Muscovy Duck illness

[gailburt]

My duck Hazel is at least 6 years old. She hasn’t laid any eggs in more than a year. The past week or so, she has been racing to the oyster shell and chowing down on it. Yesterday, I thought she was entering her “psycho stage,” which is not out of the ordinary. Both she and her sister will phase in and out of a sort of word broody or moulting phase which can last months. Recently she’s been my cuddly darling, seeking skritches and cuddles, so I was sad when I noticed her behavior changing. Yesterday I went to get her out of her nest box and put her out near the water as usual, and she peeped at me angrily. She had her neck crimped down against herself and was just poised, and I thought, “Well she’s gone to the Dark Side again.” Then she pooped on me.

That has never happened. When I changed my clothes, I noticed that the poop didn’t look normal - it was thin and watery and had a lot of white in it. I thought little of it until today. This morning when I went to let her out to the water, she ran out there peeping the whole time. She drank a lot, then spewed some nasty watery poop with green flecks in it (normally, her poop is quite green and squishy). I noticed she was sort of bouncing her butt up and down. Not normal and she was looking decidedly uncomfortable. So we caught her (not easy when she’s in psycho mode) to examine her. I felt her crop, felt basically empty. Felt further down her breast, seemed normal. But when I got down low in her belly between her legs, she definitely did not like it. I felt like something was hurting her. I continued to feel gently, but I couldn’t feel anything abnormal.

While I was doing this, she “vomited.” I know ducks don’t vomit. This was not like sour crop, where the liquid is yellow and smells sour. This was like water coming back up. We put her in a warm bath with some Epsom salts. Washed her back end off to make sure she was clean. I looked at her vent and it looks and feels normal. When I let her loose she did seem slightly better - she laid off that weird bouncing and groomed herself as normal after a bath.

Any idea what might be going on with her? I dearly love my Hazel and would hate to lose her.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Usually, if they are needing to lay the vent will pulse tail will go up and down. not always though this is why it is so hard to know it something is wrong. How about her eating does she still have a good appetite?
I have 2 10 yr olds and a 9 yrs old the 9 yr old has laid an egg 3 days in a row. which I was surprised about, but even my 2 10yr olds have laid this season. I was sure this year they would all be finished. My 2 10 yr olds are broody even though I have taken their eggs. One drake is enough.

Best thing with your Mucovy is to keep an eye on her. If she vomited only water you may have pressed to hard on her crop. If she was to keep it up then something is def. wrong.
We all know broody poop comes in many colors and is very watery [so it will go as far as possible] Hopefully this isn't anything to worry about but I'd def keep a close watch on her.
Has she ever laid a soft shell? they can make them act strange until they pass them. if you think there might be an egg in there you can give her some calcium Gluconate 1 ml and this can help her get the egg laid. TSC carries the Calcium Gluconate.

 

[gailburt]

Usually, if they are needing to lay the vent will pulse tail will go up and down. not always though this is why it is so hard to know it something is wrong. How about her eating dos he still have a good appetite?
I have 2 10 yr olds and a 9 yrs old the 9 yr old has laid an egg 3 days in a row. which i was surprised about, but even my 2 10yr olds have laid this season. I was sure this year they would all be finished. My 2 10 yr olds are broody even though I have taken their eggs. One drake is enough.

Best thing with your Mucovy is to keep an eye on her. If she vomited only water you may have pressed to hard on her crop. If she was to keep it up then something is def. wrong.
We all know broody poop comes in many colors and is very watery [so it will go as far as possible] Hopefully this isn't anything to worry about but I'd def keep a close watch on her.
Has she ever laid a soft shell? they can make them act strange until they pass them. if you think there might be an egg in there you can give her some calcium Gluconate 1 ml and this can help her get the egg laid. TSC carries the Calcium Gluconate.

Thanks so much for your response - if I give her calcium gluconate, is it by mouth or injection? Is this the stuff?

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s it 1 ml by mouth. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[gailburt]

Thanks again for your help. It does appear she had a weird egg in there. I went out this morning and found it in a huge blast radius of poop. It almost looked like it contained bits of oyster shell. I got her to an avian vet about an hour after that, and she seems to be fine now. The vet is doing an analysis of her poop and the “egg”.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Looks like a lash egg. Please let us know what the vet says.

https://cluckin.net/abnormal-chicken-eggs-35-egg-problems-explained.html#mcetoc_1ec35t027f