The Duck Thread

[subhanalah]

Poor guy passed I'm devistsed. We tried everything. And no no moldy food I'm very careful. I have an adult female she's over a year never had any problems. He was fine in the morning sick by evening then died. It happens so dang fast. Could it possably be a toxic plant maybe ?

did you do a necropsy, looking for any physical anomalies?

 

[gander007]

Poor guy passed I'm devistsed. We tried everything. And no no moldy food I'm very careful. I have an adult female she's over a year never had any problems. He was fine in the morning sick by evening then died. It happens so dang fast. Could it possably be a toxic plant maybe ?

So sorry for your loss ....

 

[PrayingMantis]

Hello all!
This is our last ditch effort to save our duck!
She was hatched in May 2013, started laying in Sept 2013. Early on she had multiple soft eggs but the contents were normal. Most of the winter she laid perfect eggs. But had an episode of part of her vent stuck out maybe only a quater of an inch. It got a scab, I soaked her applied abx oint several days till it healed the bag balm. Vent went back in and random checks were fine. As of this summer about May, she stopped laying suddenly. Started moving slowly, making nests behind bushes, only to abandon them, isolating herself, but eating well. Checked her vent and it was fine. Later as she started to pump her tail I checked again and same amount of small tissue was out again and scab. Soaked again, applied abx oint, then bag balm, scab came off, tissue looked great. Vent totally inside. Next day she had a large soft egg again with normal inside content. Then few days later a deformed soft egg with little content in it, no yolk as it was open on one end. Vent looked fine she perked up and fine for several days. Yesterday she looked awful. Tail pumping, walking slowly but eating and drinking fine, poop no issue. Then she laid this solid tiny spongy nugget, then a deformed soft egg open at one end, then later pooped inside content of egg mixed with yolk and poop! What's going on with my poor duck? We have a total of 9 ducks all female, 5 laying and 4 two month olds I keep apart from the layers. The layers get free range on about a half acre of grassy area and landscaping with sun and shade, a pool, fresh water changed 3x day, vitamin water, oyster shell and layer feed. Coop at night, no food or water, back outside to forage early in the morning. No other duck is showing signs of illness or egg issues. My concerns: infection? Disease? Parasite? Abnormal internal structuring?
I started to supplement her with the manna pro omega egg maker as of yesterday evening. I'm keeping her at night away from the rest and providing food and vitamin water. Would like a list of safe antibiotics I can get at the feed store or online but if it's infection, what am I dealing with and how will I know the correct antibiotic? Arrggg!
I posted a new thread with this same posting, over there you can view the pictures. "Duck safe antibiotics"

 

[Amykins]

It sounds like she may just have an issue with either calcium absorption or just faulty egg-makin' organs. :/ My friend has a duck who got "fixed", you might want to look into that option for your girl. Otherwise she could become egg bound, and it seems like she's in pain.

 

[PrayingMantis]

Thanks! I was told she most likely has an infection but, I would think she would have spread it to the others through her droppings right? Once she gets some sort of formed soft egg out she perks up for several days also.

 

[Amykins]

Oh my goodness, how'd she even pass that huge banana-shaped thing?! Oh, your poor duckie! I definitely would ask my vet if having her spayed was a good option.

 

[PrayingMantis]

We cannot find a competent vet here nor pay for it. The egg was soft and no wider than a thumb. I'm baffled by the solid mass she laid right before the soft egg. It was weird and the size of a robin egg, a tiny yolk inside!

