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dizandstell · Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:47 am Post subject: Poorly Duck - help please

We have 9 Aylesbury ducks, about 7 weeks old. They have the freedom to run around a large field (and a bigger one when they escape) after they are fed in the morning. They have a small pond to bathe in and everything has been fine and fatterning nicely. We put an electric fence up for the new pigs which arrived last Monday and everything has investigated it and subsiquently got a shock! One of the ducks has suddenly become unable to walk or stand on it's feet. When it gets on it's feet (with assistance) it's neck is arched and it uses it wings to stablelise itself and stumbles along until it flops down. It eats and drinks fine as long as the food is directly in front of it. It was also able to paddle in the pond but couldn't get out. We have it seperated in a box away from the others, it hasn't got a lot of fight when picked up and can manage a high pitched squeak. Could it have got shocked by the fence or is there something else? It has been like it for 4 days and doesn't seem to be getting better. If it doesn't improve we will destroy it, but wanted to check if we were missing something.
Has anyone got any suggestions please?

blowin · Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:18 am Post subject:

I don't think that a shock from an electric fence would do that but it does sound remarkably like an incident we had when we first put ducks on our pond , which is in a field not far from a river . We hadn't seen mink for a couple of years but the first day the ducks stuck their heads under water it was dragged under . The duck managed to break free and get up onto the bank . The mink obviously hadn't realised and I saw it swimming and diving to find the injured duck . I managed to catch and kill the mink .
The duck was in a very bad way -- couldn't walk in a straight line and wobbled from side to side . ( The first person to say that sounds exactly like me gets to be Soc Sec for life !! ) . It had two small punctures on either side of its head -- mink bite . We brought it inside and treated those by applying a liberal amount of honey for a couple of days . After that she was right as rain altho still a bit wobbly for a year ---- until another mink got into their house thru a very small hole and killed Jemima and all of her friends in one night night !
That's the price we pay for affluent people wanting fur coats they don't need !

dizandstell · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:04 pm Post subject:

Yup can see where your coming from. Spent many hours hunting Mink! They make a worthy quarry. As we speak.... I havnt seen any around here. But, there not to far away around the Loughs. However, i have seen Stoat down our lane. So tried to retreive the corps.(It didnt make it)for a post mortem. Unfortunatly, Raynard our corps recycler was to quick of the mark. But will keep an eye out for Mustelids. Hopefully my Lurcher will pick it up before it does any damage.
Cheers
D+S

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Can your ducks get out of the pond easily?. I only ask this as I had problems with with my ducks that sounds similar to yours. The young ducks had problems getting out and spent too long in the water and got chilled. Two died what looked like paralysis of the legs. The others recovered once they got warmed up.

Good luck.
_________________
Leave not a trace.

dizandstell · Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:02 pm Post subject:

Thanks Wayland

The ducks have got a ramp up into the pond and when they were smaller we placed bricks around the edge to help them get out but once they were big enough (and appeared to have no problems getting out), the bricks were removed. It's something to look out for for the next lot though.

We now know it had nothing to do with the shock off the fence as the ducks quite happily push through the electric fence to steel the pigs feed, which the pigs don't appear to mind (unfortunately), with no real effects from the shock. It just seems to make them wag their tails a lot and chatter to themselves. We are now going to re-think the fence to stop the ducks getting in not to stop the pigs getting out!!

It remains a mystery.

dizandstell · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject:

I spotted the stoat (I hope it was and not a mink) on our property Sunday, staring at me from under the wood store. This was a bit too close for comfort as the chicken houses are inches away and also our 11 four week old chicks. Not happy!!! Traps have been set but nothing caught so far, unfortunately. Needless to say this may have been our problem with the duck!
I heard the alarm calls from the chickens a couple of days before I spotted it and once since. On tender hooks at the moment, it's not a nice feeling to know that all our hard work could be wiped out in minutes!
Stell

blowin · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:16 pm Post subject:

Stoat are light brown and quite small . The wild mink are the size of ferrets / polecats and are normally jet black .

dizandstell · Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject:

The description i recieved from herself was ' small and cute' So could of been 1 of three mustelids in the area. Fens out for all of them now.
Diz