We all want our ducks to be happy and lead a long life, but if your bird isn’t healthy then the bird can’t lead a long and happy life.
Keeping an eye on your bird will help you monitor your bird’s health. If your duckling is breathing heavily this is cause for alarm, this article explores why this happens.
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Duckling breathing heavy:
Healthy ducklings can’t be heard breathing, ducklings who are ill, or ducklings who are suffering in some other way, will sometimes be heard breathing heavily. Here are reasons why your duck may be breathing heavily:
Overheating:
Ducklings can overheat just as humans can, these birds will breathe heavily when overheating.
If your bird is in an environment that is too hot for it, and the bird isn’t offered any way to cool itself, then the bird may start to overheat, breathe heavily, and pant.
Other signs of a bird that is overheating include sitting or standing with its eyes closed, laying on its side, holding its wings out away from its body, droopy wings, and not moving
What to do:
If an overheating duckling is left alone, the bird can suffer heat stroke and even death.
If you think that your bird is suffering from overheating you’d first need to get it out of its hot environment. These birds need to be kept in environments with temperatures below 90 degrees.
The bird will also need to be cooled down. Cool the bird down by offering it fresh cold water to drink, cold water-rich foods to eat, (like chilled watermelon, peas, blueberries, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, and sliced strawberries), shaded areas to relax in, a body of water to swim in and good ventilation in the duck house
Blocked airways:
Ducklings need constant access to water, ducklings use water to wash their eyes and nares, the water helps to remove dust and debris from the bird’s nares.
If your bird doesn’t have access to water then the bird’s nares may become blocked and this will cause the bird to breathe heavily.
What to do:
Give the bird a waterer to clean its eyes and nares with. This waterer needs to be deep enough that the bird can dunk its whole head in.
Keep the bird out of the waterer by leaving large marbles at the bottom of the waterer. You’d need a waterer that won’t tip over when birds dunk their heads in.
Keep in mind that the bird will soon outgrow its waterer, you’d need to replace the waterer when needed, likely on a weekly basis.
Aspergillosis:
Aspergillosis is a respiratory infection that can affect a wide range of domestic and wild birds, ducks included.
This infection is caused by members of the Aspergillus fungus which exist in the environment as microscopic spores. These microscopic spores are found everywhere.
Ducklings get this disease when they become exposed to aspergillus spores in the environment and become infected.
Healthy adult ducks, who usually have robust immune systems, regularly inhale these spores but don’t become infected and this doesn’t turn into a problem.
It becomes a problem when ducks with a weak or compromised immune system, like ducklings, who have weak and underdeveloped immune systems, inhale these spores and become infected.
Other signs of this illness, in addition to heavy breathing, include wheezing, a voice change, rapid weight loss, coughing, open mouth breathing, convulsions, loss of appetite, and even paralysis
This disease can affect ducks who are exposed to damp bedding that is not regularly changed, ducks who live in areas with poor circulation in warm humid environments, ducks who live in crowded conditions, or, ducks who eat moldy feed
Treatment:
The treatment for this disease includes giving the bird long-term fungal therapy. This therapy needs to be given to sick birds for a minimum of 8 weeks.
The bird needs to be isolated from the flock, and its immune system needs to be strengthened, for it to recover in peace. Make sure that you isolate the bird in a warm, safe, and comfortable environment with access to its own water and food.
You can also prevent this disease from becoming a problem in your coop by minimizing how often you give your birds antibiotics and corticosteroids, ensuring that your birds have access to all the nutrients they need in order to maintain a strong immune system, cleaning up dried fecal matter as soon as possible, throwing away old decaying and moldy food, keeping overcrowding from happening, sporadically treating the birds bedding with anti-fungal treatments, and maximizing ventilation in the duck houses.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Duckling Umbilical Hernia, Why Do Ducks Kick Eggs Out Of A Nest, Duck Wheezing, Internally Pipping Duck Eggs
