# My Ducklings Died, Having Seizures What Happened?



## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

I apologize that this might be a little long but I am hoping for some help in what may have happened. I am new at raising Ducklings. I had one duck back many years ago and never had a problem She was a very happy healthy duck. I did my research and decided to get Khaki Campbell’s for duck eggs. I ordered 5 of them at the local feed mill. They were born on Tuesday and I brought them home on Friday. I checked their bottoms and eyes and they seemed like happy healthy ducklings.


I read to give them electrolytes in their water. And found on online that was highly reviewed to make for them. 2 c. Warm Water, 2 tbsp. brown sugar, honey or molasses (I used the molasses because I read it was good for them) ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp. baking soda


Saturday they would walk around a bit but at the end of the day they kept huddled in the corner. I had a heat coil and it kept it at the right temp at 90 degrees; but I know most people have the red light heat lamp so I bought one and installed it on Sunday hoping it would make them more comfortable but had a hard time keeping it at 90; it stayed closer to 80 or 95 degrees. The ducklings did get a bit wet from their water dish on Sunday so I tried to dry them off as much as possible, and then set them down. All day Sunday even before I switched to the light the ducklings stayed huddled in the corner.


One seemed a little off but I kept an eye on all of them. When I thought they seemed ok I went to bed and the next morning two where dead.  And the others were scattered and not acting right. I removed the two out of the bin and I noticed that two looked like they were having fits. Throwing their heads back and wings out and sometimes the legs. It was really scary.


I tried to help them I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to or not but I know with people having seizures you have to help them and to me it looked like one. 3 of them had one eye either goopy or shut from the goop. I used saline solution from my duck medical kit to help with that. And tried to keep them warm. I called the feed store (where I got the ducklings) when this happened to see if they had any ideas on what was going on. They had no idea, told me not to touch them and said that everything that I have been doing seems right but thought it was weird that I put molasses in the water and said it could be that. It was an awful morning, and the end result all 5 of the ducklings ended up dying  


I have pine chips for the bedding, the water is elevated, they were able to dunk their beaks in to clean their beaks. I had non medicated chick food with brewer’s yeast in it. I am at lost on what happened and kind of scared to get more since I don’t want this to happen again. The feed mill said that they will have more in this week if I want them at a discount. I am hoping some of you can help me out to see If I did something wrong or if you think they might have had a problem before I received them. I really don't want this to happen again. 


I was informed that someone else ordered two of the same ducklings two days after I picked mine up and they have told me that hers are doing good right now.


Any assistance would be appreciated.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Duckling Mamma said:


> the red light heat lamp so I bought one


Was it one made for poultry?
Read a couple stories this year about other red heat lamps, made for food service, that were coated with teflon.
Sorry for your losses.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I'm fairly new to raising ducks myself. My first batch was purchased as less than a week old and I placed them under a brooding goose who raised them. Last year I incubated some eggs and then put the hatchlings in a part of my chicken house that could be set apart and well protected with a wind break. I did use the red heat lamp but it was one I purchased at the feed store specifically showing a baby chicken on the box. I fed them non-medicated "starter" food and did NOT put anything in their water. They did fine and are alive free-ranging at this time.

This year I incubated more duck and geese eggs and now have 11 hatchlings out under a red heat lamp. I HAVE been putting "Quik Chik" in their water dishes (baby waterers with pebbles added to it so they could not get into the water itself). This QC supplement is a combination of organic vitamins and electrolytes put out by McMurray Hatcheries. They are now over a month of age and look quite healthy.

Hope my experiences help you...


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

I think your homemade electrolyte mix may have been the problem. The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
I've raised ducks and chicks without any added electrolytes and they did fine. 
If you get new ones, disinfect the area in case it was a disease problem, but only give plain water and starter feed labeled for ducks. Good luck.


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## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

I hope you get it figured out....but sometimes it just happens.

Every batch of ducklings I've ever been around huddled. I think it's about protection more than anything.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Are they on medicated chick starter? 

Are they raised in a clean (uncontaminated) environment - away from adult poultry or where other chicks were raised? 

