Interactive lesson

Duck and goose health, step by step

Interactive lesson: clean water, dry bedding, quarantine, the daily look at the flock, catching and examining, emergency signs and notifiable diseases.

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The whole lesson as text

1. Prevention before treatment

Prevention is 90 % of the job: clean water, dry bedding, space, quarantine and wild birds kept away.

Clean water — The tub stands 5–10 m from the house. Change the drinker daily and the tub every 1–3 days.
Quarantine for new birds — Keep new birds apart for at least 30 days, with their own water and feed.
Wild birds kept away — Drinking water isn't on a pond where wild ducks land. Don't lend crates or drinkers.
Roof, boots, grazing — Keep feed under a roof and have separate boots for the run. Move geese onto a new section of grass every 1–2 weeks.

Why: Disease most often reaches a waterfowl flock in five ways: with new birds, with wild birds, through dirty water, through wet bedding and feed, and on your boots. You can close each of these routes before a bird falls ill.

Water that smells is dangerous. Change the drinker daily and the tub every 1–3 days.
In quarantine, feed the old flock first, then the new birds.

2. A healthy bird and a sick one

The best check is a look every day, in the morning when you open the house.

The morning look — Open the house and watch who comes out. Healthy birds come out by themselves, with the flock, and hurry to water and feed.
Who stays alone — A bird that stands alone, fluffed up, with its head under its wing and doesn't go to the water is the first to check.
Water and feathers — A healthy bird dips its head in water, its feathers are glossy and water rolls off its back. Feathers wet to the skin are a warning sign.
Look at the droppings — Healthy droppings are moist, green to brown, with a white part. Bloody, watery, bright green or yellow droppings are a warning sign.

Why: Healthy birds come out by themselves and hurry to water and feed. A bird that stays inside or stands alone with its head under its wing is the first to check. Illness can often be seen days before a bird lies down.

Watch the appetite too: a healthy bird eats and drinks straight away in the morning.
Bill open at rest, rattling and tail bobbing are warning signs.