# Duck rescued from ice



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

This is a heart warming story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7155656.stm


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

That is a heart warming story. Odd, because it's a little late in the year for a duck to be laying eggs. 
I love ducks.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Odd, because it's a little late in the year for a duck to be laying eggs.


That is what John and I were just thinking. Pigeons do, but I have never seen a baby duck in winter.

Cynthia


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Now that I think about it...I did have 2 Muscovy ducklings hatch on Valentines Day. Still, they were very early and a complete surprise!


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Waterfowl are superbly amazing creatures... So much emotion in those little ones (and the big ones, too, of course). As the proud owner of a goose, I have to say, that was very heartwarming. I'm so glad someone was there to rescue her.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm glad the poor little ducky was saved! It must've been pretty scary for it...being stuck out there for so long 

My ducks used to lay eggs all the time, almost like chickens. But that was probably because they were at least part Khaki Campbell, which are supposed to lay more eggs in a year than your average chickens. Different ducks lay different amounts of eggs. Plus, that one looks like a domestic breed as far as I know.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

It's always reassuring to hear acts of kindness like this. All too often there is bad news in the press. Thankfully this is positive, good news!!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Great rescue! Just curious why everyone seems so keen on releasing this duck back to the wild? It appears to be a domestic duck of mixed heritage and probably doesn't fly well at all. 

Terry


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Glad the duck is okay. I wish someone would tell Fussy Gussy that most birds don't lay during the winter. . .she's been "announcing" at top volume that she's going to lay an egg for three days now, starting before sunrise. Worse than a rooster!


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Wonderful story, Cynthia.  

Thanks for sharing it with us. 

Cindy


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I know very little about ducks, the closest that I have come to recognising one was snatching a duck away from an over amarous group of mallard drakes.



> Just curious why everyone seems so keen on releasing this duck back to the wild? It appears to be a domestic duck of mixed heritage and probably doesn't fly well at all.


We have many hybrids and even domestic ducks living successfully in the wild, so the first thing rescuers will consider is release and failing that a sanctuary. The Three Owls will probably keep her on an outdoor pond and give her the option of staying or flying off.

Below is a photo of the ducks that I have been feeding for two or three years now: the big white one is an Aylesbury, she disappeared during the summer with several mallards (a lot of our wildfowl have been stolen for the table)  She is unable to fly but had a mallard mate and would produce a dozen ducklings, one of which would be yellow. The white offspring were always drakes and good flyers. There is one next to her in the photo.


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## WildlifeVetToBe (Oct 14, 2007)

I used to have two domestic ducks, east indian ducks, both who flew well. 

She looks like part mallard anyway, fantastic story. Wish the RSPCA would do more to help other british wildlife.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Ducks and geese are not as much their breed as they are their situation. A wild duck or goose that grows up in domestic situations with humans thinks it's a human. A domestic duck or goose that grows up in the wild with wild ducks and geese is a wild duck in its mind as well.

You'd never believe the level of fear, worry, excitement, happiness, joy, and anger that waterfowl can show. They're exceedingly emotional. When Moody is afraid, she huffs and puffs very loudly, stands very rigid and skinny, and looks all around her. She also has nervous habits and will chew and bite on things when angry or scared. She also screams, just like a little kid. When she was a baby, if she tripped or fell, she'd scream at the top of her lungs until someone helped her. She still does that, actually, except she's gotten used to tripping over everything--she's very clumsy, after all.

It's a horrible thought what people do to these animals every year. Shooting them from the sky, roasting them for dinner, force feeding them to give them fatty liver disease so they "taste better". They are able to show an array of emotions, contribute to a human family life, raise young lovingly, eat their favourite foods with zest, enjoy snuggle time, understand commands and questions -- such as "Moody, do you want some food?" "HONK HONK HONK!" and feel a vast array of emotions. They are some of the most emotional birds I've ever known. They are at the same level as parrots there. I don't doubt we've _completely_ underestimated their intelligence--funny, we also underestimated the intelligence of pigeons, parrots, corvids and pretty much every other bird out there.

