Duckling with breathing troubles.....

[jwl]

We just bought 4 ducklings from our TSC this past Saturday. We were told that they were about a week old. I just noticed that they 1 was having trouble breathing. It seems that he has a stuffy nose and sounds congested. Any suggestions on how to help the poor lil fellow?

 

[DuckLover179]

No worries! I would give him a bath to clean is nose, but chances are it will stay that way for a while. When mine were 6 days old they both got stuffy noses, I gave them baths, and tried everything, but they are still stuffed. They act healthy, and it doesn't effect them in any way. If he looks like he cannot breath at all, then give him a bath so he can get it out. But he should be fine!

 

[jwl]

Thanks and i hope it helps the lil guy or girl...lol When i go to bathe him, how much water should i use? I have a book and i believe it says about 1/4" of water for them since they have no feather, should i go with this or do you think he'll be ok with a lil more than that?

I seen that you replied to the treats topic eariler saying that peas are a great treat for them. Do you use can peas? If not which would be better?

 

[*DuckLuvR*]

Thawed frozen peas. Can peas have too much salt.

 

[*DuckLuvR*]

Also make sure that the water is lukewarm and that they are really dry afterwards.

 

[desertdarlene]

One thing that is suggested is that they always have access to water to wash their faces in at all time. Not swimming water, just a dish or container where they can stick their head in a wash their faces. Some people use plastic containers with a little hole just big enough for them to put their heads in cut out of it.

Edited due to typo.

 

[DuckLover179]

Quote:
Do you shop at walmart? They have a brand called "Great Value", and their peas have no sodium added. Buy a bag of that, and feed as many as you want. Mine get maybe 70-90 a day. Use as much water as you want. As long as you are there supervising, then you can make it pretty deep. You can also put your hands in, so he can stand on them when he gets tired. I made mine about 2 feet for their first bath.

And yeah, make sure the water is pretty warm. I let mine air dry, and put a towl around them when they were shivering. Sit there for about 10 minutes, and they should be dry enough to put back in there brooder.

Also I do highly recommend peas, and as long as they have no sodium you can give them as much as you want.