Sick or stressed duckling?

[Magpiesrulex]

Hello! New member and new duck parent here.

I have seven 5 week old magpie ducklings. One duckling, Lemon, was doing fine this morning and acting normal. At around noon, we noticed that she didn’t want anything to do with treats or playtime. She started to vomit water and we immediately put the other 6 back in the brooder and left her out to watch her more closely. It has been 9 hours now and we’ve seen her vomit water 2 other times. She is not eating, but she is drinking the electrolyte water. She does get up to walk around, but only a few steps and is lethargic. No nasal discharge or blockage, no cloudy/red eyes. Stools are mostly white with an army green tint. We do not have an emergency vet around that treats ducks, and the only Avian vet we have around here is off until Wednesday. Can anyone help?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

What's her waterer like? Ducks need a waterer that they can stick their bill, nares, and eyes in. If her waterer isn't deep enough, she's not able to swish her food properly.
Does she get any swim time?

 

[Magpiesrulex]

What's her waterer like? Ducks need a waterer that they can stick their bill, nares, and eyes in. If her waterer isn't deep enough, she's not able to swish her food properly.
Does she get any swim time?

Waterer is deep enough to dunk their heads in. We tried to introduce swimming to them yesterday, and they did not love it. Brooder is inside our house.

 

[Magpiesrulex]

Update: Lemon hasn’t vomited in over 5 hours. She still isn’t eating, and she is drinking very little electrolyte water. Her legs are extremely weak and she spreads her wings trying to stand, but can’t stand all the way up and falls back down…

 

[Papaye]

Hello.

You need to give us more details, so please tell us everything you can thing about - including answering these questions :

• What do you feed your ducklings, exactly?

• Do they have an unlimited access to their feed and their water - including during the nights?

• Do you get them outside during the days? (Do they have access to grass?)

• How long did your ducklings get in their swimming water yesterday? (From what you have seen : has the sick duckling stayed long enough to get waterlogged?)

I would keep allowing the ducklings to swim - under careful watch of course, because they kind of need to bath/swim in order to stimulate their gland to produce the necessary oil to make their plumage waterproof...

But still : wait a bit before letting this specific weak duckling in the water, because we first need to be sure swimming won't actually worsen his condition!

...Please : really tell us everything you can think about your ducklings!!

 

[Magpiesrulex]

Hello.

You need to give us more details, so please tell us everything you can thing about - including answering these questions :

• What do you feed your ducklings, exactly?

• Do they have an unlimited access to their feed and their water - including during the nights?

• Do you get them outside during the days? (Do they have access to grass?)

• How long did your ducklings get in their swimming water yesterday? (From what you have seen : has the sick duckling stayed long enough to get waterlogged?)

I would keep allowing the ducklings to swim - under careful watch of course, because they kind of need to bath/swim in order to stimulate their gland to produce the necessary oil to make their plumage waterproof...

But still : wait a bit before letting this specific weak duckling in the water, because we first need to be sure swimming won't actually worsen his condition!

...Please : really tell us everything you can think about your ducklings!!

We feed all 7 of the ducklings Scratch & Peck grower crumbles mixed with herbs and nutritional yeast. We also introduced grit for the first time and they get grubs and fruit treats every now and again.
They have unlimited access to food and water day and night.
No outside time yet, as it has been too cold recently so no access to grass.
She was in the water for maybe 60 seconds. They didn’t seem to like it and we didn’t want to force it.

 

[Magpiesrulex]

Hello.

You need to give us more details, so please tell us everything you can thing about - including answering these questions :

• What do you feed your ducklings, exactly?

• Do they have an unlimited access to their feed and their water - including during the nights?

• Do you get them outside during the days? (Do they have access to grass?)

• How long did your ducklings get in their swimming water yesterday? (From what you have seen : has the sick duckling stayed long enough to get waterlogged?)

I would keep allowing the ducklings to swim - under careful watch of course, because they kind of need to bath/swim in order to stimulate their gland to produce the necessary oil to make their plumage waterproof...

But still : wait a bit before letting this specific weak duckling in the water, because we first need to be sure swimming won't actually worsen his condition!

...Please : really tell us everything you can think about your ducklings!!

To add:

Right before this started, we let them out for playtime and gave them finely chopped strawberry tops in water. Cleaned their brooder (fresh hay, water, and food), while they were playing and eating their treat. Sat down to play with them and that’s when we noticed the strange behavior from her. We tried to give her grubs and she wouldn’t take it. That’s when she started to throw up water and that is when we separated her from the rest of the flock.

 

[Papaye]

We feed all 7 of the ducklings Scratch & Peck grower crumbles mixed with herbs and nutritional yeast.

Okay...

Ugh...
I am so very sorry to say I am NOT able to advice you about "ducklings Scratch & Peck grower crumbles" : I don't know what it is, and for the time being, my Internet is not working good enough for the website I have clicked on to charge (and so : to explain to me if it is good enough for 5-weeks-old ducklings)...

