help, my daughter and I got 2 baby ducks at the feed store a few days ago. we love them. even my husband loves them (we were shocked). I've never taken care of a baby duck before and I have a few questions. one of them had a runny nose when we got it home. and now they both seem to spit up alot after they eat. plus I'm worried they might be getting diarrhea. What are these symptoms of and should we worry? we are keeping them warm, well fed, and giving them nice swims in the bathtub.
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is my new baby ducky sick?
duckymomma
Apr 05, 2005 08:54 PM
Replies (2)
muscy_mel
Apr 06, 2005 05:23 AM
Hey,
Ducks do sometimes get runny noses, and to clean them they must be able to submerge their heads/bills in water. Unless this is constantly happening, or if the discharge doesn't turn to a funny colour, then i wouldn't worry.
What are you feeding them? Mixed corns, grains, and starter foods are fine. Don't feed to much bread to young ducklings as it swells up inside their digestive system. They also love natural and green foods such as grass, worms, lettuce and dandelion leaves.
If they cough/spit after eating, it could be beacuse their eating to quickly. Try feeding them very small amounts (little and often) so that they have time to swallow and digest their food properly. Do they have food and water available at all times?
It's good that your keeping them warm, without the care and protection from their mothers, ducklings die very quickly if they get too cold and then develop a chill.
When you let them swim in the bath, make sure that they are dried off (gently) afterwards. And allow them to be in the water for not much longer than 10 - 20 minutes a day. And always make sure that they are supervised when in the water.
It's nice to hear you family loves them, they do make great pets and at times can be very entertaining. If you get anymore questions, just ask 
Mel X
duckymomma
Apr 06, 2005 10:12 PM
thank you SOOOO much Mel
I think the mistake we have been making is purely in the feeding routine. my little babies make such a T-TOTAL mess when they eat that I started feeding them in another location, then moving them back to their brooder aquarium. It is during that transition from feeding pen to brooder that they have spit up. I'm going to totally rethink my feeding routine for my baby ducks. THANK YOU! and my babies (Lil-D and Quackers) thank you too. Bless your heart for taking the time to help us as we all learn. you are our DUCKY HERO!!!!
