Help! Ducks attacked by mink!

[Lukemjm]

Well, it seems super obvious where not to put it, so that's great. Basically as long as you don't stick it down the hole at the base of the tongue you're not going to drown them. Might not nourish them if you aim wrong, but at least you won't immediately kill them.
I might even trust myself to do it if I had to. XD

I probably would have a second person hold the bird though, just so I could concentrate all of my attention and dexterity on getting the tube in the right place. So, you feed it all the way down into the crop?

I fed the tube all the way down into the crop. You can watch it go down, so you know it's not doing something weird. I also had a second person hold the ducks, wrapped in a towel. It would be a much easier job with smaller doses, but I needed two hands just for the syringe and the duck's bill.

 

[casportpony]

She lived though?

She is alive and well.

Is it hard to give subcutaneous fluids?

If you've done cats or dogs you can do it, but it is harder.

What causes birds to get intestinal infections?

I think she had blackhead, which is a disease they can get from eating earthworms.

 

[casportpony]

@Lukemjm , How are they doing now?

 

[AmyJane725]

I think she had blackhead, which is a disease they can get from eating earthworms.

They can get sick from eating earthworms?!

Well, no worms for my girls I guess. I'll be sticking to mealworms and vegetables/fruits (unless there's something wrong with any of those that I don't know about). I do have a list of stuff that you shouldn't feed them.

 

[casportpony]

They can get sick from eating earthworms?!

https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=343

 

[Lukemjm]

@Lukemjm , How are they doing now?

Ducks are doing ok. I gave Gregory his food through the tube, and he did great. It is so good to see his crop full of food again. And I can tell he feels better. Carmella got more water, as she isn't pooing yet, and I want to make sure she is hydrated before feeding.

Thanks everyone for all the support, prayers, and kind words. Things are looking up for the first time since day 1.

 

[Lukemjm]

They can get sick from eating earthworms?!

Well, no worms for my girls I guess. I'll be sticking to mealworms and vegetables/fruits (unless there's something wrong with any of those that I don't know about). I do have a list of stuff that you shouldn't feed them.

Would I be able to get a copy of that list??

 

[AmyJane725]

Would I be able to get a copy of that list??

Certainly. It's geared toward chickens, so I'm not sure if it all applies for your ducks, but I'm sure there is at least some overlap. There's also a written version here on BYC. It lists good treats first, and there is a list of dangerous/toxic stuff at the end in a separate table.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...—the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens.47738/

 

[AmyJane725]

Here, this should be helpful for your duckies

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-ultimate-list-of-duck-treats-and-supplements.242460/

 

[Texag87]

I know this is hijacking a thread but is there a problem with feeding minnows, shad, and baby perch out of a pond ? What about grub worms and snails?