Muscovy duck - eyes turned red.

[Snjezana]

Hello!

I bought two Muscovy females for my Muscovy drake, several months ago. I keep them as pets. Ladies are about 9-10 months old. Lately, I am concerned for one of them especially, because, she has changed her behavior. Before, she was very happy and spirited, and lately she is calmed and sleeps or stands alone a lot while other two are walking around. There is one more thing - her eyes turned red. I took her to vet, he gave her some medicine, and antibiotic ointment for eyes. And since it was Easter, instead of us coming to his office, he gave me to give her her medicine, which was not very successful. The duck did not want to take it through food. I called the vet and told him what happened. He said that if she is eating and drinking she will be fine. If not to bring her to him for a daily treatment. I continued using antibiotic ointment for a week, and now only one eye is red and she is more lively. What to do? Should I continue with the ointment? I called the vet several times in the past period and he said that ducks are very durable animals. I am worried, but on the other side I find taking my ducks to the vet very stressful.

Thanks a million.
Snowy

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hello!

I bought two Muscovy females for my Muscovy drake, several months ago. I keep them as pets. Ladies are about 9-10 months old. Lately, I am concerned for one of them especially, because, she has changed her behavior. Before, she was very happy and spirited, and lately she is calmed and sleeps or stands alone a lot while other two are walking around. There is one more thing - her eyes turned red. I took her to vet, he gave her some medicine, and antibiotic ointment for eyes. And since it was Easter, instead of us coming to his office, he gave me to give her her medicine, which was not very successful. The duck did not want to take it through food. I called the vet and told him what happened. He said that if she is eating and drinking she will be fine. If not to bring her to him for a daily treatment. I continued using antibiotic ointment for a week, and now only one eye is red and she is more lively. What to do? Should I continue with the ointment? I called the vet several times in the past period and he said that ducks are very durable animals. I am worried, but on the other side I find taking my ducks to the vet very stressful.

Thanks a million.
Snowy

What feed are they on and do they have deep enough water always available to dunk their heads in?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ducks are hardy birds but they do get sick. What is the meds he has her on? besides the eye ointment. If she still has an eye that isn't healed wrap her in a towel so she can't fight you and treat. My Muscovy don't like to be held so wrapping them in a towel is much better when we have to treat.

 

[Snjezana]

What feed are they on and do they have deep enough water always available to dunk their heads in?

Hi! I feed them with a mix, which I buy on a local (farmer's) market. Mix is made out of cracked corn, triticale, wheat and sunflower seeds. Recently, I have started adding some extra vitamins in their feed and in their water too (vet's advice). Besides that, they spent a lot of time in the orchard and I often give them some treats, such as lettuce, or some cooked vegetables. They seem to like my cat's food a lot, since I don't allow it, I am considering buying them some dehydrated food for ducks as well.
The thing is that I have started adding vitamins after she has begun laying eggs.
They have a small bucket to wash themselves and they do it several times a day, I change their water twice a day. I have a small pool for them too, but we have not used it yet.

 

[Snjezana]

Ducks are hardy birds but they do get sick. What is the meds he has her on? besides the eye ointment. If she still has an eye that isn't healed wrap her in a towel so she can't fight you and treat. My Muscovy don't like to be held so wrapping them in a towel is much better when we have to treat.

Hello! He gave her calcium and something I don't know with an injection (but at home I had to give it to her through food, the moment she has felt the medicine, she refused to eat it). Her left eye is still red and skin around it is wrinkly. Her eye has changed its color. She has blue eyes. My ducks do not like to held either. Our vet has noticed that her eye is little foamy, but my drake eyes are lately foamy too. Then the vet told to apply the ointment on the drake too. I am not sure what am I doing wrong.
Thank you.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you post some pictures of their eyes?
Do they have water deep enough to really get their heads in and clean their eyes out good? Pool also? A lot of time foamy eyes can mean not water sufficient to wash their heads. You can also put some Apple Cider Vinegar into their bucket of water. 1-2 Tab per gal is enough to kill certain bacteria but won't sting the eyes. What bedding are you using? just wondering if something they are around can be causing irritation?

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi! I feed them with a mix, which I buy on a local (farmer's) market. Mix is made out of cracked corn, triticale, wheat and sunflower seeds. Recently, I have started adding some extra vitamins in their feed and in their water too (vet's advice). Besides that, they spent a lot of time in the orchard and I often give them some treats, such as lettuce, or some cooked vegetables. They seem to like my cat's food a lot, since I don't allow it, I am considering buying them some dehydrated food for ducks as well.
The thing is that I have started adding vitamins after she has begun laying eggs.
They have a small bucket to wash themselves and they do it several times a day, I change their water twice a day. I have a small pool for them too, but we have not used it yet.

is the mix meant for ducks or all poultry? Waterfowl need specific food so that they get enough niacin. Without it they can become tired and their legs can weaken. I'm not sure how prone to niacin defieciencies muscovies are, but I would imagine it's pretty important to have the right levels.
How small is the bucket? Is it deep enough to dunk their whole heads?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have never had a Muscovy with a niacin deficiency but I would think just like other ducks they could def come down with it if not given a form of niacin from hatch. All my waterfowl always have gotten Nutritional yeast over their feeds even mama raised ones.

 

[Snjezana]

is the mix meant for ducks or all poultry? Waterfowl need specific food so that they get enough niacin. Without it they can become tired and their legs can weaken. I'm not sure how prone to niacin defieciencies muscovies are, but I would imagine it's pretty important to have the right levels.
How small is the bucket? Is it deep enough to dunk their whole heads?

Hello! The mix is custom made and it contains seeds that I wrote earlier (cracked corn, triticale, sunflower seeds and wheat). I did not buy it in the store, there is a man on the market that prepares the mix whenever I need it. I have noticed that my drake gets tired form time to time, which worries me. He walks slower, and cannot always follow his girls, so he rather stands on one spot or lays down. I have talked to the vet about it and he said, that he might be overweight, but he never saw the animal in person. He also said that ducks are hardy animals, he is not sure what is happening with my ducks. I cannot ignore them and their situation. There has to be something I can do or change to help them. The bucket can take 6 liters of water and I fill up the pool with 30 liters of water.
There is one more thing about my drake. He does not like to bathe very often either. And when he gets wet he does not dries himself quickly. Sometimes it takes hours for him to do it.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hello! The mix is custom made and it contains seeds that I wrote earlier (cracked corn, triticale, sunflower seeds and wheat). I did not buy it in the store, there is a man on the market that prepares the mix whenever I need it. I have noticed that my drake gets tired form time to time, which worries me. He walks slower, and cannot always follow his girls, so he rather stands on one spot or lays down. I have talked to the vet about it and he said, that he might be overweight, but he never saw the animal in person. He also said that ducks are hardy animals, he is not sure what is happening with my ducks. I cannot ignore them and their situation. There has to be something I can do or change to help them. The bucket can take 6 liters of water and I fill up the pool with 30 liters of water.
There is one more thing about my drake. He does not like to bathe very often either. And when he gets wet he does not dries himself quickly. Sometimes it takes hours for him to do it.

It sounds like he isn't waterproof like he shoulf be, but that could be to do with not going in the pool- water helps stimulate the oil gland. Do you actually mean 30 litres or did you mean gallons? How often does he go in? Daily, A few times a week? Sounds like he has wet feather.

How do his legs look, bowed at all? Are his toes facing inwards or forwards when he walks?