Humanity has a lot to learn.

As for the breed, it looks like a swedish duck mixed with a khaki campbell or something of that sort. Its colouring, along with its bill shape (thick and long) point to a mixed domestic breed. If it was alone, it's likely a domestic duck that got lost, unable to survive well in the wild. It may have laid that egg because _it was looking for nest materials or a place to nest and got stranded from its home, and was in the process of laying its clutch._ Domestic ducks can lay all year round, so as long as they're kept in a warm place (like a barn) and it may have gotten out to search around, like lots of laying ducks do.

Here are the breeds I'm thinking:









(Ignore the crest on its head--just the coloring and the bill)

It's _possible_ that some Khaki was in there--which would explain the egg laying, as well. Take a look at that little duckie's beak, if you will--it has a greenish quality to it. _That_ definitely points towards the Khaki campbell duck being involved, and also explains the egg laying.









On the left is a female khaki with a trademark greenish bill.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks for the info and photos, Cynthia. I do realize that many domestic ducks do just fine in places like my local duck pond park, but I also know that once one has had a problem .. illness/injury .. and has been removed to be treated and cared for, it rarely works out well to put them back to fend for themselves after they have recovered.

Hopefully things will work out just fine for this rescued duck. It is a great rescue story.

Terry


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Vasp said:


> As for the breed, it looks like a swedish duck mixed with a khaki campbell or something of that sort. Its colouring, along with its bill shape (thick and long) point to a mixed domestic breed. If it was alone, it's likely a domestic duck that got lost, unable to survive well in the wild. It may have laid that egg because _it was looking for nest materials or a place to nest and got stranded from its home, and was in the process of laying its clutch._ Domestic ducks can lay all year round, so as long as they're kept in a warm place (like a barn) and it may have gotten out to search around, like lots of laying ducks do.
> 
> It's _possible_ that some Khaki was in there--which would explain the egg laying, as well. Take a look at that little duckie's beak, if you will--it has a greenish quality to it. _That_ definitely points towards the Khaki campbell duck being involved, and also explains the egg laying.
> 
> On the left is a female khaki with a trademark greenish bill.


Those two breeds where the exact first two that came to my mind when I saw the picture and the part about it laying an egg in the winter.
Great minds think alike?


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

So it would seem.  I'm just a big duck enthusiast, and in my years studying ducks and geese before I got Moody, I learned a _lot_ about the different breeds. Seeing as these breeds are _relatively_ light weight, the duck has a chance of being able to fly... However, it does seem fishy. A duck that's not living in a domestic situation like a barn has little chance of laying in the winter, especially if she was found alone. I'd say she belongs to someone somewhere, and just wandered off, the poor thing. I do hope they find out who she belongs to, or otherwise find her a good place to go if she can't be released.

It's true, though, that lots of domestic ducks cannot be released after being rescued. Perhaps it is the mere fact that they have no other choice that they conform to the other ducks' habits...? However, they are very strong imprinters. If the duck was indeed wild and born from under wild ducks that had been born under wild ducks and so on and so forth, they would be, flesh and blood, _wild_. Seeing as she is a cross between two highly domestic breeds, especially the swedish, which seems quite dominant, I'd say there's little chance that she was born in the wild, or is accustomed to it.

I'm doubtful most ducks would sit in one place so long as to freeze like that... Flying off would be their top priority. A confused domestic duck, though, could do so...


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I've learned a good bit fromt the ducks I've had as well, but I'm not a big duck person. I've had Muscovy ducks, Khaki Campbells (and what I believe to be a Khaki Campbell/Buff duck mix, since they did come from a rinky dink feedstore), and Ruens. I've ended up helping a few people out with identifying whether their ducks were Ruens or Mallards, but that's about all I've really talked about with ducks here lately. I guess I kinda went through a duck streak or something  

My ducks always thought they were chickens. They'd roost with them (even the Ruens found a way to get up on the roost sticks), migrate around the yard with them, eat with them....and attempt to mate with them. Not to mention, I had a heck of a time trying to get my ducks to swim last time. I had to take the ducks across the yard and toss them into the pond several times before they learned they were safe there (I guess my Border Collie herding them into the pond everyday helped). 

