Diarrhea in ducklings: home treatment and what to give, causes and prevention

Diarrhea in ducklings can be a sign of a variety of illnesses, and is itself a threatening symptom. Dehydrated birds die quickly - sometimes within hours. Therefore, the treatment of diarrhea in ducklings at home can rarely be called the right choice - it is better to immediately contact a veterinarian and save at least part of the livestock. It is difficult to diagnose the disease without laboratory tests.

Causes of diarrhea in ducklings

Diarrhea in newly hatched ducklings is a frequent occurrence. The main cause of the disease is improper feeding, namely, vitamin B deficiency. Along with diarrhea, the following symptoms of the disease are often found:

1. Unhe althy appearance, ruffled feathers, watery eyes.
2. Paralysis or nervous tic in the wings.
3. Tilting the head back.
4. Slow mass gain, poor appetite.

All signs indicate a lack of vitamin B in the diet. To avoid this condition, it is necessary to carefully monitor the nutrition of young ducks, and, if necessary, balance the diet with green grass, fruits and vegetables.

Diarrhea in young ducks can also be caused by infectious diseases, such as viral enteritis. The bird's stool is green or yellow. In parallel, symptoms are observed - weakness, weight loss, decreased egg production. Bacillary white diarrhea is common. Ducks that have survived the disease will forever remain carriers and will infect hatched ducklings. Therefore, most farmers prefer to remove such birds from breeding and fatten them for slaughter.

Very rare in ducklings is coccidiosis, a severe bacterial disease that causes frothy or bloody diarrhea. Coccidiosis appears in poultry houses where conditions are violated - in dark, poorly ventilated, damp buildings.

Diagnostic Methods

Pasteurellosis, colibacillosis, echinostomatidosis also have the same symptoms as coccidiosis. It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis without laboratory tests. To do this, the doctor takes stool samples from the bird and sends it for research. After sowing the material on a nutrient medium, they look at the nature of the grown colonies - for each microorganism they are individual and do not resemble each other.

Based on the data obtained, conclusions are drawn. Now there are simpler and faster research methods - for example, ELISA, PCR, immunoblotting. But such diagnostics are much more expensive.

What to give ducks for diarrhea?

Viral enteritis can be cured only after an accurate preliminary diagnosis. For therapy, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is poured into the throat of the bird. Treatment of coccidiosis should begin with sorting the livestock - sick birds must be moved to a separate poultry house, and the room is disinfected.

The most effective against the causative agent of coccidiosis is the antibiotic Norsulfazol, which is dissolved in drinking water. After the course of treatment, you can add a second drug - "Osarsol". If the birds do not drink water with medicine, they try to add Furazolidone to food. The dose is selected depending on the age and live weight of the ducks. The standard course of treatment lasts up to 2-3 weeks.

If the diagnosis is colibacillosis, then therapy will not help. Sick animals will have to be killed, and carcasses disposed of - they cannot be given to carnivores.Pasteurellosis, coccidiosis and echinostomatidosis are very difficult to treat. You will have to prescribe several potent antibiotics of different groups. It is easier to vaccinate ducklings against these diseases at a certain age.

Prevention

If diarrhea is caused by an unhe althy diet, you need to immediately balance the diet. Most vitamin B is found in cabbage, potatoes, quince. Therefore, it is useful for ducks to feed leftovers and cleanings from the kitchen table. Some farmers even give ducks chicken or pork liver, which contains a huge amount of the named vitamin, as well as hemoglobin, iron. If the diet includes grain, it should be fresh, the same year, without mold or signs of powdery mildew.

To prevent coccidiosis, they follow the rules of poultry hygiene - they ventilate the premises, regularly clean them, and also isolate the new livestock from the old flock for 2 weeks.The poultry house is regularly disinfected. Juveniles are kept separately from adult birds.

Each room has its own cleaning products, individual feeders and drinkers. Ducklings are given a dose of Norsulfazol once every 2 weeks to prevent coccidiosis up to 2-3 months of age.

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