What is wrong?

[sydneysindey25]

Hi there!!! I'm new to raising ducklings. I bought a pair of baby ducklings last month and one died after a heavy injury in one of his legs since he jumped off from a certain height. Just because the other one was alone, I bought another pair . The former was happy to have company but within two days both the latter died . I really don't know what the reason was because before their death, the place under their eyes turned yellow making the ducklings weak. Now since one of the duckling I bought first was alone again, I bought another pair two days ago. They were healthy when they came home but today I'm really shocked to find one among the new ones to be weak...not really weak, but he is not active like he was the day before. He quaks a little , runs and even drinks some water but is not actives like yesterday. What might be the problem ?

 

[CayugaJana]

Do you have water they can get into as another poster mentioned? What are you feeding them? Do you have a heat lamp? What’s their bedding?

 

[Jrzebra]

I agree on the nutrition, baby birds have specific dietary requirements, so it's important to feed a complete feed made for babies for the 1st 4-6 weeks, (at the very least). Ducklings also need more protein than baby chicks.

However, because this guy started looking bad so quickly after you brought him home, it leads me to think that one (or both) of the following is going on: Either (1) the duckling was sick when you got it & just didn't start showing signs until after you brought it home, or (2) Something this duck was accustomed to has changed so drastically, that it's caused him to have a response very similar to shock. For example, perhaps he was used to being kept indoors w/a heat lamp; if a duckling is used to being very warm, it needs to be introduced slowly to being kept outside- only a couple hours a day at 1st, & only when the weather is warm. Putting a duck straight from a brooder suddenly to outside where it's much colder can chill him & cause a shock (stress) response to his system, which can lower his immunity & natural ability to fight off a cold.
If ducklings look sad or weak & don't have the energy the others do, they are stressed. Treat like any critter that is sick: keep warm & away from any drafts & make sure he stays hydrated. Electrolytes added to the water can be a big help. You can buy an electrolyte solution made for fowl, or you can use Pedialyte or even Gatorade mixed with their water. When they look sick & weak & it's only been a day or so, heat & good hydration are much more important than anything else. Make sure the weak duck has access to water with electrolytes (& vitamins, if you have it), at all times, and that he doesn't have to compete with the other ducklings for water or food. I'd try adding a heat lamp as well, if onlt temporarily, so your babies can get under it & keep warm if needed. It doesnt have to be low like with day- old babies, 3'-4' above them will still give them warmth.
Also, if the weak duck is getting walked over, pushed around or pecked on at all by the others, I'd separate him until he can fend for himself again, as getting beat up will cause a shock response as well.
Good luck, I hope this helps at least a little. I love ducks & hate to see them get sick.

 

[kwhites634]

I’m assuming you aren’t from the states. Do they have poultry feed in your country?

Hi, Jana,
From the name, I'm guessing Australia

 

[sydneysindey25]

I agree on the nutrition, baby birds have specific dietary requirements, so it's important to feed a complete feed made for babies for the 1st 4-6 weeks, (at the very least). Ducklings also need more protein than baby chicks.

However, because this guy started looking bad so quickly after you brought him home, it leads me to think that one (or both) of the following is going on: Either (1) the duckling was sick when you got it & just didn't start showing signs until after you brought it home, or (2) Something this duck was accustomed to has changed so drastically, that it's caused him to have a response very similar to shock. For example, perhaps he was used to being kept indoors w/a heat lamp; if a duckling is used to being very warm, it needs to be introduced slowly to being kept outside- only a couple hours a day at 1st, & only when the weather is warm. Putting a duck straight from a brooder suddenly to outside where it's much colder can chill him & cause a shock (stress) response to his system, which can lower his immunity & natural ability to fight off a cold.
If ducklings look sad or weak & don't have the energy the others do, they are stressed. Treat like any critter that is sick: keep warm & away from any drafts & make sure he stays hydrated. Electrolytes added to the water can be a big help. You can buy an electrolyte solution made for fowl, or you can use Pedialyte or even Gatorade mixed with their water. When they look sick & weak & it's only been a day or so, heat & good hydration are much more important than anything else. Make sure the weak duck has access to water with electrolytes (& vitamins, if you have it), at all times, and that he doesn't have to compete with the other ducklings for water or food. I'd try adding a heat lamp as well, if onlt temporarily, so your babies can get under it & keep warm if needed. It doesnt have to be low like with day- old babies, 3'-4' above them will still give them warmth.
Also, if the weak duck is getting walked over, pushed around or pecked on at all by the others, I'd separate him until he can fend for himself again, as getting beat up will cause a shock response as well.
Good luck, I hope this helps at least a little. I love ducks & hate to see them get sick.

yeah, now i get it!!!!! thanks a lot jrzebra.

