- Jul 27, 2014
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This female Muscovy is 10 months old. She loves staying in the creek overnight.
The past 3 days had turned cold. She has slept in the coop with the other ducks and chickens. Yesterday warmed up but she did not go to the creek and spent the day sleeping near the coop. She drank some water but I didn't see her eat anything.
This morning she can't stand up and has not come out of the coop yet.
I am very rural and do not have access to a vet.
The weather has warmed up here so that the ice has melted off the fast moving creek and all the birds are free-ranging. They have access to layer, scratch, calcium and fresh water.
Last year I lost many ducks (no chickens) to what I thought was botulism from something in the creek. Ducks presented as quiet and not eating, then uncoordinated and unwilling to move, leading to flaccid neck, tremors, then death. Ducklings typically died within hours of symptoms and mature female ducks could hold out for days. Adult drakes were not affected.
Activated charcoal may have worked in 1 case...or maybe it was a coincidence.
Necropsies showed no abnormalities, but I am not very experienced.
Any suggestions? I am all out of ideas and I can't bear the thought of a repeat of last year.
The past 3 days had turned cold. She has slept in the coop with the other ducks and chickens. Yesterday warmed up but she did not go to the creek and spent the day sleeping near the coop. She drank some water but I didn't see her eat anything.
This morning she can't stand up and has not come out of the coop yet.
I am very rural and do not have access to a vet.
The weather has warmed up here so that the ice has melted off the fast moving creek and all the birds are free-ranging. They have access to layer, scratch, calcium and fresh water.
Last year I lost many ducks (no chickens) to what I thought was botulism from something in the creek. Ducks presented as quiet and not eating, then uncoordinated and unwilling to move, leading to flaccid neck, tremors, then death. Ducklings typically died within hours of symptoms and mature female ducks could hold out for days. Adult drakes were not affected.
Activated charcoal may have worked in 1 case...or maybe it was a coincidence.
Necropsies showed no abnormalities, but I am not very experienced.
Any suggestions? I am all out of ideas and I can't bear the thought of a repeat of last year.
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