If we were a commercial enterprise, he said, all our surviving ducks would be killed [as a precaution, I presume]. Now that the virus was on our premises the enteritis could break out time and again. Vaccine was available [at £120 for 500 doses but could not be stored] for our survivors but it was no guarantee that they wouldn't catch the disease as well after vaccination. Any new introductions to our land would have to be vaccinated including hatchlings [we have got our incubator going now].
I've read up a lot on DVE by now, spoken with Chris Ashton [who has been hoping fervently that their holding doesn't get the disease as they are plagued by many wild mallards as well], and my German duck friends have been giving me lots of info and sympathy. Unfortunately there is a lot of conflicting information. The survival rate of infected adult ducks/drakes is given as anything between 80 and 100%, and those that do survive the virus are said to develop either a lifelong immunity or for just one year. The vet seemed to tell me that our whole land is infected with the virus, whereas Chris thinks it's the surviving ducks that carry the virus.
So, we're not much wiser. Which advice do we follow, or do we just play it by ear? It would appear that little Taffy has developed immunity to have survived this long, and have Captain and his girls developed immunity as well, after all they are much more in mallard company than our 9 at the top were. Or had the two new girls got this immunity? But surely they would have infected the group at the bottom if they had brought in the virus? These are all questions I can't answer at the moment.
Taffy worries me only in that I hardly see her out of the hut for drinking/eating/swimming/preening purposes. When we look we either see her back~ or her front end. When I opened the door this morning she stood up, and her posture told me that if I came any closer to her eggs she'd go for me - so I left her in peace.
Mutti and John, keep your spirits up ! lots of love xxxxx
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