Totally lame duck - help please

[welliebird]

HELP PLEASE
My chocolate call female has slithered down the run today when I let her out - her legs are just trailing out behind her and she cannot or will not get up at all.

She is eating and drinking and the only thing that has changed recently is that I have seen the drake mating her. She was absolutely fine when I put them to bed last night.

I've put her in a cat basket on a deep straw bed with food and water which she is taking - and Ive put the basket in the run with her mate so as not to stress her by separating them.

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Welliebird

[duckmad]

hi welliebird
for some reason this affliction only affects, or seems to affect calls, and bantams.
it is like all the muscles have given up working. the only thing i can suggest and this generally works is put her on a small pond, washing up bowl ( where she can be retrieved) and let her swim for a couple of minutes at a time, if she is happy there leave her a bit longer, this seems to stimulate things back to working order, i dont think that it would be the drake hurting her. apart from that, do what you are doing and if she is eating and drinking, she isnt losing her strength, you could also try putting her out on grass on a warm day, but in the shade, the sun seems to do them wonders.
duckmad

[welliebird]

Hi duckmad,
Thanks for your reply - I am interested to hear that this seems to affect Calls and bantams only. It was exactly like her muscles had stopped working. Her legs were totally dead as though they had gone to sleep. I left her in the cat basket all day and by late afternoon she was standing up making a hell of a racket, like Call ducks do! I let her out of the basket and she was most indignant - just like her old self.

This morning she has come out of her house absolutely fine? I shall keep my eye on her and see if it happens again. Strange though isn't it.
Thanks again
Faith