Having no luck with my duck project.....

[savingdogs]

So I originally ordered 15 muscovy about a year and a half ago, wanting to start a little meat breeding program. We ate the extra drakes and have a nice drake still, and he seems to do his job. The females however, have been slowly dying off. Today I went out and found my second-to-the-last female passed away of unknown causes (again). We lost three over the winter somewhat the same way, fine one day, perhaps a little quiet, and then the next thing I know they are passed on in the yard. We are filling in our pond tomorrow in case there is something wrong with the water in the pond.

I do have one final hen, she is sitting on just three eggs. Online they talked about how muscovy can hatch out X amount of ducklings per hatch, and they can do this three times over the warmer months of the year. We have not hatched a single duckling, the girls all abandoned the nests. The one I have sitting on this nest is the best chance we have had so far, and to tell you the truth, I think these eggs will be duds because she left the nest for too long one time. I had been letting her free-range and just the day before she had been active.

The ducks are exposed to rodents, but I really don't know what is killing them off. The last one that died was over nine months ago, so perhaps this one died of something totally different. It was real warm the day she died, but nothing extreme (probably around 85). Perhaps this strain of muscovy I have are not suited to the conditions here, I don't know. If anyone has any suggestions for me, feel free to show me where I can improve. This same duck did have a hawk try to grab her a few months ago and she had an injury, but seemed to recover fine.

 

[Wifezilla]

Hmmmmm. Did your ducks seem to lose weight before they died? Ducks are usually pretty bomb proof when it comes to diseases, but there are things they are susceptible to. Usually respiratory fungal infections or botulism. Any sneezing? Nasal discharge? If the pond is "funky" that could be an issue. You need a lot of filtration (either biological or mechanical) to keep it healthy.

I seriously doubt it was the weather.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Oh I am sorry. I really think you know what you doing so I don't have any suggestions for you. As long as you can put up with the mess, I find ducks are easier than chickens and there are a few ways to out smart the mess. They grow fast and you have a good meat breed, so seems like it should be working out fine. Can you start removing the eggs from the ducks when they lay them and give them to a broody hen who might have better luck? Although muscovies are great moms....maybe the setting on ground level is a safety factor. Did you buy from a hatchery? Are you absolutely certain the ducks were 100% pure muscovies? Because if they were mixed with anything else they won't reproduce, but I'm sure you know that. My family won't consider me getting them because they don't like the look, but I'd be fine with them, so long as they were my only breed. Have you allowed your ducks free range and if so have they had access to insecticides or weed killers? How about the feed you are giving them? Can you change it to whole grains from a safer source.....sorry, but that is all I can think of.

 

[~gd]

May I ask where the muscovy came from? They are usually tough more sturdy than any other poultry I can think off. For meat ducks they tend to breed for larger size and white body feathers because they dress out better that way. Excessive inbreeding has produced problems which can be changed by introducing some new blood a couple of new drakes can turn a flock arround with their offspring. Birds bred for egg production tend to have the broodyness Bred out because a broody duck produces no more eggs until her ducklings are independent (usually 2 1/2 months out of egg production. We had an egg sale operation so we would seperate the ones that go broody to our replacement flock (broodys and a new drake every year) if the broodies weren't producing enough eggs we would draft some ducks from the egg flock and let the drakes breed them, the broodies didn't care who laid the eggs they would brood anything that looked like a egg.
With one drake and one duck you will be facing inbreeding soon so I suggest at least another pair+extra ducks if you can get them. I would look locally for some one that does not use an incubator to restore all the good features of the breed. Local birds will be adapted to your local climate which is quite different from Central America where muscovies are a wild breed.
As to what is killing your birds I would suspect coccidiosis (diarrhea and bloody diarrhea) which can be treated with chick starter.
respiratory fungal infections- Aspergillus often occures Under warm moist conditions. ~gd

 

[savingdogs]

I do suspect the pond is the culprit, botulism. I can't think of what else it would be. We have not had any signs prior to any of the deaths, no bloody diarrhea or any symptom I can see at all, except over the winter, they seemed weak the last day. However, this time I didn't see a single thing different. I've moved the last two ducks out of that area in case it is contaminated. My final remaining female is currently broody so my drake is very lonely.

I'm not sure if getting more ducks is a good choice, with all these mysterious deaths. My other animals are thriving, I have only lost one chicken other than to predators in three years and I think she was egg-bound when we were gone from home.

These ducks were from JM Hatchery and were indeed intended to be "meat" birds. I think if I get more muscovy, you are 100 percent correct ~gd, that I should get some different, hardy local stock. These ones are extremely large and white. They are so large they are not good foragers and I think that could be part of their hardiness problem as well.

Thanks for your advice everyone, we are draining that pond today and just not replacing it. We were having a hard time cleaning it (no filter). The drake has been drinking water from the water bucket and I did see the one that died drinking from the pond the other day, I do think that must be what did it, and maybe when she got feeling weak she couldn't move out of the sun.

 

[BeccaOH]

I'm sorry. I lost a Muscovy hen this past week. She had prolapsed and I don't know how long she when before I found it. I bathed her and isolated her, but she just quit eating and drinking and died.

I have a nasty in-ground pond too, but at least it is filtered every time it rains from the gutter run off.

 

[savingdogs]

I should probably examine the body for something like that, for some reason it is making me nauseous to see her or deal with her body, I'm not usually that way but seeing her like that, laying just like she is sleeping but dead and with flies, was such a surprise. I had been looking for her and that wasn't what I expected to find.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I should probably examine the body for something like that, for some reason it is making me nauseous to see her or deal with her body, I'm not usually that way but seeing her like that, laying just like she is sleeping but dead and with flies, was such a surprise. I had been looking for her and that wasn't what I expected to find.

I'm sorry. We occasionally have the odd death on our farm as well, and I do not hae the stomach to deal with them either.
I told my DH, that's why I keep him around.

We have chosen to just use a kiddie pool for our ducks. That way I can clean it out often and easily.
It makes for a cleaner and healthier pen as well, as I can move the pen and the pool as often as needed.

Ask around, and you might be able to pick one up for free. We got ours at the dump.

 

[savingdogs]

That is a great idea, a kiddie pool again. I can just get a small one now, muscovy don't swim much. I was thinking I could use my duck pen to isolate my chicken breeds, the one duck had already moved into the chicken coop. Maybe that would help make this drake happy.

 

[Denim Deb]

I have a kiddie pool (sandbox?) that I trash picked for when I do finally have ducks. I just don't know when that will be. I don't know that I want any as long as I'm at the farm. There's already several ducks there, and I've noticed places on the farm really smell. I think it's from all the ducks.