What do you do with the body of the duck who died?

[Zen Wildlife Rescuer]

@Isaac 0 I have a wildlife rescue centre and deal mainly with birds. So I've never had to tube feed a duck but I've done plenty of wild birds.I've found that tube feeding can be extremely dangerous because a lot can go wrong. For those who are experienced it is easy but it can be tough for beginners who have never tried tube feeding before. But that's what I've seen personally anyways

 

[LT71689]

re: the original question - depending on where you live there may be services for picking up or dropping off deceased "livestock"/farm animals. They may be specialized or they may be the same service that takes care of roadkill/other dead animal recovery. Basically just try googling "what to do with dead livestock [your location]" or something similar and if there is a service they should pop up. Sometimes they're independent and sometimes they're run by the city/county

Some places you're technically not allowed to bury/cremate/compost in your yard though its not common that someone will tattle on you unless somethings gone terribly wrong and it looks like you're digging mass graves in your back garden or you're doing it so improperly that it's negatively affecting the neighbors (scavengers digging it back up)

 

[Silkieluver123]

Iv got a big Pekin that was doing the same a few days ago. Discharge from eyes, hardly walking, he wouldn’t eat etc. I gave him some electro lights mixed with his water, now he’s making noise and eating more. Also he seemed to want to eat fruits and greens more than his regular crumble.

 

[casportpony]

I used my bathroom scale and he was 8 pounds - but he was also wet at the time. - he's a giant peking

Also I can't afford a vet but the neighbor has some antibiotics she wants to mix in the food. I told her no. Should I have let her? I mean, he's probably not going to make it anyway.

What antibiotics does she have? If you can get him hydrated first, antibiotics might be good, but you would need to give them orally. Let me know exactly what she has and I will look up the dosing info.

 

[Little Doe Homestead]

Usually when they're this sick, there isn't much time left. If you were to make an attempt, you'll need to do some force feeding, but it truly is a judgement call as sometimes adding more stress when they're soon to pass feels wrong. We use raw honey, heavy cream, and electrolytes in these situations. Just be careful not to feed more than they could naturally eat.

In terms of the body of a deceased bird, we have always buried them, roughly 18 inches down. We have a ton of predators and scavengers in our area and haven't had any issue. Sometimes we put it in our compost mound, buried about halfway down so it won't inadvertently be exhumed when we fluff up the pile. This way, the duck lives on through any subsequent garden or flower bed. A lot of folks around here will feed their dead chickens to pigs or dogs, but i don't think that's wise, especially if it died of illness. Also, it can trigger predator behavior and create needless risk in the future. When the ground is frozen, we burn the bodies, if you do this, just be careful to have plenty of wood beneath it because it needs a long lasting, hot fire to work properly.

Sorry about your experience, and for your duck. It is so tough to see them in pain!

 

[KaleIAm]

@Isaac 0 I have a wildlife rescue centre and deal mainly with birds. So I've never had to tube feed a duck but I've done plenty of wild birds.I've found that tube feeding can be extremely dangerous because a lot can go wrong. For those who are experienced it is easy but it can be tough for beginners who have never tried tube feeding before. But that's what I've seen personally anyways

I agree. When I first started tube feeding I found it very challenging and stressful-even though I have experience working with birds in a veterinary clinic. After a month of tube feeding 3X daily I could do it by myself quite casually. I'm not trying to say the owner shouldn't tube feed this duck - if it were my duck I would! But I think it won't be easy.

For my duck the process was stressful, but 30 seconds after it was over she didn't care. I felt badly for sticking a tube down her - but decided that she could deal with a few stressful minutes 3 times daily if it meant she might get to live.

 

[Duck Lady1]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. He finally passed away. I'm so grateful for everything I learned in this process and that he was so loved on his last day.

Now my boys are asking for another drake. So I'm thinking can I integrate a lone baby duckling (raise him to 8 weeks first) with the two girls? I know they are going to want a male around and we were used to seeing 3.

I'm thinking I have all the equipment...

 

[KaleIAm]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. He finally passed away. I'm so grateful for everything I learned in this process and that he was so loved on his last day.

Now my boys are asking for another drake. So I'm thinking can I integrate a lone baby duckling (raise him to 8 weeks first) with the two girls? I know they are going to want a male around and we were used to seeing 3.

I'm thinking I have all the equipment...

I'm very sorry for your loss, and I am thankful he isn't suffering anymore.

 

[casportpony]

I am very sorry for your loss.

When one of mine dies, I bury it and do a little funeral, which helps me mentally. Ducks that size require a pretty big hole, probably 24" deep.

 

[Isaac 0]

So sorry for your loss @Duck Lady1 .