Raising ducklings can be a new and exciting experience, these cute little guys are can be a ball of fun but they are also very fragile and a lot can harm them.
One thing that can harm ducklings is an illness, if your duckling is laying on its back, then you likely think that the bird is suffering from a sort of illness, this article looks into it.
Table of Contents
Duckling laying on its back:
A duckling laying on its back can be safe in some cases but it can sometimes be unsafe, this is what you need to know about this situation and what the bird may have:
It wants its tummy rubbed:
Ducklings are like dogs and other pets in that they like their tummy rubbed and petted. Ducklings that are very comfortable with you will do this, it is also a sign that the bird trusts you.
In fact, having ducks that are friendly with you, enough to let you rub their tummy, is a good thing. You’re lucky if this is what’s going on with your bird.
What to do:
When the bird lays on its back you can go ahead and give it a tummy rub, just let the bird get up when they are ready and satisfied. You can hug the ducklings as well
Watch out that you don’t get kicked by the duckling’s legs, these little birds may be small but they can still kick and scratch if you’re doing something that they don’t like.
Keep an eye on the bird to make sure that it doesn’t show any signs of distress or being ill. If you don’t see signs of the bird being distressed or ill then you don’t have to worry.
Toxoplasmosis:
Another reason why your ducking is laying on its back may be because the bird has toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that causes ducklings to flip on their backs, in fact, a bird-flipping on its back is usually the first sign that the bird has toxoplasmosis.
A bird-flipping on its back is not inherently dangerous but other birds in the flock may peck at the bird and trample on the bird or the bird may die from exhaustion as it tries to right itself up to no avail.
A bird with this condition can also die due to dehydration or starvation because it isn’t able to eat or drink on its own.
What to do:
Treatment for this condition in ducklings includes giving the bird pyrimethamine daily for 7-10 days as well as giving the bird sulfadiazine daily to the bird for 7- 10 days.
The dosage needs to be calculated according to the bird’s weight, you’d need to consult a vet about this.
Note: This treatment can be highly toxic to your ducklings especially because they are so small, be sure to avoid giving this medication to your bird for longer than 2 weeks
Botulism:
Another reason why your bird may be laying on its back may be because the bird has botulism. Botulism causes affected birds to develop paralysis of their legs, the bird may also develop a floppy head.
This ailment will eventually cause the bird to lay on its back or its side.
Birds develop botulism when infected with the Clostridium Botulinum toxin, these block the nerves in the bird causing muscle paralysis.
Birds can become infected if they eat spoiled food, or if they eat decomposing plant matter that harbors the botulism toxin. The bird can also become infected if it eats the immediate hosts like fly larvae and maggots.
If your bird’s botulism is severe then the bird may develop full-blown paralysis
What to do:
There is no specific treatment for this condition, a bird affected with this ailment would need to be isolated and offered supportive care. Giving the bird vitamins and antibiotics can help in some cases.
Ensure that the bird has access to food and water while in isolation
The bird will still need to clean itself even though it has botulism, you’d have to take the bird into a small pool of water on a daily basis and help the bird clean itself. Dry it off with a towel after the cleaning is complete.
Wry neck:
Wry neck is a disease that causes a bird’s neck to lose the ability to hold the bird’s head up. As a result, the bird will look as though it is looking at the sky because the head is thrown back.
If your bird has wry neck, and the bird is not treated, then the ailment will progress to a stage where the bird will lay on its back because it is losing mobility in its body.
Wry neck can develop because of an injury, because of genetics, or because of a lack of vitamin B1 or vitamin E.
What to do:
Wry neck can develop because of a variety of reasons, because of this, the reason why your bird has wry neck will determine what type of treatment to give your bird.
If your bird has wry neck because of a vitamin deficiency you would need to supplement these nutrients into the bird’s diet.
If the wry neck developed because of an injury, then you’d need to treat the bird’s injury and keep it from becoming injured in the future by safeguarding the bird’s environment.
Some types of ducks are simply more prone to developing wry neck
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: How Does A Mother Duck Feed Her Ducklings?, Why Do Mother Ducks Kill Their Babies?, Why Do Ducklings Follow Their Mother?, Duckling Wobbly, Baby Duck Throwing Head Back,