Duck Respiratory Infection: Dealing with Livestock Illness on a Homestead

Around here and probably any farm or homestead there are very few moments when nothing is going wrong. This spring we have had plant problems, tiller problems, truck problems and a whole slew of other issues but the worst thing is always when an animal gets sick.

Recently one of our rouen ducks, Kili started to exhibit abnormal behavior. She seemed like she was breathing a bit harder than normal but was still eating, drinking, and swimming so I decided to give her a day. Unfortunately it only got worse. After doing some research we believe Kili probably had a respiratory infection.

We had a lot of trouble finding a specific treatment for this online. I was really surprised with so many people who keep ducks. Where do you find livestock health information?

Thankfully our local tractor supply carries broad spectrum antibiotics that are safe for poultry. The kind we used is called oxytetracycline HCI. The instructions were for a large flock and by weight so we just separated her with a teaspoon of the antibiotics, some molasses (the antibiotic is bitter), and a liter of water mixed together. We also gave her food to encourage her to drink. She never finished the entire mixture but it started working by the second day.

We followed this treatment everyday, twice a day in the morning and evening, for ten days. It worked and Kili seems to be doing great. This worked for us but if your ducks or other animals are experiencing abnormal symptoms we strongly encourage consulting your veterinarian before trying any treatments. Please also note that it is not reccomended to eat eggs from poultry currently on antibiotics.

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