1. Electric pump filters
Dependent on an energy supply. Ensure that the pump is the right size for the size of pond, to work effectively.
While it cleans the pond of any debris, it also circulates the water that provides further oxygenation.
Solar powered pumps may be more manageable for distance.

2. Barley Straw (in a net)
One application lasts for up to 6 months, however it takes around 3-8 weeks to fully activate.
The bale will need to be full immersed and left at the bottom of the pond.
Fish, plant and animal friendly

3. Aquatic Plants
Opt for the floating types of aquatic plants as they develop an extensive root system that will filter nutrients directly from the water and are used as part of an algae-control regimen.
Potted water plants are also useful to help control the pH level of the water which can also decrease or eliminate algae.

4. Splosht
Splosht works by naturally using good bacteria which eats up bad algae and sludge. It comes in dissolvable sachets. Drop a sachet in to the pond every couple of weeks to keep the water clean. Safe and natural fish pond and water feature cleaner. Lasts for up to 3 months.
(Available at all Mitre 10 stores)

5. Use a shade sail
By using more shade, it will decrease some algae and keep out leaf matter that may contribute to the dirtiness.


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If you have any more tips on how to keep your duck pond clean naturally and safely, please leave us a comment.

Both chicks and adult chickens and ducks can suffer from Wry Neck. Also known as Star Gazing or Crook Neck.

Adult poultry are more likely to only suffer Wry Neck due to a bad diet. This condition seems to be more common in chicks due to parents genetics and health.

Remember to isolate your affected bird/s immediately to prevent bullying from the other birds.


What is Wry Neck?
Poultry with the disorder cannot hold their heads up on their own and as it progressively gets worse, affected birds start to fall over or lie on their backs unable to walk freely on their own and appear to walk backwards. With an inability to bend their neck to access food and water, they are likely to starve and become dehydrated, so they need your help.

Wry Neck is a Vitamin E deficiency that can be corrected.

​Birds that do not show significant improvements after a period of treatment may need to be culled.


Causes of Wry Neck
Wry Neck can be caused by a number of factors,such as:

• Vitamin deficiency
• Genetics
• Poor nutrition during development in egg
• Head injury
• Botulism
• Ingesting of toxins

Diet is the most probable cause overall. Botulism can be transmitted by a food source that has become moldy after becoming wet. Other toxins may come through other food sources within the yard that are not good for poultry to eat.

​Head injuries are most likely to occur due to hen pecking, a fight for the social order.


Does this affect some breeds more than others?
Polish and Silkies are the most prone to Wry Neck, but not exclusive to.
All chicken and duck breeds are susceptible.


Vitamin Deficiency
A lack of Vitamin E in the birds' diet can lead to Wry Neck. So correcting the imbalance immediately will help with recovery.

Vitamin E should be combined with Selenium to aid absorption.
Vitamin B1 is also recommended.

Yes, crushed vitamin tablets are also acceptable, mixed with water.

Supplement of Vitamin E needs to be given orally to the bird daily.

Do not expect immediate improvement as it takes quite some time to start to seem improvement, but just by a change of feed alone will NOT fix Wry Neck.

Most American poultry forums recommend Polyvisol, however in Australia we do not have access to that liquid vitamin.

Instead we can use Vitamin E liquid capsules combined with a soluble poultry vitamin that contains Selenium such as Fortex Poultry Vitamins (Happy Hens) or similar.

Any vitamin supplement product that lists Sodium Selenite contains Selenium.
If you are unable to locate Selenium in any product, feed the affected bird with cooked mashed up eggs (not seasoned).

Dosage varies from owner to owner. Mixing Vitamin E with a soluble poultry vitamin and a little honey seems to be the best answer.

Amount will depend on age and weight of the bird. Consult your vet for dosage requirements.
Remember only to use an eye dropper amount for newly hatched chicks.


Poultry Forum Confusion
Forums can contain confusing and conflicting information about how much should be administered and whether iron supplements should be withheld or not.

If Molasses is ever recommended, just remember that Molasses is high in Iron and can also cause a flushing out if given too much of. We do not want any vitamins being flushed out right now during treatment.

NEVER give chicks Molasses!
Molasses is ONLY for adult poultry.

Many people recommend omitting iron completely until the affected bird is recovered.

I would err on the side of caution and omit iron if possible.


Prevention is Better than Cure

• Ensure that the poultry have a well balanced diet from a reputable fodder company rather than feeding wheat alone or providing only a grazing diet. Pellets and crushed mixed grains contain all essential vitamin, protein and mineral needs.
• Keep all food sources clean, free of moisture and mold.
• Do not over crowd poultry as this can lead to boredom and bullying, which can lead to injury or being kept away from food sources.
• Provide more herbs in their diet.
• Breed only from birds that are healthy, in optimum condition on a well balanced diet.