My last three ducklings were Joey, Goose, and Spunky. Spunky was a Khaki Campbell/Ruen mix from my adult birds, but looked like a Ruen duckling. Goose and Joey were from the feed store though, so Spunkster would have some buddies of his own kind 
Joey was your average yellow duckling, while Goose was a yellow/gray one with a black bill and feet. He was so loud all the time I was pretty much convinced he WAS a goose (which I still don't know for sure what he/she was!). Sadly...they all died before they started getting their adult feathers in...Joey first, then Goose, and then Spunky. I was so sad because for the longest time I had kept them in a box in the house. I'd let them swim in the bathroom sink for practice, and Spunky would run across the room to climb up my shirt to snuggle up against my ear. I was the first thing he saw when he hatched since I was the first to open up the incubator....so he thought I was his mom. 
When Joey got sick, he went slow and it didn't matter what I tried, nothing would work. It got to the point where I had to hand feed him...
I miss those little guys  

I think domestic ducks should have a chance to get a good home with someone to love and take care of them. If they have been raised in the wild, then they have what they need, so they're okay....but if it's a duck that is either a lost domestic or a duck not capable of surviving that well on its own...why risk letting it in the wild? Ducks, just like pigeons, can change people's lives!


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

I so agree! My goose Moody has changed my life entirely. She has her problems--her smelly poop (do you know why this could be, by the way? It smells absolutely terrible, worse than puke sometimes, rivalling cat poop and baby poop all in one--like sewers and dead fish and baby poop, and it's not solid, but sort of like mush) and her typical teenage angst. _But_ she is my baby girl. She gives hugs and follows me around, shows a vast array of emotions, has the most beautiful blue eyes, and talks to me. She has so many different vocalizations!

Ducks and geese are fabulous... That is a conclusion I quickly came to.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Although I feed them I don't know much about geese and ducks, I had no idea that they were emotional. I must learn more.

I also know nothing about their poops, except that Simon Barnes mentioned them and the accuracy of the saying "Loose as a goose".

Which reminds me, Simon Barnes wrote a lovely book called "A bad birdwatcher's companion" which takes a humorous look at 50 common British birds. The feral pigeon is included, although he points out that as far as birdwatching guides go there is no such bird as it is never acknowledged. At the end of the article he concludes that he likes feral pigeons and if they leave an occasional white streak on a window it is evidence of life (or words to that effect, he says it better).

As far as I remember the article on Canada Geese starts with the words, "Never trust a man who says he doesn't like Canada Geese". I think we could plagiarise there on occasions and say "Never trust a person that dislikes pigeons".

Cynthia


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Vasp said:


> I so agree! My goose Moody has changed my life entirely. She has her problems--her smelly poop (do you know why this could be, by the way? It smells absolutely terrible, worse than puke sometimes, rivalling cat poop and baby poop all in one--like sewers and dead fish and baby poop, and it's not solid, but sort of like mush) and her typical teenage angst. _But_ she is my baby girl. She gives hugs and follows me around, shows a vast array of emotions, has the most beautiful blue eyes, and talks to me. She has so many different vocalizations!
> 
> Ducks and geese are fabulous... That is a conclusion I quickly came to.



Hi Vasp,



I have only had one Duck, she was about half grown when I got her, injured at a Park...and I had here about four Months I think, before finding a good Home for her where other happy Ducks were in store for her to socialie with.


Anyway, her poops were terrible at first, and smelly...and in a couple of days, once eating wholesome foods, her poops were from then on with no smell worth mentioning, and no unpleasant smell at all, they were well formed and easy to pick up in a Kleenex, and never runny or messy again.

The closer we can get to what they SHOULD be eating, the happier the poops, and the happier the Duck...


