yesterday!!!!!!

Wait...set or sent? If they were set we have to wait another 30 days or so? Can't wait to see them!!

 

[MagpieDucks]

Set!

 

[cawtlc]

HI All.
Last spring was my first year for ducks. I purchased 2 ducklings at Tractor Supply. Khaki Campbells. I called them Mocha and Chino Mocha died at about a month old. I purchased 2 more ducklings, Khaki's. From Runnings (all come from McMurray Hatchery, I believe).
At 3 months, Chino died.
Howard & Hannah, the newest ducklings were doing really well. One drake, one hen.
Hannah has been to the vets repeatedly for stopping eating, losing weight and being anemic. Howard, he's doing wonderfully.
Hannah is in my house right now, I've been tending to her for a few weeks off & on. Last 2 weeks in my house w/ Tylan and probiotics but she's given up. She is weak and I'm quite sure when I get home from work today, she'll be dead. I'm heartbroken. I've had chickens for ever and LOVE my ducks. Howard will be so sad without her.
What on earth did I do that 3 out of 4 weren't well? Chickens are all well, in a brand new giant big coop w/ the duck(s) and Howard seems robust (please dn't let him ever get sick).
I feel like a Duck Momma failure. Has anyone had these issues??? I love having ducks but now I"m afraid to get more.

 

[Debs Flock]

HI All.
Last spring was my first year for ducks. I purchased 2 ducklings at Tractor Supply. Khaki Campbells. I called them Mocha and Chino Mocha died at about a month old. I purchased 2 more ducklings, Khaki's. From Runnings (all come from McMurray Hatchery, I believe).
At 3 months, Chino died.
Howard & Hannah, the newest ducklings were doing really well. One drake, one hen.
Hannah has been to the vets repeatedly for stopping eating, losing weight and being anemic. Howard, he's doing wonderfully.
Hannah is in my house right now, I've been tending to her for a few weeks off & on. Last 2 weeks in my house w/ Tylan and probiotics but she's given up. She is weak and I'm quite sure when I get home from work today, she'll be dead. I'm heartbroken. I've had chickens for ever and LOVE my ducks. Howard will be so sad without her.
What on earth did I do that 3 out of 4 weren't well? Chickens are all well, in a brand new giant big coop w/ the duck(s) and Howard seems robust (please dn't let him ever get sick).
I feel like a Duck Momma failure. Has anyone had these issues??? I love having ducks but now I"m afraid to get more.

I'm so sorry for the losses & health issues. There really can be a large variety of things that went wrong. Without knowing the specifics, it's a shot in the dark. You might want to research further on this site using the search bar. You could enter the specific symptoms you encountered with your ducks. There's also a link in my signature line that will take you to more info.

I can say one of the biggest differences, that I'm aware of, between chickens & ducks is that ducks need some form of Niacin (I use powdered brewers yeast) added to their diet. They can't survive on chicken feed alone. In addition, if your ducks were fed Medicated Chick Starter, that would have likely caused problems. There's an ingredient added that is harmful to ducks.

Ducks require water at all times when they have access to food. They need water deep enough to dip their entire head. It's the only way they can clean/clear their nares (nostrils) and eyes.

Again, I have no way of knowing if these were contributing factors, but I hope this info helps to some degree.

 

[cawtlc]

I'm posting what I can in this thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/302654/the-khaki-campbell-duck-thread/1910#post_16595296

Thank you for the link, I"m going to check it now.

 

[Debs Flock]

I'm posting what I can in this thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/302654/the-khaki-campbell-duck-thread/1910#post_16595296

Thank you for the link, I"m going to check it now.

Hope you find some answers. Good luck & I bet you'll learn enough here to feel confident enough to try again with ducks.

 

[cawtlc]

Thank you. I've been reading since I got the ducks and the first one died and then the next..... all slightly different symptoms. It's baffling to me, especially when my vet who does usually do birds/waterfowl is perplexed.

I'm just so heartbroken.

 

[Amiga]

I just feel like there may be an environmental factor....

have either of you considered erysepalis? How do you spell that????

Also - are there a bunch of mosquitoes around from time to time, or black flies? They can carry illnesses.

 

[cawtlc]

I just feel like there may be an environmental factor....

have either of you considered erysepalis? How do you spell that????

Also - are there a bunch of mosquitoes around from time to time, or black flies? They can carry illnesses.

I agree, I keep feeling like I'm missing something - it has to be something. The first one that died, was in my house (just a fluffy duckling). The second one, spent days outside in the pen and nights in my house. Hannah, was livingi n the newest coop, but in my house the last 3 weeks.
No mosquitos etc here now - winter in New Hampshire! But, in the summer, we had plenty of those, and oh my - we have A LOT of cluster flies, etc.
I'm reading up about the erysepalis bacteria, now.