I have a black swede that hatched at the same ti8me as other types - only one swede hatched - but the roeuns that hatched at the sam time are growing like weeds. Swede is still infantile, but when I pick him up he's very heavy, with a big, big, round abdomen. This morn he was on his back in the barn. He's got a poopy behind. What's the matter?

Well, he died.

Nancy- I'm sorry nobody got to you before your duckling died. It sounds like he was blocked (pasted).

Hi Liz, thanks for the reply. I know things are slow on this board, but I had hoped the little guy could have held out. In future, however, how could I help another such unfortunate bird should it happen again?

Sorry Nancy to hear about the "death in the family". I have a 6 week old duck that has had weepy eyes for about the last 4 weeks. The eyes seem to get better at times and then they get weepy again. None of the other ducks have it and otherwise he seems in good health. I have read that you can use sulfa eye drops in poultry with weepy eyes, but I know that ducks are more sensitive to medication. Should I go ahead and try this? I thought I could soak a tissue with the eye drops and just wipe his eyes as opposed to dropping in drops. thanks

Nancy - I'm hesitant to suggest anything, as I'm not terribly familiar with ducklings, but you might check through the other areas of the classroom - I've seen lots of posting about plugged and pasted vents. I know that the anatomy is the same, but I'm not sure if ducks respond differently than the chickens do to medications.

Try giving some sugar water for a few days.

I have a eight month old duckling that has started having trouble walking especially the left leg. There are no sores visible and the leg muscle feels fine. No open woulds or scuffs under the feathers. Any Ideas?

Any time there are coordination problems in young ducks, it is a good idea to consider botulism, or limberneck. This is caused by bacteria, usually in their water. If you live in a warm area, or if your duck water source gets warm during the day, the bacteria in it can bloom and cause this problem. Keep the water in a cool or shady area, change it frequently, and eliminate sources of contamination, like stagnant pools or puddles.
On the other hand, sometimes heavy breed ducks get a little lame. If it's just a muscle strain, he should be better in a few days. This time of year, with all the duck fun going on in the water, it isn't unusual for someone to come up with a limp now and then. Hope this helps.