•

What I give my 5-weeks-old ducklings is a mix of duck pellets, wheat, and food grade Diatomaceous Earth... and in another feeder : oyster shell grit.
...and my ducklings grow strong, healthy, and with the shinier feathers I have ever seen on ducks!

No need to give them any kind of fruits, herbs, or arthropods if your ducklings look and sound fine enough...
So : I would recommend you to stop with it for the time being.

Instead : start by mixing some duck pellets with their crumbles for a few days - one week max.
After what : feed them a mix of duck pellets and wheat; and give them access to grit in another feeder.

And you do what you want, but stopping with yeast AND mixing food grade Diatomaceous Earth in their food instead can't hurt your ducklings.

(I recommend it from personal experiences, but you are not obligated to think my opinion is worth more than it is!!)

They have unlimited access to food and water day and night.

Good!

At least until the end of their growth period, ducklings need to have an unlimited access to their food and their water... nights included!!

No outside time yet, as it has been too cold recently so no access to grass.

What do you mean by "too cold"?
Are the temperatures negative? (I'm talking Celsius here...)

If not, there is no reason your ducklings could not go outside during the days - at least when the sun is high in the sky.

At 5-weeks-old, Magpie ducklings are supposed to be strong enough to get in the cold sometimes : they won't die from it, and would actually benefit from sunlight and eating grass.
(Grass contains minerals good for your ducklings' health and growth!)

Of course, you would need to monitor them and get them inside if you see they are cold...!

She was in the water for maybe 60 seconds. They didn’t seem to like it and we didn’t want to force it.

So... water is not what have got her sick... (not for just 60 seconds)

Don't force it, but allow your ducklings to bath for a bit everyday - under careful watch.
It would really be good for them! (Anyway : they will learn to love swimming by themselves.)

Cleaned their brooder (fresh hay, water, and food), while they were playing and eating their treat.

I am no actual expert, but I would really recommend you to NOT use hay. (Use straw instead.)

I know people who ACCIDENTALLY killed their ducks by using hay as their bedding...
It is dangerous - even for people.

Sat down to play with them and that’s when we noticed the strange behavior from her. We tried to give her grubs and she wouldn’t take it. That’s when she started to throw up water and that is when we separated her from the rest of the flock.

How is she NOW?
Has her condition worsened...?

 

[Magpiesrulex]

Okay...

Ugh...
I am so very sorry to say I am NOT able to advice you about "ducklings Scratch & Peck grower crumbles" : I don't know what it is, and for the time being, my Internet is not working good enough for the website I have clicked on to charge (and so : to explain to me if it is good enough for 5-weeks-old ducklings)...

•

What I give my 5-weeks-old ducklings is a mix of duck pellets, wheat, and food grade Diatomaceous Earth... and in another feeder : oyster shell grit.
...and my ducklings grow strong, healthy, and with the shinier feathers I have ever seen on ducks!

No need to give them any kind of fruits, herbs, or arthropods if your ducklings look and sound fine enough...
So : I would recommend you to stop with it for the time being.

Instead : start by mixing some duck pellets with their crumbles for a few days - one week max.
After what : feed them a mix of duck pellets and wheat; and give them access to grit in another feeder.

And you do what you want, but stopping with yeast AND mixing food grade Diatomaceous Earth in their food instead can't hurt your ducklings.

(I recommend it from personal experiences, but you are not obligated to think my opinion is worth more than it is!!)



Good!

At least until the end of their growth period, ducklings need to have an unlimited access to their food and their water... nights included!!



What do you mean by "too cold"?
Are the temperatures negative? (I'm talking Celsius here...)

If not, there is no reason your ducklings could not go outside during the days - at least when the sun is high in the sky.

At 5-weeks-old, Magpie ducklings are supposed to be strong enough to get in the cold sometimes : they won't die from it, and would actually benefit from sunlight and eating grass.
(Grass contains minerals good for your ducklings' health and growth!)

Of course, you would need to monitor them and get them inside if you see they are cold...!



So... water is not what have got her sick... (not for just 60 seconds)

Don't force it, but allow your ducklings to bath for a bit everyday - under careful watch.
It would really be good for them! (Anyway : they will learn to love swimming by themselves.)



I am no actual expert, but I would really recommend you to NOT use hay. (Use straw instead.)

I know people who ACCIDENTALLY killed their ducks by using hay as their bedding...
It is dangerous - even for people.



How is she NOW?
Has her condition worsened...?

We do not free feed the fruit. It is used as a treat, like the grubs.

We are using brewers yeast for the niacin intake.

Yes. By cold, I do mean negative (Celsius) temps.

My mistake, we are actually using hemp straw bedding.

She hasn’t worsened. She is standing a little more steadily after the night of rest that she got. She has pooped (dark green) and we will continue to monitor and try to find a vet locally.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Waterer is deep enough to dunk their heads in. We tried to introduce swimming to them yesterday, and they did not love it. Brooder is inside our house.

Yeah, they can be a little timid at first. I always start out with about 2" of water for them to swim in.