Ducks are a common type of bird of a farmer’s choice in breeding. Aside from being valued highly in the poultry market, ducks are also relatively a low cost initial investment. They can be bred for both their meats and their eggs – much similar to the chicken counterparts.
However, with great value comes great responsibilities. Unlike their chicken counterparts – when raising them takes little to no effort at all – ducks require a certain level of maintenance that may not be the best for new farmers. Additionally, ducks are much more prone to major life-threatening illnesses than their chicken counterparts.
The list of potential illnesses that ducks could catch are endless, but one that has never failed to give breeders a major scare would be the life threatening “blue eye” disease. As the name suggests, one physical distinction that indicates that a duck is infected is the blue eyes themselves. This disease should not be left untreated, and professional assistance is needed immediately.
However, we’d understand if breeders are faced with circumstances that may not allow them to have access to professional medical assistance. If this specific situation arises, there are at-home procedures breeders could commit to that would help cure this disease. In this article, we’d be discussing these procedures and how to cure the blue eye disease from ducks.
1. Spraying Method
In killing the disease, breeders could adopt a procedure called the spraying method. As the name suggests, the spraying method requires breeders to spray a mixture with the ratio of 1:9 of bayclean and water respectively. This is to sterilise the living spaces from any bacterias already fostering in every corner. The sanitation process only takes 3 minutes, but would kill all bacterias that could infect other birds.
2. Separation
Separating and putting your infected ducks in a quarantine would prevent other ducks from catching the same illness. The blue eye disease is highly contagious and should not be taken lightly. As you separate the sick duck from the rest, be sure to implement the spraying method to the sick duck’s previous living spaces. Keep your infected duck in a safe and enclosed location until they show signs of full recovery.
3. Extra Vitamin Supplements
Similar to humans, we are less prone to catching any potential illnesses if we were to be fed extra vitamin supplements. Extra vitamin supplements would help maintain a duck’s healthy immune system that combats them from any life threatening diseases.
The vitamins ducks would need to keep their immune system are endless, but the essentials would be vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You could purchase these vitamins at your local pet shop, but breeders could save up a few by feeding your farm a mixture of brown sugar and water – which is packed with the listed vitamins. Feeding your farm organic vitamin boosts allows breeders to carefully monitor their food intake and it is relatively easy and cost efficient.
4. Feeding Them Papaya Leaves
As mentioned previously, there are multiple benefits into feeding your duck farm an organic vitamin boost. There are hundreds of recipes both online and offline, and one common way is in the form of papaya leaves. To process this natural ingredient into feed, breeders can follow these instructions:
- Collect one big papaya leaf that is has no deformities and is a brightly shaded green
- Wash the papaya leaf thoroughly under running water
- Boil the leaf in clean water
- Feed the boiled papaya leaf as after it cools down. A sick duck would generally need 3 doses to regain their stamina and combat the sickness. Breeders should also add in extra water to prevent them from getting dehydrated.
5. “Force” Feed
Sick ducks are supposed to be fed with a lot of food to combat their fatigue and illnesses. Proper feed contains the right nutrients that would speed up their healing process – thus it is essential for breeders to ensure that they are being fed the right nutrients. However, despite the crucial need of a proper nutrients, force feeding them should not be done by extreme force and violence. This would trigger stress, which could worsen their conditions.
There are gentle and ethical ways to do “force” feed your ducks. One of these ways is as listed:
- Wrap rice – or any other feed – with papaya leaves
- Encourage ducks to feed themselves by gently pushing said feed inside their mouths down their throats. Breeders should do this gently to avoid choking on food.
- Serve the boiled papaya leaves with more water to give it a watery texture – thus easier to consume
- Feed your ducks a minimum of 3 times a day, including the boiled papaya leaves water
- Commit to this practice for 3-4 days.
- Once your ducks are showing full signs of recovery, you could stop the routine and proceed to feed them normal food.
6. Feed Them Probiotics
Another way to help with a duck’s blue eye disease is to feed them a mixture of probiotics. In doing so, breeders should prepare an empty bucket and pour a glass of PTPG2 probiotics, 15 grams of Amoxitin, 15 grams of Qoliquil, and 10-15 liters of clean water. Stir this mixture into one concoction and soak in your ducks’ feed in it. The probiotics will help treat your ducks’ illness.
7. Prescribed to Antibiotics
Similar to a human’s immune system, prescribing antibiotics to ducks would help reduce the effects of the disease. Simply mix the antibiotics in their drinking water in order to feed it properly to your ducks.
However, in regards to their dose, it is advised that breeders prescribed 10 grams of antibiotics for every 100kg worth of feed. If, however, breeders decide to infuse the antibiotics into their drinking water – the ideal dose is about 10 grams of antibiotics into 40 galons of water. This ratio should be enough to combat any diseases caused by viruses.
8. More Supplements
To ensure that your ducks have been fed properly, some breeders would supply them with more vitamin supplements. These supplements would help combat any illnesses that may had already fostered in their systems.
9. Vaccination
As the saying goes, it is better to prevent earlier before its too late. To avoid catching any diseases in the first place, breeders are advised to vaccinate their farms from any potential diseases. Vaccination can come in many forms and serves many different purposes – so it is wise that you consult medical professionals.
10. Cleaning
As previously mentioned, it is very important that ducks are kept in a sanitary and clean environment. Responsibilities that breeders must commit to would be constant cleaning of their living spaces, cleaning their feeding stations routinely, and routine grooming.
So there you have it, several tips on how to cure the blue eye disease from ducks. Note that these are just some general tips, and prior research is probably needed to fully cure the disease. Additionally, breeders would help in getting advise and routine check ups with medical professionals.