Prevention is always better than cure and ducks are hardy and healthy given the right circumstances for them to thrive. If kept in a well-ventilated house with a large run or area to forage safely, with plenty of fresh, clean water and nutritionally balanced feed. ration with only one drake to the ducks, they have every chance of being healthy.
USE YOUR EYES
It’s your observation and knowing their routine that will quickly help you to spot problems and solve them before they get too bad. See who the leader is, how they interact with each other, how much they splash in the water, how eagerly they forage and what they do when you let them out in the mornings. If they are agitated, dull or panting you’ll know something is wrong.
HELP YOUR VET TO HELP YOU
Not all vets are expert with poultry so it’s worth taking time to check out the local practices before registering. With all vets, the more information you can provide to them when they visit or you take the duck in, the more the chance successfully treating the bird so ensure you have the age, the sex and, if possible the breed of bird, handy plus how it has been kept. In particular the diet, access to free range and access to water plus the symptoms including when they were first noticed.
NO FOOT - NO DUCK
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av The Country Smallholder.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av The Country Smallholder.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France
Aspiring smallholders are continually thwarted by the prices of smallholdings and property with land located within the UK. Even the humblest croft in Scotland comes with a substantial price tag and conditions which would make even an adventurous wannabee consider carefully. But all is not lost. For those willing to take the adventure of a lifetime, there is always Europe, and one of the most popular places is France.
Meet the Bournemouth goats and their supporters
These capricious animals are hard workers preserving the natural habitat
Still warm enough to sit outside with a Pizza
Henrietta Balcon uses fresh figs to create an unusual dish at Harvest time
Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer
If you look and listen you might be able to see them preparing to leave says The RSPB
Get ready for the colder weather in the warmth of late summer
Claire Waring advises on doing the best to make sure your colonies survive until next spring
Preparing the Veg Patch for Winter
Lee Senior says, a well-run plot can excitingly continue to produce good quality, tasty, fresh food for much of winter
Time to prepare to plant your orchard
Wade Muggleton, smallholder and author of The Orchard Book, shares his practical experience so you can create your own fruit collection
Choosing feed for the autumn
As autumn approaches, Joanna Palmer, nutritionist at the Smallholder Range, offers advice on choosing the right feed to support your adult birds through their annual moult and ensure your young birds grow and finish well at this time of the year.
Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
Reflecting on how much the humble hen has helped people world wide plus advice on stopping the scourge of red mite
Give your hens some support
Paul Donovan looks at the right and wrong ways of handling birds