If the heat element was working consistently, there is no benefit to the red light beyond giving them light to see to get to feed and water. You could always use the red light in addition to the heat emitter as just a light source. Hypothermia can cause what you're describing and predispose to other infectious agents. Though that being said, I feel ducklings are much hardier than chicks generally. 

Ducks do get a bacterial meningitis as well, caused by Reimerella. Pasteurella and other septicemia and hepatitis and other viral disease can cause neurological effects end stage. Many systemic signs do look neurologic before death as well.


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

my guess is dehydration from drinking salt water .


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2018)

anniew said:


> I think your homemade electrolyte mix may have been the problem. The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."


That's what I suspect.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

I'm a bit suspect of the drinking water, too. These homemade remedies "from online" are often total BS. For example, VERY glad to hear you didn't use honey in the water, as honey can often carries botulism spores. That's why you never feed it to human babies under a year old, either. If you want electrolytes, go to the feed store and buy real powdered poultry electrolyte and mix as advised on the packet. 

That said, if they had goopy eyes, and your brooder temps were indeed in the ballpark, I suspect that they had some sort of infection that wasn't your fault. Chicks from the feed store are subjected to all kinds of horrors, mishandling and exposures to gawd knows what. The posture you describe sounds like chicks/ducklings whose lungs were full of crap and were struggling to pull in air.

Sorry it turned out this way. Sometimes, it just does.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The only time sugar water or an electrolyte solution should be given is when they arrive from the hatchery. And only until they start eating and drinking well. It's supposed to be used only for instances where the chicks are dehydrated. 

Check your light bulbs. If they are "shatterproof" throw them away. The shatterproof ones are coated with teflon. When teflon is heated it releases fumes that are toxic to birds of all types. If the ducklings were not huddled under the light and peeping, but out running around and eating and drinking they were not too cold. What is a "heat coil"? Lamps mimic the warmth of a mother setting on top of them. Hard to regulate, yes. Put a lamp in one corner and let the chicks go in and out of the heat.

If you were giving them the same kind of food the feed mill was giving them I doubt that was the problem.

I never tried to keep ducklings out of their water dish. They look so funny playing in the water. You don't need to dry them off. They will dry as long as they can get under the heat lamp. Just make sure the dish is less than 2 inches deep so they can get out easily. The drawback is that the bedding has to be changed daily.


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

aart said:


> Was it one made for poultry?
> Read a couple stories this year about other red heat lamps, made for food service, that were coated with teflon.
> Sorry for your losses.


Yes, it said for reptiles, poultry and something else. And Thank you.


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

motdaugrnds said:


> I'm fairly new to raising ducks myself. My first batch was purchased as less than a week old and I placed them under a brooding goose who raised them. Last year I incubated some eggs and then put the hatchlings in a part of my chicken house that could be set apart and well protected with a wind break. I did use the red heat lamp but it was one I purchased at the feed store specifically showing a baby chicken on the box. I fed them non-medicated "starter" food and did NOT put anything in their water. They did fine and are alive free-ranging at this time.
> 
> This year I incubated more duck and geese eggs and now have 11 hatchlings out under a red heat lamp. I HAVE been putting "Quik Chik" in their water dishes (baby waterers with pebbles added to it so they could not get into the water itself). This QC supplement is a combination of organic vitamins and electrolytes put out by McMurray Hatcheries. They are now over a month of age and look quite healthy.
> 
> Hope my experiences help you...


Thank you so much hopefully the next batch I get will be great!


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

anniew said:


> I think your homemade electrolyte mix may have been the problem. The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
> I've raised ducks and chicks without any added electrolytes and they did fine.
> If you get new ones, disinfect the area in case it was a disease problem, but only give plain water and starter feed labeled for ducks. Good luck.


Thank you! I did disinfect it really good. cleaned everything and definitely not going to put that stuff in the water lesson learned!


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

Caprice Acres said:


> Are they on medicated chick starter?
> 
> Are they raised in a clean (uncontaminated) environment - away from adult poultry or where other chicks were raised?
> 
> ...


