Duck-Duck-Goose Blue Ribbon Winners!

We would like to begin by thanking everyone who entered photos of their ducks and geese in our Blue Ribbon Fundraiser. Together you have helped us raise over $500 for our sanctuary! Special thanks to those of you who donated extra with your photo submissions--much appreciated!

With so many gorgeous photos entered, it was not easy choosing our winners. With this in mind, we would like to extend a warm thank you to our panel of unbiased judges who spent hours sorting through all of your photos.

Our unanimous winner of Most Photogenic Photograph of 2009 is Daisy a Toulouse goose, which was submitted by Elizabeth Garey with the caption:  "I believe I can fly!"

Our winner of  Most Comical Photograph of 2009 is Omalie a Pekin drake, which was submitted by Chantal Pirro with the caption:  "It looks like choppy waters today--I might need this!!"

First Prizes!

Each of our two lucky winners will be receiving a GORGEOUS metallic blue and silver, 4 tier, rosette ribbon with three 30 cm long tails and an imprinted silver "1st" in the center along with a personalized Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary Winner's Certificate .

In addition to being awarded Blue Ribbons and Framed Certificates, winning photos have also been added to our Winner's Circle page.

Honorable Mentions!

As much as we wish we could send everyone a blue ribbon for their beautiful ducks and geese, we were only able to award two winners. Still, we had some adorable and amazing photos that truly thrilled the judges. We would like to share with you some of the photos that made it all the way down to the finals.

Finalists for Most Photogenic:

2nd Place:  "Rita's first time in the big pond!"

3rd Place:  "Peepers"

4th place:  "Dewie" a.k.a. "Olympia"

Finalists for Most Comical:

Congratulations to Lani Clover for this photo of her Pekin drake. This was a very close contest and the judges were torn right up until the end. Missing the blue ribbon by only one vote, here is her boy Hercules (a.k.a. Flipper):

2nd Place:  "Got Mud?"

3rd Place:  "Daffie"

4th Place featuring Dana, Michaela & Nora:
"Hey, no photos! Can't you see I'm not dressed yet?"

Even if your photo does not appear here, it still landed firmly in our hearts and we loved every single one of them. Please don't be discouraged if your duck or goose did not win a blue ribbon this year. Regardless as to whether or not they received a prize, they are all winners, and we could see from your photos how truly loved they all are.

We will be running this photo fundraiser again beginning in the Spring of 2010, so you have a whole year to snap more amazing photos of your gorgeous ducks and geese. Thank you again, everyone, for your participation in this fundraising event!

Gerty

It is so hard to let go of our dear feathered friends. This is a special message for Elaine who rescued and rehabilitated dear little Gerty and changed her whole world. We are so sorry to hear of your loss. You made her life wonderful and amazing. People like you make the world go round and so do ducks like Gerty.

Have You Seen Our Video Clips at Myspace?

http://profile.myspace.com/majesticducks

Sanctuary videos change throughout the month,
so keep checking back to see the latest!

Cecal Worms (Heterakis gallinarum)

As we learn, we try to help you learn as well. When newcomer Tommy Knocker's fecal test came back positive for Heterakis gallinarum we did our research to learn more about the parasite.

Tommy Knocker, Obama and Demi all came in from a very polluted pond, so we were not surprised when Tommy Knocker's fecal came back positive. Since all three ducks entered West Wing (our quarantine pen) together, we decided to treat all of them for the parasite to ensure 100% eradication.

Heterakis gallinarum is a white intestinal worm (or cecal worm) that measures up to a half inch in length. Cecal worms spend most of their time in the lower intestine or the ceca. This parasite falls in the phylum:  Nematoda, order:  Ascaridia and is a member of the general class of roundworms. They are sometimes just referred to as nematodes. 

Symptoms : With heavy infection, especially in young birds, listlessness, reduced egg production and depression are common.

Large numbers of these worms can also cause thickening of the cecal walls, which can eventually lead to hemorrhages. Furthermore, this parasite often carries and transmits Histomonas meleagridas to birds through its eggs. Histomonas meleagridas is a microscopic protozoan. Turkeys are much more vulnerable to Histomoniasis (or "Blackhead Disease") than waterfowl. Ducks and geese may be carriers, but rarely suffer infection. This means that the cecal worm itself is more of an issue that the Histomonas protozoan that they can potentially carry.

Rarely, a duck or goose can become infected and the protozoan can cause serious damage to their liver and ceca. This is called Blackhead Disease or Histomoniasis. Symptoms include: decreased appetite, depression, lethargy, sulfur-colored yellow droppings, ruffled feathers and birds will often stand alone. This condition is rare in ducks and geese, but deadly without treatment.

Diagnosis:  The presence of cecal worms can be confirmed by providing a stool sample to your vet for a fecal flotation to check for the presence of eggs. Although adult worms may be seen in the feces, with so many types of parasites out there, only a vet (or their lab) can determine exactly which kind of worms your bird has and then prescribe the appropriate treatment regime.

Treatment:  

In Tommy Knocker's case, he did not have Histomoniasis, but he did test positive for cecal worms. Our vet prescribed Strongid-T liquid suspension in the dose of 1 cc per 20 lb bird (each 1 ml contains 50 mg of pyrantel base as pyrantel pamoate). Strongid-T is a milky, yellow liquid that is loaded into a syringe and simply given orally. Each duck was administered a single dose based on their weight and then two weeks later, they each received a second, single dose. Three days after their second treatment, fecal samples were taken again from each of the three ducks and delivered to our vet to confirm that the parasites were effectively removed from their systems.

In addition:

• Thoroughly clean infected pens and houses

• Remove contaminated soil

• Remove and replace any bedding (hay) every day throughout the entire treatment period. 

• Remove stools daily (at a minimum)

• Worms are vulnerable to sunlight and drying; use this knowledge to your advantage.

• For best results, after your birds are free of worms, remove them from the pen and turn over the infected soil to a depth of 8-12 inches. Seed new grass and allow it to grow in, giving the pen a few weeks resting period. When the grass is fully re-established, return your birds to the area.

Roundworms are very contagious, so be sure to clean all tools and equipment thoroughly with a 10% bleach solution. Adhere to a strict quarantine routine until the problem is thoroughly resolved to avoid further infection in other animals. Avoid tracking parasites from infected pens to clean pens.

Keep in mind, Strongid-T effectively removes cecal worms from your duck or goose's body, but it does not necessarily kill all of these parasites. It mostly helps your bird to expel them from their system.

Eggs can remain active in the soil for up to three years, so if you can not effectively clean your duck or goose's pen, they are likely to re-contract the parasite.

Prevention:

• Keep pens clean

• Ensure you have good drainage in your pens

• Avoid overcrowding your waterfowl

• Change the locations of their water buckets regularly

*Special thanks to Michele for helping us understand this parasite more thoroughly, interpreting test results, confirming treatment options and dosages, offering extremely helpful advice regarding quarantine considerations, providing emotional support, and finally, thank you for editing this article for me! Your patience and wisdom has helped ease us through this health issue without panicking.