Why do ducklings die: causes and how to save, how to treat at home

Duck breeding is a profitable business. Duck meat is in great demand, the bird grows quickly, gains weight well, is undemanding to the choice of food. Ducks are good hens and caring mothers, and a large number of eggs can be loaded into a special incubator. But in some cases, farmers have questions about why their ducklings suddenly die, and how to protect their livestock from this problem.

Possible diseases

The main reasons for the death of birds - chicks and adult ducks - are infectious diseases. In favorable conditions, with significant overcrowding of livestock, with poor care and unsanitary conditions, a rapid spread of infection and a massive defeat of the entire livestock can occur.This can lead to the complete destruction of the poultry house and the ruin of the farmer, or it will cause significant financial losses for the inhabitants of the village or suburb.

There are a number of diseases that can affect ducklings of different ages and lead to their death.

Aspergillosis

This is a type of mycosis that affects different types of poultry, including ducks. One day old ducklings become infected and die one after another, more than half of them die, while adult ducks rarely get sick. Disease symptoms:

1. Wheezing, difficulty breathing.
2. Ducklings stretch their necks forward.
3. Loss of appetite.
4. Weight loss.
5. Sluggishness.
6. Inflammation of the eyes and around the beak.
7. Paralysis of the legs.

The disease is almost untreatable. Sick ducklings are culled, the rest are given the drug "Nystatin", and a solution of copper sulfate is added to the drink.

To prevent an outbreak of aspergillosis, keep the house clean, remove dirty litter, and disinfect the areas for ducklings and adult ducks.

Tuberculosis

This is a very dangerous disease that can be transmitted to people from birds and vice versa. Tuberculosis can affect not only the lungs, but also other organs. Tumors form on the body and paws, the birds stop moving, rush, eat, fall on their feet, suffer from lameness and diarrhea, and lose weight greatly. A characteristic icteric coloration appears on the skin. Tuberculosis is not treated, sick livestock are exterminated, carcasses and eggs are burned.

Hepatitis

This viral infection of the liver causes a massive disease of the bird. A sick chick throws back its head, lowers its wings, breathes heavily, does not eat. Beginning convulsions are a sign of an imminent end. The disease can be treated with antibiotics as prescribed by a veterinarian. The rest of the ducklings are quarantined and their immunity boosted by giving them fish oil, a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate to drink, and tetracycline antibiotics for prevention.

Goiter inflammation

Unlike a land bird, the goiter is poorly developed in waterfowl, so the ducklings are fed with wet mash, often changing them so as not to deteriorate. The cause of inflammation, or catarrh, goiter becomes poor-quality food or dirty drinking water.

You can cope with goiter inflammation at home by artificially emptying the organ. They take the bird by the legs, turn it head down and, stroking the neck, clean the goiter. This will have to be done several times. After treatment, the birds are given only water with a weak solution of hydrochloric acid for the next day, and then - a soft milk-based feed.

Pasteurellosis

In the acute form of this disease, both adult ducks and chicks die.Symptoms are similar to those of other infections and include weakness, convulsions, high fever, diarrhea, refusal to eat, and extreme thirst. Treatment is ineffective, the affected bird is destroyed. Do not use sick ducks as food.

Salmonellosis

This disease is also called paratyphoid. It is the most common and dangerous, since not only birds, but also people can become infected. Basically, ducklings are affected by an acute form of the disease, from which up to 80% of the livestock die. Survivors become hosts.

The disease must be treated with antibiotics "Tetracycline" or "Biomycin", as prescribed by the veterinarian.

Parasitic infestations as a cause of death

Day old and older ducklings can die not only from infectious diseases, but also from parasites. The most common pests are:

1. Helminths that enter the body through food, water.
2. Lice. The cause of infection can be poor living conditions, crowding, as well as proximity to wild animals and birds.
3. Ticks are transmitted from other birds and can live in dirty bedding. This is a common problem in tight poultry houses.
4. Pereaters also multiply rapidly in close quarters, infecting all birds. They live in clogged rooms where hygiene standards are violated and bedding is rarely changed.

Symptoms of damage by external and internal parasites are similar and are manifested by the fact that ducklings weaken, become lethargic, cannot stand on their feet, fall and roll over on their backs, convulsions.A weak or ectoparasite-eaten chick curls up and lies motionless, because it has no strength to resist parasites.

Internal parasites are removed with specialized preparations used strictly according to the instructions. You can resist lice, ticks and lice by maintaining cleanliness, as well as organizing ash baths for the bird.

Unhe althy diet

With a monotonous or poor diet, ducklings die due to lack of vitamins. Twitching, weakness and cramps can indicate a lack of various vitamins, but most often it is vitamin A, E, D and group B deficiency. D. Week-old ducklings can be offered baby greens or allowed to roam the lawn.

You can avoid he alth problems by using mulard ducks. This is an artificially obtained (non-existing in nature) hybrid of Indo-ducks and domestic ducks (Orpington, Beijing White, Rouen and White Allier).In this way, it is possible to avoid the hereditary deficiencies inherent in domestic ducks and obtain he althy, viable offspring.

Errors in containment conditions

The cause of ill he alth and death of ducklings may not be diseases, but elementary errors in the conditions of detention. Familiarization with such reasons for the death of ducklings will help to avoid violations and create ideal conditions for the bird.

Incorrect arrangement of the walking area

Sometimes ducklings get sick and become lethargic for no apparent reason. They have excellent food and living conditions, clean and warm. The following reasons related to the incorrect arrangement of the walking area can cause disturbances in well-being:

1. The area has thorny, tough plants that can injure chicks.
2. Trash, stones, glass fragments, etc. have not been removed from the site.
3. Snow, crust, ice accumulations.
4. Poor drainage leading to high humidity in the area.

The paddock should be regularly cleaned, sowed with grass in warm weather, removed snow in winter and covered with hay or straw.

High Density

When the area is too small, the accumulation of a large number of ducklings leads to the fact that stronger chicks do not let the weak go to feeders and drinkers, trample them. Exhausted and weakened ducklings fall, kick their legs and cannot get up.

Crowded content is a common problem as to why ducklings die even when well fed.

Microclimate does not meet recommended standards

If ducklings hide in corners in summer, sit with their beaks open, try not to move and breathe with difficulty, this means that the microclimate in the house does not meet the requirements, they are hot. It is necessary to establish ventilation, as the bird overheats and can get sick.

In the event that the chicks try to huddle together, huddle together, they are cold, you need to adjust the heating of the house. Ducklings need fresh air, but drafts, especially at high humidity, can cause dangerous diseases and death of birds.

Prevention measures

In order to avoid infection and disease of ducklings, you must follow the following recommendations from experienced poultry farmers:

1. Keep cleanliness in the poultry house and on the range, regularly clean the room, feeders, nests and inventory, disinfect them.
2. Maintain bedding and change it often.
3. Use high quality food.
4. Make a balanced diet, monitor the presence of vitamins and minerals in food.
5. If you buy eggs for incubation, you need to buy them only from trusted suppliers, in farms where there are no outbreaks of infectious or parasitic diseases.
6. Use clean eggs for incubation.
7. Separate ducklings from adult birds.
8. Vaccinate chicks in a timely manner.
9. If infected ducklings are found, separate them from the rest of the herd, keep them in quarantine and monitor their condition.
10. Regularly check the he alth of the bird - both ducklings and adult ducks.
11. Don't let unhe althy people take care of chicks.
12. Seeding grass in the poultry yard.
13. Give waterfowl access to water. They must bathe and swim in a natural or artificial body of water.

A competent approach to duck breeding will allow you to save all the resulting livestock and grow he althy and strong ducklings.

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