What should they be eating?


Certainly not factory 'pellets' or any other processed offal.


Oooops...gotta run...but if you like, I will elaborate more later?


Phil
l v


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Little rescued Duck Hen...probably young and confused...


Yeeeeeesh! Those Bozos, she's in some sort of welded Steel Box painted 'grey'...you can see where her breath is condensing in front of her Bill...


No wonder she is miserable..!

I would have tucked her against my Stomach, inside my Shirt, under my Sweater, in the first ten seconds...and later, set her up in a Warm-Draped-Cage with nice cuddley soft Towells and a generous tip-proof bowl of Water with Cilantro, Canned Salmon, Canned Corn, and Baby LeSeur Canned 'Peas' in it...and...


Oye...


I got chilled just looking at that picture..!

No comfort going on there, at all...



Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

I'd agree, Phil. People don't consider ducks and geese to be feeling creatures, though. With a dog, they'd do that--but a bird, no way. 

They'll probably try to release her, too--a confused domestic duck, most likely.

On the subject of poop...
We have talked about that before.  Sad thing is it did nothing but make it _worse_ for her, and she lost a lot of weight.
She refused to eat the food, and got really skinny. She's back on corn and layer pellets because I'm too afraid to starve her.
Plus, it did nothing for the poop. It made it smell more like puke than sewers and dead fish, if that's saying anything.

Please, I need _help_ here. I really do. The vets here won't see darling Moody, and she doesn't seem sick.
What could I do? Probiotics in the food/water? Where do I get them and which ones?
She is not sick or unhappy or anything--just very stinky. Could it be a bacterial problem?


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Vasp said:


> I'd agree, Phil. People don't consider ducks and geese to be feeling creatures, though. With a dog, they'd do that--but a bird, no way.
> 
> They'll probably try to release her, too--a confused domestic duck, most likely.
> 
> ...




Hi Vasp, 


I dunno then...

Sounds like some sort of resident intestional flora-fauna thing...and or from processed 'pellet' foods, depending on which ones, what kinds...


Normally, a Duck in the Wild would have a very varied, and Seasonally changing diet.


Domestic Ducks tend to have a very very narrow diet, which is the same every day, for ever...or neraly so unless they have any Natural and fecund areas to forrage, and they almost never would, so...


Possibly, after a long normatization to a specific and limited unvarying diet, they can just be too locked into habit to change easily, far as being interested to eat other things.



ACV-Water might help on the 'smellies'...



My Duck was young, I dunno, four pounds or five I guess...and likely had been someone's neglected pet which got dumped off into a Park, where she got kicked and probably hit with sticks and so on from inner-city kids, and was found limping badly at midnight in the parking lot by some people who brought her to me...so, her history, diet wise and otherwise is unknown, but was almost certainly typically urban, in all the usually disappointing vignettes that can suggest.


Anyway, I simply went onto the internet and read up on what Wild Ducks eat in these latitudes, and came as close to that as I could, and she took to all of it with very definite enthusiasm and pleasure.

I only presented clean wholesome foods in Water, in a three inch deep small Tray, since much of Wild Duck's eating is done in Water...and she could be VERY discerning too, able to eat everything BUT the one thing she did not want, leaving it in the Water only.

Early on for whatever reason, I talked myself into getting a Bag of Purina Duck Chow or whatever it was, and it was expensive too...60 lbs or whatever, and anyway, she looked hurt when I tried in various ways to present it. She would NOT eat it, and really, given how it smelled, I did not blame her, so I threw almost all of it away, but fed some to the Wild Birds in the parking lot then figured not to even do that.

What kind of pellets have you been feeding her? And or what Brand and kind specifically, so I can look up the ingrediants..?

She was very intelligent and sensitive and in every way a very lovely Creature, and very expressive, as you mention they can be...and, she LOVED her chow times, for sure, so we did three or four of them a-day. And she would 'narrate' as she ate, vocalizing through the whole meal under her breath in quiet lyrical murmers.

