[staggs19851]

Good Morning,

We had three call ducks, 2 females and one male.
Yesterday the females became weak and lost the strength in thier legs and couldnt lift themselves up to stand. within an hour they died. they didnt die together - one went and then the other was about 2 hours later - but on the same day. Our drake however is absolutly fine, they are in our backgarden and we have had ducks out there for nearly 2 years and never had this problem. i dont understand what can have happened. anyone have any ideas? both the females were from this years hatch. 

[joyfull]

so sorry to read this, gutted for you. Have they been able to get access to anything poisoness - plants, berries, poisoned rats, mice etc?

[staggs19851]

so sorry to read this, gutted for you. Have they been able to get access to anything poisoness - plants, berries, poisoned rats, mice etc?

well like i said ive had ducks in that area for 2 years and never had the problem b4. its just so strange, we only have grass and hedges out there, there isnt loads of plants etc. they always seem to eat together too and the male is still healthy. ive put a mirror out now there because it really does keep him company! lol

[darkbrowneggs]

So sorry about your loss.  Just a couple of possiblities

Were the ducks a normal weight or were they thinner than you might have expected?  It is possible they need worming, but in that case one would expect the drake to be thinner as well

Is the drake particularly active with them.  If he was continually chasing them to mate they may not have been able to eat enough.

All the best
Sue

[staggs19851]

Heya, No they were all pretty good size, also our dining room backs onto the garden there are french doors which we watch them from allllll the time with the kids and we havnt seen them mate at all yet. when it came to feeding one of the females was the bossiest out of all three and made sure she ate first, they alsop use to eat out of our hand so i know they were all feeding. thanks for the replies everyone, i dont know much about these things ours are pets, i wondered if there are any illnesses or diseases that only the female ducks carry or something? its baffled us !

[flangey]

Hello Staggs, how old are they, you said they hadn't started mating yet.  I hatched some Mini Appleyards last year and lost two at about 8 weeks old, similar thing, they came out of the house in the morning looking a bit weak, and within an hour or so they were both dead! They were in with 4 others that were all fine.  It might just be one of those things, it's never happened to me before or since.

[orchardlady]

What have you been feeding them? Do they free range or are they in a pen? Have they access to a free flowing stream or do they have a re fillable pond, paddling pool etc? I've had a look in my duck book and there are various ideas but too numerous to go through them all but if you answer my questions it might help me narrow things down.

OL

[staggs19851]

Hello Staggs, how old are they, you said they hadn't started mating yet.  I hatched some Mini Appleyards last year and lost two at about 8 weeks old, similar thing, they came out of the house in the morning looking a bit weak, and within an hour or so they were both dead! They were in with 4 others that were all fine.  It might just be one of those things, it's never happened to me before or since.

they ere hatched about may time

[staggs19851]

What have you been feeding them? Do they free range or are they in a pen? Have they access to a free flowing stream or do they have a re fillable pond, paddling pool etc? I've had a look in my duck book and there are various ideas but too numerous to go through them all but if you answer my questions it might help me narrow things down.

OL

hi there, i just buy duck feed my drake has been on it since we first got him and he is 2 yrs old, same goes for our pond we clean it out ourselves once a week, the last month it has been completely frozen though and they have had other large containers with fresh water out there to swim in and drink.... we usually have a large bowl of fresh water out there anyway that we replace everyday anyway even if the pond isnt frozen over. they are free range i guess... they roam our back garden which is completly fenced around but occassionaly fly over the fence to get to the front door of our house where they tend to wonder into my kitchen and drive me absolutly mental ! we live in very rural surrounds, just farming feilds around they use to go in the feilds but i hadnt seen them fly to the feilds for months. they dont have access to any free flowing water. and my garden is basically just hedges and grass there are no plants in the garden. this is why we are so confused because if they ate something bad then why didnt my drake, also if they caught some kind of illness ..... why didnt my drake ?! ive had him 2 years now and im so glad he is ok.... while im here ill ask you all about something that i cant seem to find ANYWHERE online..... my drake barry, walks backwards ALLLLL the time. he backs up and he shrugs his shoulders as he is doing it.  (or where there would be shoulders LOL) it looks like the moonwalk and everyone knows him as the moonwalking duck.... ive searched high and low for videos online of it and found nothing like it, i wonder if anyone here who obviously knows more than i do knows anything about this?!

[orchardlady]

From my duck book. Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. Dave Holderread.

I hope this helps and gives you some ideas.....

A common mistake is to presume that a health problem cannot be diet related because only part of a flock is showing symptoms. Remember every birds digests and assimilates nutrients and toxins differently and it is normal for diet related symptoms to vary widely in a flock of birds, from individuals that show no symptoms to others that experience severe symptoms or death.

Some common materials that are known to be toxic to ducks include commercial fertilisers, salt, lead (from birds picking up pellets or nibbling on leaded paint) herbicides, pesticides, baits for rodents, slugs and snails, leguminous plants and their raw seeds, cotton seed meal, and leaves of tobacco and rhubarb. Other plants that are suspected of causing illness or death in ducks include fox glove, potato vines, potatoes that have turned green, and egg plant leaves.

Botulism.

Botulism commonly known as limp neck is usually fatal and can affect birds of any age. A few hours after eating poisoned food, birds may lose control of their leg, wing and neck muscles. In some cases, body feathers loosen and are easily extracted. Dying birds may slip into a coma several hours before expiring. Botulism normally kills in 3 to 24 hours, although in mild cases birds may recover in several days.

Causes.

This deadly food poisoning is caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which are commonly found in soil, spoiled food, and decaying animal and plant matter. botulism strikes most frequently in dry weather when levels in ponds and lakes drop, leaving decaying plants and animals exposed for ducks to eat. Maggots that feed on decaying carcasses often carry the botulism toxin. Ducks can also contract this toxin from spoiled feed or canned food from the pantry.

Prevention.

Burn or bury carcasses of dead animals and  clean up rotting vegetation. Do not let your ducks feed in stagnant bodies of water or give the birds spoiled canned goods or feed.

Best of luck.

OL

[staggs19851]

thanks so much for all ur help xxxx

[wolverine]

slugs and snails are toxic?? Are you sure that's  right I would have thought they were a common food for a duck
everyday is a school day  does that count for chooks too?

[wolverine]

Oh sorry I re read the post do you mean bait for slugs and snails like slug pellets  ?
Feeling a bit silly now
ha ha it is early I'll let myself off