[Luce747]

Can anybody help me?

I am brooding three 4 week old ducklings and a number of 1 - 2 week olds.

I put the older three who are small medium and large sized, in the bath for a swim and then back in their brooder. Minutes later the medium duckling was found laying down so I picked it up and it started throw its head back and kicking feet. Shortly after the small duckling fell over yet the large one is totally fine.

So, I put the two poorly ones in my incubater to dry and warm them incase they got chilled from being in a warm bath then coming out. However this is not the case as I then witnessed one of the week olds collapse and fit. He was in a separate brooder and has never taken a bath. I stood him up and he snapped out of it but then fitted again and hasnt stopped. I also found two of the youngest who had already died in the one brooder so something must have started to happen earlier before I went in to do the cleaning.

The small 4 week old appears to be recovering but the medium has died!

I have lots and lots of chicks in the hatchery too and no problems at all with the chicks. Just the ducklings!

Please help if you can.

Many thanks.

[Brucklay]

I read this thinking I may know the answer but now I realise I don't but knowing what you are feeding the ducking may help and what breed they are? I keep a watch in case I can offer help

[Luce747]

The week olds are Khaki Campbells produced here but the others were just hatched from bought eggs labelled as 'mixed duck'

They are fed on Fancy Feeds Chick Crumb

[goosepimple]

Not sure either - we haven't experienced this before, but just to let you know we feed all our ducks on wholemeal breadcrumbs (magimixed tiny) and milk for at least the first 4 weeks - it builds them up quick and it makes them drink (make the mixture like sloppy porridge), gives them more chance of survival.  We start adding chick crumbs after that so they get to pecking it more.
I don't think that the bathing had anything to do with this, it does sound strange though, sorry I can't give you anything else, like Brucklay says, more info, there must be more clues.  Good luck, its stressful 

[doganjo]

Dirty eggs?  Were the incy and brooder disinfected. Bacterial infection - possibly in the gut, or maybe even the brain.
Sorry you are losing them, hope you don't lose any more

[jaykay]

What are you feeding them?

Sounds like the effects of amprolium, the coccidiostat in lots of chick crumbs.

Chicks are all right with it, ducklings are not.

You need proper duckling crumbs or at the very least something like the Smallholder chick crumbs without  coccidiostat in them.

If that's what you've been feeding them, for now, until you can get to a feed merchants, feed porridge oats with scrambled egg and milk mixed in.

[chrismahon]

Has the fancy feeds crumb got ACS (anti-coccidiostat) in it. I know it kills turkeys but don't know about ducks. Is the chick crumb in date? Do the deaths co-incide with the start on chick crumb? Is there something in the water? Is it a virus that only affects ducks not chickens?

Sorry Luce747, loads of questions and no answers!

[Luce747]

thank you very much for all your replies. no other ducklings have gone down yet, touch wood.
the little week old has now died so thats 4 dead and one survivor.

totally baffled

the chick crumb is all I feed, none of the chicks or ducklings get anything else, just chick crumb & water.

the fancy feed chick crumb I am using is suitable for chicks, ducklings & goslings and is medication free.

wish there were other clues but I really am at a loss.

fingers crossed for the remaining ducklings 

[Brucklay]

May be just me but I have found sometimes the higher protein feed brings on the duckings too quickly so now I make my own mix up - in a bowl - a little bit of crumb and grain which I shred in a blender - may not be technically right but work for us last year with no wobbly legs or 4 week olds going down hill. I also realise it what feed you can get hold off so it's all a bit hit and miss and what you can notice going on IE are they growing really quickly or heavy fronts - heavy chests I've always taken as a sign something is not quite right. - hope they are doing better now

[Luce747]

they seem to be growing nicely to me but i havent ruled out diet

just think it seems more likely it be a disease but who knows. lost another three of the little khakis overnight yet the one 'mixed duck' looks back to health!

so i now have one young khaki left out of 7 plus two that are a week older and thriving - plus the two mixed ducks, one of whom is doing great, looks really well and has never been poorly

 

[jaykay]

Sorry, wrote mine having not read the intervening one about you feeding fancy feed chick crumbs.

Toxoplasmosis? Any cats come in contact with their feed or bedding?

[Luce747]

No  no chance of toxoplasmosis. feed is stored in airtight container in the hatchery and I have no cats.

Don't use bedding at all. Just gripmats.

I could put it down to poor genetics but because the same thing happened at the same time with different batches of chicks I am stumped.

It drives me crazy! I don't knwo what to put right to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I am wondering whether I should give all of the chicks and ducklings Herban in their water for a day or two as a matter of course? Maybe at 2 weeks old?

[kegs]

This paper mentions Duck virus Hepatitus.  It says it spreads quickly and causes contractions.  Do you think it could be the same thing?

http://www.duckhealth.com/duckhlth.html

and this

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/202100.htm

[Luce747]

Kegs, I absolutely think you might have found the problem. It sounds exactly like the symptoms I witnessed and the age affected fits. It means the largest duck may have developed an immunity as he was the first hatched and the strongest. Everything in the article fits except the mortality as I have lost more like 70% not 90% (so far  )

But then I suppose only the 4 week old duck is now safe and I may aswell accept the rest are probably going to die of the same disease.

Sadly I cannot follow the advice and vaccinate the breeder ducks as buy in my hatching eggs 

Thank you for the link - its nice to have a clue what we are dealing with.

[jaykay]

Now, someone on here had DVH in her ducks......