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

MossflowerWoods · Jun 29, 2012

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 · Jun 29, 2012

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 · Jun 29, 2012

any swelling.. odd temps? discharge from eyes?

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

murphy1244 · Jun 29, 2012

and 21 gun salute..

phiferpharm · Jun 29, 2012

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 · Jun 29, 2012

Soundguy said:
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 · Jun 29, 2012

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

Depmandog · Jun 29, 2012

MossflowerWoods said:
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 · Jun 29, 2012

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

MossflowerWoods · Jun 29, 2012

Depmandog said:
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...

Soundguy · Jun 29, 2012

i hear ya.. we are animal lovers here too. I had an adult royal palm turkey that broke a leg and went lame. I put it in it's own pen and made up a slig out of 2 bunji cords and a tshirt.. the bird could stand and move a bit and cound get to water and feed and have a place to do his business.. could walk in a 2' diamater / a lil longer.. circle.. with the sling supporting his weight from a broom pole overhead on a homade trolley.. he lived 3ys like that. he was old anyway.. but we couldn't put him down...

JESSE1 · Jun 29, 2012

I've had African grey geese for several years. Over the years I'd have one die for no apparent reason, walking around eating and drinking and then find it dead the next morning. Some of my geese have lived over 15 years. Seems like fowl can be pretty fragile and expire for unknown reasons.

creekbend · Jun 30, 2012

Sincerely wish the best for your Daughter.

Depmandog · Jun 30, 2012

MossflowerWoods said:
But it was brutally hot today...
David...

David

iIRC, fowl are susceptible to easily overheating, as in too much heat equals heat stroke. You think this could be a factor??

As for my good natured ribbing - all in fun, all in fun. Your previous quote struck my funny bone - and yes, I do have a quirky sense of humor!

I remember back when I was a kid.....I wasn't the most fond of the chickens. We had an old hen that would peck the EXACT SAME SPOT on the back of my hand every morn collecting eggs. I hated that hen

Ggrower · Jun 30, 2012

We lost two layers last nite to the heat- 105. Our first loss. We will set up a fan today. And we are nearby on the Northern Neck.

Gale Hawkins · Jun 30, 2012

It it have exposure to the heat and direct sun?

Soundguy · Jun 30, 2012

weird.. I had a post about dual layer tin roofs with air space.. but it vaporized?

phiferpharm · Jun 30, 2012

I have my ducks in a pen with just a tarp cover, no hard roof. We do have a pool for them or a sprinkler with a really easy mist/spray going right now due to the heat. They didn't lay any eggs for a few days, but since I set up the sprinkler during the day, they have gone back to the regular egg-laying.

MossflowerWoods · Jun 30, 2012

Dean,

You and I are on excellent terms and I'm not surre you COULD offend me (but please do not try).

I do NOT think it was heat. NONE of the 20 other birds were showing the slightest sign of any issue. there is lots of ventilation and plenty of water.

No, I think Chris (SoundGuy) nailed it and we had our first "egg bound" situation. And it broke my daughters heart yesterday (Today she is coping fine, hard lesson, but she is brilliant and learns easily).

I too have an odd sense of humor, and I am rarely offended btw (at least that is my goal).

You and me, we are good in my book.
David

Soundguy · Jun 30, 2012

so many things can get livestock.

aparrently it wasnt something infectous as you would see signs int he rest of the flock. nor was it a tainted feed / water issue.. or liekly heat.. as you , again.. would see more than one instance. that points to a local problem. still a list of things it could be.

best of luck to the lil one.