Thank you, They were not on medicated chick starter i made sure. I made sure it was non medicated and had 20% protein and i added brewers yeast to it that was suggested. I will be getting the next batch this weekend. I talked with them and she offered to hold onto the ducklings until monday if i wanted to make sure that these ones are all ok. I did read that they are a lot harder then chicks so its frustrating that it was probably my fault. It is a mistake that i hopefully wont be making again.


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

Alder said:


> I'm a bit suspect of the drinking water, too. These homemade remedies "from online" are often total BS. For example, VERY glad to hear you didn't use honey in the water, as honey can often carries botulism spores. That's why you never feed it to human babies under a year old, either. If you want electrolytes, go to the feed store and buy real powdered poultry electrolyte and mix as advised on the packet.
> 
> That said, if they had goopy eyes, and your brooder temps were indeed in the ballpark, I suspect that they had some sort of infection that wasn't your fault. Chicks from the feed store are subjected to all kinds of horrors, mishandling and exposures to gawd knows what. The posture you describe sounds like chicks/ducklings whose lungs were full of crap and were struggling to pull in air.
> 
> Sorry it turned out this way. Sometimes, it just does.


Thank you, Yes i didn't do the honey because on a side note on the recipe it stated to not give ducklings honey, and only when they where older so i purposely didn't because of that. I think i will do the powder that they have since they give it to them at the feed store as well. The next batch they ordered for me the women there offered to hold them over the weekend before i buy them just to make sure they are ok if i wanted to. I should be picking them up either sunday or monday I am very nervous.


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

Danaus29 said:


> The only time sugar water or an electrolyte solution should be given is when they arrive from the hatchery. And only until they start eating and drinking well. It's supposed to be used only for instances where the chicks are dehydrated.
> 
> Check your light bulbs. If they are "shatterproof" throw them away. The shatterproof ones are coated with teflon. When teflon is heated it releases fumes that are toxic to birds of all types. If the ducklings were not huddled under the light and peeping, but out running around and eating and drinking they were not too cold. What is a "heat coil"? Lamps mimic the warmth of a mother setting on top of them. Hard to regulate, yes. Put a lamp in one corner and let the chicks go in and out of the heat.
> 
> ...



The first light i used was this one from amazon BYB - 150W 110V Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter Brooder Coop Pet Infrared Lamp Bulb, Black. I added a picture of it. it said it was for chicks as well as other things. The other light i used was meant for birds as well but it wasn't as warm as the other one. I read a few times that the ducklings can tend to drown easy before they get the oil on their feathers if not supervised so unless i was upstairs with them. And read to dry them off so they don't get hypothermia.


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## Duckling Mamma (Apr 23, 2018)

Thank you Everyone for the replies, it's a very frustrating and super sad. And I am nervous to get more but I should get them this weekend. I talked with a women at the feedmill today. She offered to hold onto the ducklings over the weekend if I wanted to make sure they are ok before I buy them. She knew I was pretty nervous on getting more and we both want the ducklings to make it. These ones have been born on this last wed so we will see how they get along. I have disinfected everything and just incase i grounded up the feed even more and switching the waterer just incase. I am being more paranoid lol


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Good luck with your new ducklings. Do let us know how it turns out.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

When you could buy 60 watt bulbs, I used one in a reflector and it provided enough heat to keep ducklings warm. I didn't use a thermometer, just went by duckling behavior. If they were out running around, eating, drinking, sleeping, I knew they were warm enough. Huddled under the light peeping, they were too cold.


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## happy hermits (Jan 2, 2018)

Good luck with the new ducklings. Remember you are not the only one to have these things happen to them. It really sucks and good for you for trying again. We always have used plain clean water but I know you have gotten that advise already. good luck


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

I would do plain water and non-medicated feed, nothing more/nothing less. If they show signs of illness THEN try to figure it out. I don't raise nearly as many birds as some members here but with the 150-160 ducklings i raised last year i had only 1 that had symptoms similar to yours and it was a vitamin deficiency. 5 days in isolation with chick food and Durvey Vit/Elec Supplement, it was back to normal health

I highly recommend a small bag of Durvet, it will go bad long before you use half of it. In the heat of summer I'll occasionally (once every 2 weeks) add some to their pools and waterers just in case and always in a much lesser does than what is recommended.


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