Somethings wrong

[Backfourty,MI.]

One of my adult hen ducks is not acting right. Don't know what else to call it I just notice she's not acting normal.
No watery or seeping from the eye's or nostril area. I picked her up also & felt around her vent area & abdomen & nothing feels abnormal or like an egg that is blocked in there.

Is there something I should give her or be doing for her? Everyone else act's normal.

There feed is the same except I have been pulling weeds in the garden & I give some of them to the ducks. They seem to pick through & eat what they want. Please tell me I didn't give her something poisonous!

It has been extremly hot & humid the last couple days also.

[Cyngbaeld]

Chickens generally will not eat anything poisonous so it probably isn't that.

Could just be the heat. Try putting some sugar and a little salt in their water. 1tsp salt per gallon and 2-3 tablespoons sugar. Could be their electrolytes are off due to the heat.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Thanks Cyngbaeld, I'll add the salt & sugar to there water right now. Hopefully she'll perk up.

The others are all acting fine, thank goodness. It's the type of heat that is almost unbearable & hard to breath in right now though. Hopefully it will cool off soon.
Some rain would help alot here.

[GrannyCarol]

Be sure they have wading pools and mine love sprinklers.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Thanks Granny Carol, they have a wading pool & we just put fresh clean water in it today. We usually clean it every other day.

I hope it's just the heat & she snaps out of it. I just don't know what else it could be, and it's supposed to be this kind of heat the next 2 or 3 days. We really like this hen duck though so I hope she'll be OK.

[GrannyCarol]

People have suggested freezing a milk jug or two with water and putting them in the pools or where the poultry can access them to cool down, sounds like a great idea to me.

[VA Susan]

If the heat remedies don't help, you might want to check out a post in the thread below that I read recently. Someone in post #5 had problems with impacted crops in their chickens from giving weeds from the garden.
What can't you feed your chickens

[JR05]

Is she eatting? When was the last time you wormed your ducks? With the heat, if she has a heavy worm load the heat may be hitting her harder then the others. Do you have any fruit like cantalope or watermelons, strawberries grapes? My ducks really like these and with the hot weather it will be easier to eat then grain.

[Backfourty,MI.]

OK, so now I'm scared to feed any weeds from the garden even though she doesn't seem to be impacted in the throat or crop area.

Also JR05, I have never wormed my ducks, ever. Please forgive me everyone but when I got them last year I don't remember every reading anything about worming them.

Please tell me what I should use, where to get it & how often I'm supposed to do it?

Does everyone here worm there ducks? I just can't believe I've never ready or heard anything about this before. I feel so stupid now!

[Cyngbaeld]

Sorry, I must not have been paying attn and was thinking "chicken" not "duck".

No do not worm the duck. Do put her in a separate area if at all possible. A cage in the shade with plenty of water and her regular feed and mix some activated charcoal with it.

[Backfourty,MI.]

What's the activated charcoal for? Do you think she could have ate a weed that was poisonous?

I have some activated charcoal from an aquarium filter, will that work & how should I give it to her?

Also does everyone worm ducks?
Can I give them some watermelon & cantalope like JR05 suggested? I didn't think ducks could have fruit?

I won't worm her & I have a seperate pen I can put her in in shade & with food & water.
I'll make it like the water with salt & sugar in it again like yesterday.

[Cyngbaeld]

I never have wormed a duck or a chicken or anything else, including my goats.

Aquarium charcoal works fine and is cheap. Mix with some crumbles and put some water in it to make a wet mash. Watch to make sure she eats it. If she isn't eating, mix some charcoal with water and use a spoon to dribble it down her throat. She won't cooperate, you'll have to gently open the bill and hold it open.

Ducks are susceptible to bacterial toxins as well as fungal toxins and the charcoal adsorbs the toxins. A duck will not eat a poisonous weed, in my experience.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Ok, I'll try the charcoal. I'll try it first as a mash and if not I will dribble it in her mouth.
She's really not wild or unruly when picked up & handled. Very gentle duck so she should do fine with me doing this.


Also where would they get the fungal or bacterial toxins & what can I do to keep it from happening? That is if that's what is wrong with her since were trying everything you all suggest right now?

[Cyngbaeld]

Fungal toxins can be in feed or in wet/moldy areas. Bacterial toxins usually are from an infection or from soil or bad feed. It can be really hard to prevent them, though of course you don't want to feed any moldy foods.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Well there food is always dry & make sure it's not moldy. I even put it under a shelter on days it's going to rain, they finish their first dish right up & I usually have to get them some more late afternoon or early evening so I don't think it's food.

If it's in the soil I don't think I'll be able to do anything about that. Never had animals in there spot before.
She seemed to be acting a little better last night after the sun went down & it cooled off a bit so I hope she'll be OK. I gave her the charcoal in a little water with the spoon, she wasn't realy happy about it but I'm pretty sure I got some in her & not just all over her.

[Cyngbaeld]

Sometimes the feed already has mycotoxins in it. You can't really see it and it may only be part of a sack. Not much you can do to prevent it.

We are just trying to cover as many bases as we can to address some of the more common (and easily treatable) things that can cause a duck to feel bad. Since the duck can't tell you what is wrong you just have to do what you can and hope it is going to help.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Just came back up to the house & I don't know which remedy worked but she's back to acting more of her normal self. Today is the first day in 2 days that she actually ate the treats I took down for them(pasta & veggies today) & I also seen her eating the duck crumble & drinking.
I hadn't seen her do much drinking & no eating the last 2 days so I think she's feeling better today.

Thanks everyone for all your help & suggestions! I tried them all!

[Cyngbaeld]

Glad she is better!