HELP - My Daughter's Pet Duck just died suddenly for no reason we can see

[MossflowerWoods]

Help!

My daughters went out to the chicken shack and run to refresh water and look for eggs and found my daughters pet female duck dead sitting on the nesting spot (most of the birds use the same spot, it is a bit hidden in the shack). She was just sitting there, but dead & stiff. I had dislodged her just this morning at 8am when I fed and checked for eggs myself.

She was a Cayuga, my daughters seem to recall they were 3 months old in mid Sept. when we got them at a parking lot sale of the "Chicken Pets of VA" club at TSC.

I can find no damage. I can find nothing at all. she was just in perfect sitting position, dead.

My middle daughter (she & another duck were her Birthday gifts) is terribly destraught.

If you have ANY IDEA, please share.

All of the other ducks, chickens, and guineas seem fine.

There was water & last night she was playing with my daughter (they are very tame).

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[rekees4300]

Sounds like a case of SDDS (Sudden Duck Death Syndrome). Suggest using the incident as a teaching experience for your daughters. Teach them about dying and grieving then have a little memorial and burial.

 

[Soundguy]

any swelling.. odd temps? discharge from eyes?

was she laying? some birds can get egg bound and die..

 

[murphy1244]

and 21 gun salute..

 

[phiferpharm]

I have lost birds in the past from what Soundguy stated - egg bound. I had one of my MacCaws with the problem, which we caught and the vet had to remove the egg. We lost two Cocatiels that we didn't catch in time.

Sorry for the loss - kids can/are hit very hard with a pets loss. They take on the parent role sometimes and feel responsible. It is something they kinda have to get used to, especially since living in the country tends to make it more probable we have more critters.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

any swelling.. odd temps? discharge from eyes?

was she laying? some birds can get egg bound and die..

No swelling, temps, or discharge... yes she was a regular layer.

Does that mean her last egg is stuck inside her? Can I save it and try to incubate it? I know that sounds gross...

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I cannot feel an egg... but I'm no Duck expert...

 

[Depmandog]

Does that mean her last egg is stuck inside her? Can I save it and try to incubate it? I know that sounds gross...

You know, this made me shake my head with a quirky little grin on my face. Brother, if times are that hard...I can send a few bucks your way

You ok? Feeling alright? Spend too much time in the sun? Haha!!!

???

 

[Soundguy]

sometiems the egg will fracture and bind.. and that will kill em too.. and you won't feel an egg above the vent.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

You know, this made me shake my head with a quirky little grin on my face. Brother, if times are that hard...I can send a few bucks your way

You ok? Feeling alright? Spend too much time in the sun? Haha!!!

???

Dean,

My daughter/s can charm the scales off of a snake (or a dragon). She loved her duck, and if she could raise her final duckling... I was just trying to find a silver lining... we have another duckling who had to have the stump of her left wing amputated and we found a chicken also lost its left wing (welcome to right wing farm folks...).

This was just a total shock to her...

One of the advantages of homeschooling my girls is they are very sweet and innocent far later in their life.

They are pretty darned amazing. I do everything I do for my daughters (and wife). And I would do anything for them.

But it was brutally hot today...
David...