⠀ weak duckling help!

[SamDuck24]

Question: how long will it take for 5 day old duckling to be able to walk again (i've noticed him weak today, not walking. Was fine yesterday)

Long story:

This poor Ducking (about 5 days old now) was found close to death. Been looking after him (her?) and he's been doing better. Happy, chirpy and active. I was feeding a duckling feed and he was fine yesterday but I noticed today his legs are very weak. I checked online and noticed I am not providing enough niacin. Long story short I've just given him his first feed with the correct amount in his water. How long will it take for it to work and for my poor baby to feel better again and be able to walk?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Question: how long will it take for 5 day old duckling to be able to walk again (i've noticed him weak today, not walking. Was fine yesterday)

Long story:

This poor Ducking (about 5 days old now) was found close to death. Been looking after him (her?) and he's been doing better. Happy, chirpy and active. I was feeding a duckling feed and he was fine yesterday but I noticed today his legs are very weak. I checked online and noticed I am not providing enough niacin. Long story short I've just given him his first feed with the correct amount in his water. How long will it take for it to work and for my poor baby to feel better again and be able to walk?

Hi and

! Metzer Farms has some helpful info on their blog here: http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html. The short answer is that it depends on the severity and how soon treatment begins; Metzer says improvement can be seen as soon as a couple of days.

Kudos to you for nursing the duckling - hope he's able to walk better soon!

 

[DrPatrickBiggs]

Question: how long will it take for 5 day old duckling to be able to walk again (i've noticed him weak today, not walking. Was fine yesterday)

Long story:

This poor Ducking (about 5 days old now) was found close to death. Been looking after him (her?) and he's been doing better. Happy, chirpy and active. I was feeding a duckling feed and he was fine yesterday but I noticed today his legs are very weak. I checked online and noticed I am not providing enough niacin. Long story short I've just given him his first feed with the correct amount in his water. How long will it take for it to work and for my poor baby to feel better again and be able to walk?

Hi SamDuck24! I would expect that in a day or two, your duckling should be up and moving again once he/she gets enough niacin. That is assuming that there isn’t something else contributing to his/her leg issue. Unfortunately, birds are very susceptible to leg issues. Sometimes it is a genetic defect and sometimes it is caused by handling at the hatchery/shipping/store before you even get the bird. Even a slippery surface can be enough to have a negative impact on the bird’s leg. If the duck’s leg continues to be an issue, you may have to make a difficult decision on whether the duck needs to be culled from your flock. Give him a chance to improve, but if it is clear that the leg is impeding his/her ability to eat/drink, then it may be necessary to remove that duck from your flock.

 

[SamDuck24]

Hi! Thank you for the reply. My Duckling is doing 100%. Happy running around and swimming normally,took since Saturday (3 days) for him to come right! Very happy mom. His legs are peeling though but I'm sure it's just him growing. Thanks for the reply!