 

[gander007]

Hello all!
This is our last ditch effort to save our duck!
She was hatched in May 2013, started laying in Sept 2013. Early on she had multiple soft eggs but the contents were normal. Most of the winter she laid perfect eggs. But had an episode of part of her vent stuck out maybe only a quater of an inch. It got a scab, I soaked her applied abx oint several days till it healed the bag balm. Vent went back in and random checks were fine. As of this summer about May, she stopped laying suddenly. Started moving slowly, making nests behind bushes, only to abandon them, isolating herself, but eating well. Checked her vent and it was fine. Later as she started to pump her tail I checked again and same amount of small tissue was out again and scab. Soaked again, applied abx oint, then bag balm, scab came off, tissue looked great. Vent totally inside. Next day she had a large soft egg again with normal inside content. Then few days later a deformed soft egg with little content in it, no yolk as it was open on one end. Vent looked fine she perked up and fine for several days. Yesterday she looked awful. Tail pumping, walking slowly but eating and drinking fine, poop no issue. Then she laid this solid tiny spongy nugget, then a deformed soft egg open at one end, then later pooped inside content of egg mixed with yolk and poop! What's going on with my poor duck? We have a total of 9 ducks all female, 5 laying and 4 two month olds I keep apart from the layers. The layers get free range on about a half acre of grassy area and landscaping with sun and shade, a pool, fresh water changed 3x day, vitamin water, oyster shell and layer feed. Coop at night, no food or water, back outside to forage early in the morning. No other duck is showing signs of illness or egg issues. My concerns: infection? Disease? Parasite? Abnormal internal structuring?
I started to supplement her with the manna pro omega egg maker as of yesterday evening. I'm keeping her at night away from the rest and providing food and vitamin water. Would like a list of safe antibiotics I can get at the feed store or online but if it's infection, what am I dealing with and how will I know the correct antibiotic? Arrggg!
I posted a new thread with this same posting, over there you can view the pictures. "Duck safe antibiotics"

The only antibiotic I give my ducks is Duramycin-10 and I got this at the feed store and the directions are on the bag so no worries there ....

I normally feed my ducks Flock Raiser and Alfalfa pellets and I soak them for several days and feed to ducks and geese I also mix in egg's and ground up egg shells the shells I put into the blender to get them nice and small as I had this problem once before but not as long as you have but defiantly your duck is having a problem taking in calcium so I would feed her a hard boiled egg every day for a couple of weeks and add some ACV to the water or even mix it in with the feed and the wet feed will do her insides a lot of good so I would suggest fermented feed for a wile and you can look it up in the search box or in the learning center .......

Good luck with your ducks

 

[Amiga]

I have had ducks with similar egg difficulties. You are right to be concerned, and at the same time, not all ducks with these problems - if they are treated - have short lives. I know someone who has raised ducks for a number of years and her experience is that ducks that lay soft eggs are not the ones with the shortest lives, for the most part.

I think it is good to decide on an antibiotic - because they can get egg yolk peritonitis, an internal infection caused by yolk loose in the body cavity. And they cannot give e.y.p. to other ducks. PetDuck was given Baytril to give to her duck when she had e.y.p. And it worked, along with a number of other supplements. Some ducks seem to have trouble with absorbing calcium and forming eggs.

My ducks with egg troubles are given extra calcium in the form of calcium gluconate, 23% solution. It is added to everyone's feed (several have had egg shell problems) in a small amount, and when there are flare-ups, I put a quarter to a half teaspoon in some peas, half-mashed, and give that to the duck that needs extra extra. I put some in their night water as well.

A teaspoon Ca gluconate per half cup of water added to their food, and a tablespoon per gallon in the night water. I watch for signs of extra calcium showing up as gritty stuff on egg shells and rarely see signs of that. These ducks lay heavily for over half the year.

A good duck vet is always best, but that requires money and the availability of such a vet. Most of us don't have both.

 

[Myuck40]

I have a mallard that has laid 11 egg in a nest in my shrubs. She has been sitting on her eggs for about 25+ days.
Yesterday morning I saw some of her eggs in the driveway. I went out to check. Some animal had gotten into her nest. One egg was completely cracked open and baby was gone. Second egg was half open baby was dead. Third egg has a small crack. I put gloves on and put the cracked egg back in the nest. I discarded the other two.
When she returned she was quacking for about 30 minutes in my driveway.she did not go back on her nest.
I gave not seen her back since.
Will she abandon the rest of her eggs? Should I remove the cracked egg?
I am so worried about these eggs. Please tell me what to do.
Thank you
Myuck40