Wobbly unhappy duck

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Hello and Happy New Year to all from frozen Scotland.

I have an unhappy Indian Runner. She finds standing up hard. She wobbles back onto her bum or tries to splay her wings for balance but this doesn't work. Looking through the health part of the site my guess is she has worms. I haven't had ducks long - just since last summer (remember that? Ah.... summer!) so know next to nothing but I'm keen to learn. Have I guessed correctly or are there other possibilities? To add to the poor lass's discomfort is the fact that the run is under 5" of solid ice. It was snow but the ducks trampled it down and now it is an ice rink with nothing to grip on as the last few days have seen a slight thaw which freezes each night into a rink Torville and Dean would be proud of (if they ignored the poops beautifully infused into its surface!) The healthy ducks struggle to walk on it never mind the, at present, very inappropriately named runner. She has been like this now for a few days and I should have tried to sort her sooner but flu has got the better of me. Scotland doesn't wake from its Hogmanay Hangover until Wednesday so I won't be able to buy anything until then.

I'd be grateful for any advice.
Thanks
Ruth/Katya (I answer to both!)
 
Hi Ruth :-)08

Sorry to hear about your poorly Runner.

When you say she sits back on her bottom and can't stand correctly, I'm thinking it might be more to do with a laying problem Egg Peritonitis - sometimes an egg can 'miss' the oviduct and end up trapped to one side, sometimes it can simply get stuck. There is a build up of fluid and if left untreated, the bird will die. The classic sign is a duck will waddle like a penguin, have a swollen abdomen or sit on her bottom all the time.

I have read of cases where people have managed to save the bird - but it will of course involve a trip to a good poultry vet...

If this is the problem and the bird is diagnosed with peritonitis, they will probably try to drain fluid and attempt to remove the egg if they can. Antibiotics might be prescribed for the infection.

This post describes what happened after a Post Mortem which you might be interested in reading.
http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=645&p=2577&hilit=peritonitis#p2577

Indian Runners seem to suffer with this more frequently since they are a breed that lays many eggs.

It soulds like life is hard for her on the ice, perhaps you can put her somewhere where she has a solid floor - or scatter sand in her run?
 
Hi Tim
Thanks for your reply. Sorry for not responding sooner - the flu is getting the better of me again.

I have 2 runners - a duck and a drake. They were both hatched in September and look alike. Given the ill one was not talking I listened to the other to see which was which - hence my decision this one is a duck. However up in the duck run yesterday it was clear the well one is the duck which means the poorly soul must be the drake! Silly me - sorry!

Assuming my drake isn't a miracle birdie I don't think he can have egg peritonitis!

Yesterday I decided to bring him into the warmth. He is now in a dog run thingy in my kitchen. He has a box with straw and I've given him mixed grain in water deep enough to get his head in and also a bowl of chick crumbs also in water. He has eaten up the chick crumb mush but doesn't seem interested in the grain or water. Before bringing him in I gave him a bath in a bucket. He was very wet and cold so for about 3 hours he sat in front of a fan heater which he seemed to like!

He had reached the stage of standing for a very short while before wobbling and either putting his bum down or spreading his wings to use as stablisers on the ground. This morning he is able to stand much easier and can take a few steps without trouble. He isn't preening himself at all. Looking at his poops I can see no evidence of worms. I am beginning to wonder if he just couldn't handle the cold, the constantly frozen ground and the limited washing facilities. Maybe he doesn't approve of Scotland. Right at the moment I don't blame him!!

Anyway have you any other thoughts?
Best wishes
Ruth
 
Hi Ruth,

OK he shouldn't have Chick Crumbs at his age, only up to 3 to 5 weeks old and unless they are free of ACS (an anticocci drug) then this could be causing him to behave like this. Ducks overdose on it as they eat more than chickens. Check the ingredients - it is usually called A.C.S.

Feeding Ducklings explains what you can feed and when... You also have to watch out for growth problems such as Angel Wing that are explained.

If they are not ACS free, I would stop feeding them immediately, if they are ACS free, I would still change his diet but gradually since he is poorly and it's better for him to eat something he is used to.

If he is fully feathered, he should withstand the cold. There is an article on the frontpage of the main site from Tara Higgins, a duck keeper in Alberta Canada where the temperatures reach -45 degrees (I didn't even know it could get that cold!) She says it's when the muck freezes, sticking to their feathers if they are sat down you get problems...

Look forward to hearing the result of the feed!

Tim
 
Agree with Tim, would avoid chick crumb. He doesn't sound too good, if he is not preening and has been on ice then the chances are he has developed wet feather. If you can get him onto wheat at least 50% that would be good and mix in some cod liver oil.
Be very careful if he gets wet that he is able to dry himself thouroughly as he has lost the waterproofing and protection of his feathers.
He may also have contracted an infection (internal or external) wet feather in ducks can lower the immune system so might be worth a vet checking him over for any indications of infection, particulary swelling around the eyes. A vet will check legs/joints for any strains/infections which are sometimes very hard to detect. Good luck with him!
 
could he have slipped on the ice & hurt his leg/hip/foot or something?

I've heard of chickens, well a cockerel anyway doing this. ... :-)19

hope he recovers soon
 
Hi Tim, Foxy and Blue

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. The flu came back big-style and knocked me for six. Fingers crossed I'm now on the mend properly.

To answer some of your pointers first:

The ducks are not usually on chick crumb - I just tried it for the sick runner in an attempt to get him to eat something - boiled sprouts worked as well! I don't have the feed label anymore but when I buy feed I always state it is for ducks as I don't have any chickens. Having said that I found the label from the latest growers pellets I bought and note it does have the dreaded drug in it...... I will be speaking to the supplier and will maybe change to another local one which provides feed and vet supplies. They will probably be more reliable (they are an embroidery customer of mine too!). I have removed the pellets and have both mixed grain and wheat. I've not yet been out to buy replacement duck pellets or castor oil.

After removing the chick crumb I gave my drake some mixed grain in the bottom of his water but he wouldn't eat it. I then tried liquidising it into a mush. This he ate. After a couple of days he was much happier, standing ok and walking fine (within the limited space my kitchen allowed!) I don't think he has injured a leg but if you say that is hard to detect I may be wrong. He was quite stable after being in the warm for 3 days. I returned him to his friends where, by the noise they all made , they had a massive celebration party!

Unless there is fresh snow to sit on all the ducks have taken to staying inside all day. They clearly don't like the low temperatures or the compacted snow and ice. Above -3ish they venture out but the -10s and -12s are a no no to them. They come out in the morning for a stretch, some food, water and a bath but then return indoors to their nice dry straw! I have started giving them warm water each morning in washing up bowls. They are all much cleaner and looking quite healthy except for my poor runner. He isn't bedraggled but clearly not preening as much as he should be. He never goes to the bath water.

My drake is deteriorating again. He is using his wings for balance again and barely ventures away from the shed door. I think I'll have to take him to the vet now I'm feeling better. We had another 4" of snow last night so that will be fun...... :-)07

Many thanks for your help and I apologise again for not replying sooner.
Best wishes
Ruth
 
Hi Ruth,

If he is not bathing, he could have wet feather and is getting cold because of that perhaps?

The fact he improved inside and then is having difficulty again now makes me wonder if there is something else in the run that is affecting him. If he has problems with his joints, I'm guessing the cold won't help him.

I would definately remove the pellets with ACS as this won't help him but other than this, I'm running out of ideas.

Let us know what the vet says...

Tim
 
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