Keeping ducks free of diseases

Liz Fairbrother says your observation and management will help to keep your ducks dabbling

- Liz Fairbrother

Prevention is always better than cure and ducks are hardy and healthy given the right circumstances for them to thrive. If kept in a well-ventilated house with a large run or area to forage safely, with plenty of fresh, clean water and nutritionally balanced feed. ration with only one drake to the ducks, they have every chance of being healthy.

USE YOUR EYES

It’s your observation and knowing their routine that will quickly help you to spot problems and solve them before they get too bad. See who the leader is, how they interact with each other, how much they splash in the water, how eagerly they forage and what they do when you let them out in the mornings. If they are agitated, dull or panting you’ll know something is wrong.

HELP YOUR VET TO HELP YOU

Not all vets are expert with poultry so it’s worth taking time to check out the local practices before registering. With all vets, the more information you can provide to them when they visit or you take the duck in, the more the chance successfully treating the bird so ensure you have the age, the sex and, if possible the breed of bird, handy plus how it has been kept. In particular the diet, access to free range and access to water plus the symptoms including when they were first noticed.

NO FOOT - NO DUCK