Foods High in Vitamin E
These foods are only recommended for adult poultry, not for chicks or ducklings:

• Sunflower Seeds (black not supermarket variety)
• Olive Oil
• Dandelion
• Spinach
• Silverbeet
• Sweet potato
• Nettle
• Broccoli
• Tomato
• Kiwi Fruit
• Almonds (ground)
• Butternut Squash and seeds (ground)
• Alfalfa
• Sage
• Thyme
• Basil
• Parsley

Spices that contain both Vitamin E and Selenium include:

• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cumin
• Caraway Seeds
• Cayenne Pepper
• Tumeric

Summary
You will need to assist the bird with eating and drinking, and by the administering of vitamin supplements by eye dropper or small syringe, daily.

A light massage and untwisting of the neck also needs to be performed daily with care to help the neck recover.

Recovery period will take quite some time, often a few weeks in badly affected birds (particularly older chickens).
​Chicks may recover quickly.

​Keep the affected bird/s isolated during treatment until fully recovered and able to eat and drink unassisted.

A diet varied in food treats from the lists above will help maintain their health.

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Mary O'Brien from The Egg Farm website gives her tips here on what dosage she used in this video here:
Wry Neck in Baby Chick


Other BackYardChickens.com Forums worth reading:

A happy ending to a Wry Neck chick story

Wry Neck in 2 day old chick

Wry Neck in new chick
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Chick with Wry Neck treated

Duck eggs are so incredibly nutritious to eat and a favourite in many cultures, but a bizarre thing can happen to the duck egg yolk that you just won't see in chicken eggs.

Duck eggs are traditionally a good deep yellow to orange colour, and that is essentially diet based. Ducks forage a little differently to chickens. They love the snails, slugs, things dwelling in the water, too. In particular, they love their greens.

And where you live can also really affect what ducks forage for. So if you are in a climate that grows oak trees and walnuts well then you are possibly in for a little treat.

When every egg so far has been the traditional orangey-yellow, but suddenly they are brown or even green, it can be a little shocking.

DON'T BE ALARMED!
Ducks naturally forage for acorns from oak trees. Acorns contain a high level of tannin, like tea, and this is what is colouring the egg yolks.

There is a possibility that ducks who are also on a high diet of walnuts may also have a deeper or dark coloured yolk.

The colouring will be RIGHT THROUGHOUT the yolk - NOT IN A PART OR STREAKED.
If there are streaks of brown or green, then you either have a fertilised duck egg or possibly another health issue for your vet to investigate.

​SO ARE THEY EDIBLE?
Even though the colouring can be quite alarming, just remember that it is only a colouring thanks to tannins. There is no easily found information as to whether they are truly edible or not, so doing a small cooking test would be the best advice. There really is no logical reason to throw these darkened yolks into the bin.

​If they don't float, and they don't smell bad - they should be perfectly fine for consumption.


DOES THIS ONLY AFFECT DUCKS?
Acorns are the highly prized finds for ducks in the wild. They are incredibly nutritious for them in so many ways. Chickens will never bother to touch them as their pallet is just not shaped for them like a duck's is. Its really not reported amongst other poultry.

But there is one other animal that is well known for eating acorns for a very special meat: PIGS.

Iberico ham and bacon is one of the most expensive and luxurious meat in the world.

According to Wikipedia - IBERICO HAM:
It is also known as jamón ibérico de Montanera. The exercise and diet have a significant impact on the flavor of the meat; the ham is cured for 36 months. The next grade is called jamón ibérico de recebo. This ham is from pigs that are pastured and fed a combination of acorns and grain.

According to Wikipedia - IBERICO BACON:
These special sweet acorns are antioxidant rich, making Ibérico de Bellota fat comparatively healthy - more like extra virgin olive oil than other fats. Not to be confused with cured Italian pancetta, Spanish panceta (with one "t") is a raw pork belly.


Well, that's sold me. I really think I would give brown or green duck egg yolks a try now.

If you have tried it, please let us know what you thought of them. Pass on your wisdom!

I just want to share this great tip on how to correct a duckling's bent neck after hatching, shared with me from Jennifer of Emerald North (USA). I'm sure that someone could really benefit from this information.

Normally, if a chick (chicken) hatches like this we would correct the Wry Neck with Vitamin E and Selenium in their water source. (WRY NECK is also known as star-gazing in chicks.)

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But in Jennifer's case she didn't use the Vitamin E solution as she felt it was a development problem from the hatch.
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INSTEAD this is Jennifer's solution:

• Cut a piece of cellulose sponge and made a small diamond-shaped hole in the middle.
• Soaked the sponge in a little water and wrung it out well.
• Slipped the piece of sponge over the duckling's head and allowed the sponge to dry.
• The sponge is then left on for the next 24 hours to help support the head and help correct the neck muscles.
• This duckling was also give an electrolyte solution for the first two days immediately after hatching.

TIP:
If you are able to, cut the sponge down a little more in height once wet, or it becomes too chunky on the duckling.