 

[Jrzebra]

Young ducklings are very susceptible to stress & if they get stressed it can kill them, if not caught quickly. Theres a lot of ways they can get stressed when very young. It would help to figure out the problem if you describe more details about how you are keeping them. Ducklings, like chicks, need to be kept quite warm for the 1st week especially. Do you have a heat lamp set up for them? Are they inside or out? When you found the dead ones, what was their condition? It's also tempting to give them a large pan of water to play in, b/c they love it so much; but they can get soaked & chilled very quickly & die. I never leave ducks under 2 weeks old unattended with water that they can get into for that reason. Also, smaller ducklings can be smothered & suffocated by larger ones, so it's good to keep a close eye on them for a few days, if there's an obvious size difference. Those are some of the most common reasons baby ducks don't make it, in my experience. However, there's lots of other less common reasons, such as poisoning, nutrient deficiencies, bullying, predators, etc, so knowing more details of their housing & living situation would help a lot.

 

[sydneysindey25]

Young ducklings are very susceptible to stress & if they get stressed it can kill them, if not caught quickly. Theres a lot of ways they can get stressed when very young. It would help to figure out the problem if you describe more details about how you are keeping them. Ducklings, like chicks, need to be kept quite warm for the 1st week especially. Do you have a heat lamp set up for them? Are they inside or out? When you found the dead ones, what was their condition? It's also tempting to give them a large pan of water to play in, b/c they love it so much; but they can get soaked & chilled very quickly & die. I never leave ducks under 2 weeks old unattended with water that they can get into for that reason. Also, smaller ducklings can be smothered & suffocated by larger ones, so it's good to keep a close eye on them for a few days, if there's an obvious size difference. Those are some of the most common reasons baby ducks don't make it, in my experience. However, there's lots of other less common reasons, such as poisoning, nutrient deficiencies, bullying, predators, etc, so knowing more details of their housing & living situation would help a lot.

HI!! WHAT KIND OF STRESS ARE THEY SUSCEPTIBLE TO? MY DUCKLINGS ARE AROUND FIVE WEEKS OLD. NO, I DONT HAVE HEAT LAMPS. THEY ARE KEPT OUT IN AN OPEN AREA(TO BE PRECISE, ITS MY BACKYARD). A LITTLE OF MY BACK AREA HAS GOT CEMENT FLOORING AND THEY ARE LET FREE TO WANDER ABOUT THERE. THE PLACE IS KEPT CLEAN ALWAYS AND HAS GOT AMPLE WATER FACILITIES. OKAY NOW COMING TO THE DEAD ONES, THE FIRST DAY THEY HAD SOME YELLOWISH SHADE BENEATH THEIR EYES AND THEIR EYES WERE NOT AS ROUND AND BIG AS USUAL. ONE COULD SENSE THAT THEY ARE WEAK JUST BY LOOKING INTO THEIR EYES BUT THEY DID ROAM AROUND WITH OTHER MATES OF THEM( DID NOT EAT A THING BUT DRANK A LITTLE WATER). AROUND EVENING THEY BECAME INACTIVE ( SAT AT ONE CORNER). THE NEXT DAY I FOUND IT DEAD.......I EVEN SUPPLIED IT WITH ANTIBIOTICS AS PRESCRIBED BY THE VET BUT IT DID NOT WORK OUT.

 

[sydneysindey25]

Do you have water they can get into as another poster mentioned? What are you feeding them? Do you have a heat lamp? What’s their bedding?

HI!!!!! THEY EAT GRAINS, RICE, TOMATOES,SWEET CORN, AND SOME VEGGIES . NO, I DONT HAVE A HEAT LAMP. WE KIND OF HAVE A COOP FOR THEM WHICH WE DO CLEAN EVERYDAY BEFORE WE LET THEM IN.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Where in this world do you live @sydneysindey25 what are your outside temps?
We will try our best to help you but we need to know more about your set up can you post pics for us?

Here is the basic of caring for ducklings.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings.750869/

 

[sydneysindey25]

I’m assuming you aren’t from the states. Do they have poultry feed in your country?

No am not from states. Yeah we do have poultry feed but getting t is pretty difficult because we cant get it every where here. Those kinda shops which sell these are pretty much rare to be spotted.