Runner Duck Dead in Pond- No Sign of Injury

[momo18clara]

Hi Everyone! I`m new here so I apologize if I`m posting this in the wrong place, but I have free range ducks and about a month ago I found one of my adult Indian Fawn Runners dead in our pond. At first I thought he must have been hurt by some animal and died in the pond, but he looked just find when I got him out, so then I thought he must have just had something wrong with him. Unfortunately, I just had another one die the same way last night. I`m really starting to worry now, have any of you ever had anything like this? They are all young ducks(none of them are older than 3yrs).

Also, the weather has been really strange here lately- this summer was the driest on record and now we`re having temperatures in the 70Fs one day and the 30Fs the next. Do you think this might have anything to do with it?

 

[jdywntr]

Hi Everyone! I`m new here so I apologize if I`m posting this in the wrong place, but I have free range ducks and about a month ago I found one of my adult Indian Fawn Runners dead in our pond. At first I thought he must have been hurt by some animal and died in the pond, but he looked just find when I got him out, so then I thought he must have just had something wrong with him. Unfortunately, I just had another one die the same way last night. I`m really starting to worry now, have any of you ever had anything like this? They are all young ducks(none of them are older than 3yrs).

Also, the weather has been really strange here lately- this summer was the driest on record and now we`re having temperatures in the 70Fs one day and the 30Fs the next. Do you think this might have anything to do with it?

Hi and

sorry for the losses.
I'm having similar weather (very annoying) and I even have week old ducklings with mom outside so I don't think its that.
Can you give more specifics? How many ducks total and how many of each gender? Is this happening overnight only? Is the pool in a protected, covered area? Any lights on at night out there? Is their body condition/weight good?


Typically, if you found a duck in the pool it may have been drowned by others mating or fighting.

 

[momo18clara]

Thanks for your quick response!
I have 10 ducks(3 males and 7 females) and one male goose. So far I've had a male and a female die this way. They free range during the day and come in at night(they go into dog pens with a large dog house) and as for water, they have a large pond that they swim in during the day that's not protected. I don't think that they are actually dieing at night, but I don't really know...usually I just cant find one of them when I try to put them away for the night. In the morning I find it dead in the pond. Also, there is no lighting down there(our house doesn't even have a street light and as far as I can tell they are all in good health. I currently only feed them corn, so I guess since its "winter" they may not be having all there nutritional needs met. What do you feed your ducks?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for your quick response!
I have 10 ducks(3 males and 7 females) and one male goose. So far I've had a male and a female die this way. They free range during the day and come in at night(they go into dog pens with a large dog house) and as for water, they have a large pond that they swim in during the day that's not protected. I don't think that they are actually dieing at night, but I don't really know...usually I just cant find one of them when I try to put them away for the night. In the morning I find it dead in the pond. Also, there is no lighting down there(our house doesn't even have a street light and as far as I can tell they are all in good health. I currently only feed them corn, so I guess since its "winter" they may not be having all there nutritional needs met. What do you feed your ducks?

I'm sorry for your loss, corn in itself is not a whole some enough diet they need an all flock feed especially in the winter months when there isn't much to forage for,. If I was you I would take a good look and feel of my ducks, sometime the eyes can be deceived they may all be malnourished. My flock gets an all flock feed yr round and they are free to forage also. Could they be getting into something contaminated? is your water in your pond stagnant? lots of different things to look into here. There is a sticky at the top of the duck thread that talks about what to do if suspect they have botulism. and how to treat it,. I wish i had answers for you, I hope you can figure it out and not lose anymore. Okay how does your goose act with your ducks? have you noticed him trying to mount them asking because some folks are seeing their geese starting into mating season and could your goose be trying to mate and drowning them?

 

[momo18clara]

Yeah, I've thought about getting a different feed before, but most of the kinds I've tried have been too crumbly and made the birds cough. Would some type of layer pellets be OK? What type of feed to you get? As for getting into something contaminated; its entirely possible since they roam all over. The pond is a large pond, but it is stagnant, so its definitely possible they`re getting something from it. I suppose it`s also possible that the goose might be accidentally be drowning them, but as far as I can tell hes never really tried to mate any of them(he does get mad at the ducks when they try to mate tho)...maybe I`ll try to get him a mate this spring...
Thanks

 

[Poultry Couture]

PLEASE I NEED HELP! Same thing has been happening to me! A purebred khaki Campbell of mine that we hatche out a couple months ago died on land with NO signs of injury whatsoever! Also, my sweet duck named apricot died in the water too! We thought she was sleep cause her beak was tucked under her wing and everything ! She had been asleep for about twenty minutes and I walked up to the edge of the pond and picked her up... Dead so what is going on!

 

[Miss Lydia]

PLEASE I NEED HELP! Same thing has been happening to me! A purebred khaki Campbell of mine that we hatche out a couple months ago died on land with NO signs of injury whatsoever! Also, my sweet duck named apricot died in the water too! We thought she was sleep cause her beak was tucked under her wing and everything ! She had been asleep for about twenty minutes and I walked up to the edge of the pond and picked her up... Dead

so what is going on!

I have no idea but if they are drinking stagnant water from the pond, that could be the culprit, so sorry for your loss.
heres the link on what to do if you suspect botulism https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700526/flushes-for-aiding-in-toxin-removal#post_9508213

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah, I've thought about getting a different feed before, but most of the kinds I've tried have been too crumbly and made the birds cough. Would some type of layer pellets be OK? What type of feed to you get? As for getting into something contaminated; its entirely possible since they roam all over. The pond is a large pond, but it is stagnant, so its definitely possible they`re getting something from it. I suppose it`s also possible that the goose might be accidentally be drowning them, but as far as I can tell hes never really tried to mate any of them(he does get mad at the ducks when they try to mate tho)...maybe I`ll try to get him a mate this spring...
Thanks

I use Purina Flock Raiser it comes in pellet and crumble I can't get duck feed here but i have a mixed flock anyway but the FR is for all birds. Until this past Aug. when I got my gander a mate he would mate with some of my Muscovy's, there is a big possibility it could be your goose. you may need to sit out and watch for a while to see how they are interacting. I'm not saying he would intentionally drown one but look at the difference in size that alone could cause a problem. Mine were mating in a pool.

 

[jdywntr]

There is alot of controversy about feeding only corn. It isn't nutritionally complete but they will grow on it though more slowly and they may tend to get fat. That being said, many people do feed just corn.
I feed a mix of a high protein layer pellet with a 9-way scratch. The mix works out to 16% protein.

If your birds are coughing when they have been given other feed, do they have water available? They need water in order to swallow their feed and crumbles are a finer texture.

I would be concerned about drowning. Possibly they are getting into something but since its been a month between losses I don't know.

With the similar circumstances of not finding them at night then finding them in the morning I would try to make sure that you get everyone put up. Try feeding in the evening so they so come back.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks and geese love corn, I give it as a treat, but I do give them 7 way scratch mixed in the FR.