Why ducklings die at home and how to save, how to treat

Breeding ducks is a lucrative business. Duck meat is in great demand, poultry grows quickly, gains weight well, 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 they can protect their livestock from this problem.

Possible diseases

Infectious diseases become the main reasons for the death of birds - chicks and adult ducks. In favorable conditions, with significant overcrowding of the 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. Diurnal ducklings become infected and die one after another, more than half of them die, while adult ducks rarely get sick. Disease symptoms:

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

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

Tuberculosis

This is a very dangerous disease that can be transmitted to humans from birds and vice versa. Tuberculosis can affect not only the lungs, but other organs as well. Tumors form on the body and paws, the birds stop moving, rushing, eating, falling to their feet, suffering from lameness and diarrhea, and greatly lose weight. A characteristic icteric coloration appears on the skin. Tuberculosis is not treated, the sick population is exterminated, carcasses and eggs are burned.

Hepatitis

This viral liver damage causes massive poultry disease. A sick chick throws back its head, lowers its wings, breathes heavily, does not eat. Beginning convulsions are a sign of an imminent end.You can treat the disease with antibiotics as directed by your veterinarian. The rest of the ducklings are sent to quarantine and their immunity is strengthened by giving them fish oil, a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for drinking, and tetracycline antibiotics for prevention.

Goiter inflammation

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

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

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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, seizures, fever, diarrhea, refusal to eat, and intense thirst. Treatment is ineffective, the affected bird is destroyed. You cannot use sick ducks as food.

Salmonellosis

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

Parasitic infestations as a cause of death

Diurnal 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 and water.
2. Lice. Poor housing conditions, crowding, and proximity to wild animals and birds can become the cause of infection.
3. Ticks are transmitted from other birds and can live in dirty litter. This is a common problem in cramped houses.
4. Feathers also multiply rapidly in crowded areas, infecting all birds. They live in clogged rooms, in which hygiene standards are violated and the litter rarely changes.

Symptoms of damage by external and internal parasites are similar and are manifested by the fact that the ducklings become weakened, become lethargic, do not stay on their feet, fall and turn over on their backs, fight in convulsions. A chick that is weak or seized by ectoparasites curls up and lies motionless, because it does not have the strength to resist the parasites.

Internal parasites are removed with specialized drugs used strictly according to the instructions. Lice, ticks and chewing lice can be resisted by maintaining cleanliness, as well as organizing ash baths for the bird.

Improper nutrition

With a monotonous or poor diet, ducklings die due to lack of vitamins. Twitching, weakness and cramps may indicate a lack of various vitamins, but most often it is vitamin deficiency A, E, D and group B. To avoid the problem, the chicks are fed with fresh, wet mash of corn and wheat, enriched with fish oil and flour, supplements of ready-made vitamin D. One week old ducklings can be offered young greens or released for a walk on the lawn.

You can avoid health problems by using mulard ducks. This is an artificially obtained (not existing in nature) hybrid of Indo-ducks and domestic ducks (Orpington, Peking White, Rouen and White Alier). In this way, you can avoid the hereditary defects inherent in domestic ducks, and get healthy, viable offspring.

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Containment errors

The cause of ill health and death of ducklings may not be diseases, but elementary mistakes in keeping conditions. Familiarization with such causes of duckling death will help to avoid violations and create ideal conditions for the bird.

Improper 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 associated with the improper design of the walking area can cause disturbances in health:

1. The area is home to thorny, tough plants that can hurt chicks.
2. Garbage, stones, glass fragments and the like were not removed from the site.
3. Snow, crust, ice accumulations.
4. Poor drainage resulting in high humidity in the area.

The paddock should be cleaned regularly, sown with grass in warm weather, remove snow in winter and cover with hay or straw.

High planting density

If the area is too small, the accumulation of a large number of ducklings leads to the fact that the stronger chicks do not allow the weak to the feeders and drinkers, trample them. Emaciated and weakened ducklings fall, jerk their legs and cannot get up.

Crowded housing is a common problem of why ducklings die even with good nutrition.

Non-compliance of the microclimate with the recommended standards

If ducklings hide in the corners in summer, sit with open beaks, try not to move and breathe with difficulty, this means that the microclimate in the poultry 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 are trying to huddle together, huddle together, they are cold, it is necessary to establish heating of the poultry 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, it is necessary to follow these recommendations of experienced poultry farmers:

1. Maintain cleanliness in the poultry house and on the walk, regularly clean the room, feeders, nests and equipment, and disinfect them.
2. Monitor the condition of the litter and change it frequently.
3. Use high quality feed.
4. Make a balanced diet, monitor the presence of vitamins and minerals in food.
5. If eggs for incubation are purchased, 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. Timely vaccinate chicks.
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 health of birds - both ducklings and adult ducks.
11. Do not allow unhealthy people to care for chicks.
12. Sow grass in the poultry area.
13. Provide waterfowl with access to water. They must swim and swim in natural or artificial water.

A competent approach to the breeding of ducks will allow you to preserve all the livestock received and raise healthy and strong ducklings.