Starveout in Waterfowl

Disease Summary

Alternative Names (Synonyms)

• Starve out, starve-out
• Starvation of downies

See also: Starvation, Caloric Exhaustion.

Disease Type

Infectious/Non-Infectious Agent associated with the Disease

Infective "Taxa"

Non-infective agents

Physical agents

• Accommodation construction
• Calorie/protein intake inadequate
• Inter/intra specific interaction
• Presentation of food unfamiliar

References

Disease Author

Major References / Reviews

Code and Title List

Other References

Code and Title List

Detailed Clinical and Pathological Characteristics

General

Clinical Characteristics

Incubation

Mortality / Morbidity

Pathology

Human Health Considerations

Disease has been reported in either the wild or in captivity in:

Host Species List

Disease has been specifically reported in Free-ranging populations of:

Host Species List

General Information on Environmental Factors/Events and Seasonality

• May be more common in waterfowl kept in intensive rather than extensive management systems (B18).
• Lack of factors stimulating feeding, such as yellow or green colours, moving food, companions pecking at food or in tree-hole breeding species, the stimulus of falling from the nest may all be important (B10.26.w2, B11.40.w1, B13.46.w1).

Regions / Countries where the Infectious Agent or Disease has been recorded

Regions / Countries where the Infectious Agent or Disease has been recorded in Free-ranging populations

General Information on Investigation / Diagnosis

• History and Documentation - General
• Physical Examination - General
• Environmental Assessment - General
• Necropsy - General

Similar Diseases (Differential Diagnosis)

Specific Medical Treatment

--

General Nursing and Surgical Techniques

• Encourage feeding: provide food which will stimulating feeding behaviour, e.g. food floating on water, greens and hard-boiled egg on food, food in 'worm' shapes, live food such as mealworms (particularly for species which would normally take mainly live food, e.g. smew Mergellus albellus, scoters Melanitta spp., mergansers, bufflehead Bucephala albeola), water dripping into bowl, crumbs sprinkled on downies backs (will preen crumbs off each other). Ensure dry food is placed near water.
• Provide an actively-feeding juvenile, such as a mallard duckling Anas platyrhynchos, as a companion, particularly for downies of species known to be at risk, such as scoters Melanitta spp., harlequins Histrionicus histrionicus, long-tailed ducks Clangula hyemalis.
• For tree-hole breeding species (e.g. mandarin ducks Aix galericulata, wood ducks Aix sponsa), toss lightly into the air and allow to fall to the ground to simulate falling from the nest.

(J23.13.w3, J23.13.w4, B10.26.w2, B13.46.w1, B37.x.w1, B40).

• Force feeding should be used only if no method of encouragement is effective. Small volumes must be given (J23.13.w4).

• Stimulating Feeding of Downies (Waterfowl)
• Food and Feeding for Birds - General
• Treatment and Care - General

Preventative Measures

WATERFOWL

• Encourage feeding: provide food which will stimulating feeding behaviour, e.g. food floating on water, greens and hard-boiled egg, food in 'worm' shapes, live food (particularly for species which would normally take mainly live food, e.g. smew Mergellus albellus, scoters Melanitta spp., mergansers, bufflehead Bucephala albeola), 'slurry' of food for filter-feeders, small seeds floating on water. Ensure dry food is placed near water for easy dabbling.
• Provide an actively-feeding juvenile, such as a mallard duckling Anas platyrhynchos, as a companion for downies of species known to be at risk, such as scoters Melanitta spp., harlequins Histrionicus histrionicus, long-tailed ducks Clangula hyemalis.
• For tree-hole breeding species (e.g. mandarin ducks Aix galericulata, wood ducks Aix sponsa), toss lightly into the air and allow to fall to the ground to simulate falling from the nest.

(J23.13.w3, J23.13.w4, B10.26.w2, B13.46.w1).

• Stimulating Feeding of Downies (Waterfowl)
• Food and Feeding for Birds - General
• Accommodation Design for Birds - General

Environmental and Population Control Measures

WATERFOWL

--