But anyway...hmmmm...I dunno...!


Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

See, she's had this sort of "smelly poop" for all her life, really. I just put her on the diet that had the lowest protein I could find, so as not to unnecessarily "fatten her up". I've heard of other waterfowl breeders using the same diet (at first it was a pullet grower of 15%) and they told me they had no problems. So I used it. Here, one cannot easily buy specialized waterfowl diets. Actually, one _cant_. I'll try adding some ACV to her water, too, because it seems to be a good healing agent... But I tried some of your suggestions. Food she would normally eat she would not eat in the water. See geese, especially her being a domestic goose, are more grazers than anything and don't spend a lot of time in the water. She actually doesn't like water all that much, except to drink. She will only eat her food dry (well, aside from fruits and the like), and has very fussy taste. She hated fish, wouldn't touch it--oatmeal and grains would make her poop smell even worse, even unbearable, and too many fruits bother any bird.

She used to eat grass, but here we have the most terrible winters, and our grass is dead and brown and gone under 4 feet of icy snow. We could grow our own grass, and we were considering doing so--grass improved her poop amazingly--but she isn't as fond of grass as she should be. I do agree that she will eat if she is hungry, and as soon as we grow our grass, I'll be sure to get her accustomed to it. After all, after a few days on your diet, she began to like oatmeal and carrots, no matter if they made her stink or not.

Everyone has said it's a food issue, but I have witnessed otherwise. She has not had bad conditions, and has been in a clean environment since she hatched. Her poop started stinking at even a week of age--started smelling like bad fish. I was thinking it may have to do with the fact that she was never on a baby food--the only baby poultry food we have here is medicated, unfortunately--and maybe didn't get some sort of good bacteria that she required?

Just a thought.

Thank you for your help, Phil.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Vasp, 



When I got my Duck, I did not know anything about Ducks at all, other than seeing muddy and dead areas nehind fences with a brackish small tub or wading pool in neighbor's back yards sometimes when I was a kid...


So, for whatever reason, 'mine' accepted Food-in-Water from the get go, and tended not to prefer anything 'dry', even though some things she would eat dry, she ate them with more enthusiasm and happy murmers, when they were in Water...


You might try yours on some different kinds of fresh 'Sprouts'..!


Mine loved them all...


Many Grocery Stores carry them, and some are a little Spicey too, which she might like.


Too, you could get some Mustard Greens, Dandilion Greens or other fresh ( non Lettuce, ) ones, and, cut them with Scissors into being slender short strings...Greens having 'thin' Leaves would be best I think...


This might get those poops straightened out...


Mine LOVED Canned Salmon, Canned Mackeral, Canned Sardines and Kippers and Snipe and whatever else...Canned Crab...fresh "Sushi" fish things...


I never fed her Tuna, oweing to it's reputation for Mercury...


Anyway, try different kinds of fresh small tender Sprouts...Cilantry too! Which is easy to tear into individual smal thin 'Leaves' with your fingers...



In fact, "Cilantro" especially would be a good deal for her...


Best wishes!


Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Sounds like a great proposition. She never liked lettuce much, but I bet you she'd enjoy some more taste in her greens. She has excellent taste buds and loooves her fruit. Anything that has a lot of flavor, she jumps at.

I'll pick up some sprouts, cilantro and some various greens as soon as I can.
With the holidays, it may prove more difficult to get out and about...
As soon as I can, I'll also give her a little bit of soaked garlic clove... ACV water should help a bit too. Should I try some probiotics, or do you think the ACV and garlic will be good enough? The probiotic I tried last time didn't do a thing for her, but perhaps a different one would.

Just an idea.

Thanks, Phil.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Vasp, 



Cilantro is also known to counter-act various toxins and counter varuious undesireable bacteria in the Digestive system...as well as tasting good, and being good for you...


I dunno...being on medicated factory feed when young might have messed something up a little.

Commercial feeds are only meant to get an Animal fat and weight-gainy and to slaughter when a few months old, in over crowded aqnd unsanitary conditions, as cheap as possible, with no pretense as for being of any value otherwise, or contributing to health, or longevity...and personally I will have nothing to do with any of them.

The hormones and drugs and medicines and residual stuff in them are not good for an Animal which one wishes to live longer than the usual slaughter weight or age for market and easy returns for the trouble.


Sprouts, and Cilantro definitely would be great for her, and, she might just like them too..!

I would just do that and see how it goes...Ducks need fresh Greens anyway, and they should be a staple.

Once grown of course they do not need much protean, and too much can be bad for their Liver and Kidneys, and Bones, same as us.


Low protean, and if she wants, she can always eat more..!


Oat Groats might be good too...mine loved those as well as Rolled Oats...as might the famous Goji Berrys now and then, pre-soaked so they are soft...

Mine loved Blueberrys, Black Berrys, Logan Berrys, Rasp Berrys, so I'd buy the frozen ones in the Bag which cost like $1.29 or something, very reasonable, good sie bag too, and it is JUST the Berrys too, no syrups or anything...


These can make 'blue' poops of course...when eating these!


I never gave mine Strawberrys because of all the scares with e-coli and endoparasites from sloppy farm labor pooping on the plants and so on, or also from bad 'green' liquid fertalizers usually from 'Diary Cows' which schmucky corporate farms use...where the other Berrys tend to be 'safe'...


If it was me I would just work with the Greens and various Berrys for a while and see how she does...by which I mean adding these to her diet...


So, what is her diet then, to which these would be added?


What are the main things she eats?


Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Hm, well she wasn't ever on medicated feed, just the lowest protein feed possible as I didn't want her to grow too fast or put on too much weight, as she's not going to have any purpose for excess weight and it'd just be unhealthy. She was on an unmedicated pullet grower and now is on, yet again, an unmedicated layer feed. She also eats rolled corn along with it, and absolutely loves it. I don't know what it does for her, but a very good waterfowl breeder I've spoken to (he's actually created some rather interesting breeds of bird, for show and not for eating of course) feeds his birds a layer feed as well as corn and of course fruits and vegetables, and so I began to do so as well.

No difference from the pullet grower, really, except that as she gets older, her poop gets worse. She tends to drink _a lot_ of water, too, and it makes her poops very wet. The whole poop is just mud.

When I fed her oatmeal, it came out hardly digested (even if she was fed grit) and it also smelled _absolutely horrible_, the kind of stench that gets stuck in your nose for the whole day and makes you go pale. Poor girl...


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Vasp, 


Does she graze in puddles outside? Or in mud? Where she could be casually off and on re-infecting her system with something?


She might have some sort of chronic low-level infection in her digestive tract of a Salmonella or or other not-so-good Bacteria....



Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Over the summer, she had once grazed in some puddles, where leaves fell and rotted, but she's had this way before she even ventured outside, so I doubt that is possible.

What can I do to try to cure this? Just try some ACV with water for a while?


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Vasp,




I think just all the fresh thin-leaf yummy 'Greens' she can stand might just clear things up...


And however possible, to get away from any sort of 'processed' foods...


Nothing wrong with AVC-Water on for a week, off for week, if she likes it...but really, if it were me, I would just do the ACV once in a while, and the Greens, all the time, and see how it goes...

And I would think no 'Soy Beans' or anything made from them, unless it is 'Tofu' now and then...

She might like 'Kim Chee' ( Korean spicey fermented Cabbage ) if it is easy to find in your area, and it would be great for her, if she did...

The Chinee and other Asian places of Ducks and Chickens and Geese who were fed 'Kim Chee' were found to be resistant to the H5N1 ( is it ? ) 'Bird flu' everyone was so worried about, but regardless, it is a really good food for anyone...


Good luck..!


Phil
l v


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

Wow, that's interesting that they were resistant to bird flu due to this kim chee. Perhaps I should investigate this further. I'm not sure if any food differences will clear up this problem, but I will look into it.

Thank you and hope you had a happy Christmas,
Vasp


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