Slow growing black swede

My ducks are are almost 4 weeks old, and my male black swede seems to be growing at 1/2 the rate of the others. They are all the same age, his feathers are changing, he eats, drinks & plays, but is now having trouble swimming etc. He appears otherwise healthy. Do I need to be patient am I missing something do I need to be worried? (Btw, he's in the back of his girlfriends)

neduckmomma504 said:

My ducks are are almost 4 weeks old, and my male black swede seems to be growing at 1/2 the rate of the others. They are all the same age, his feathers are changing, he eats, drinks & plays, but is now having trouble swimming etc. He appears otherwise healthy. Do I need to be patient am I missing something do I need to be worried? (Btw, he's in the back of his girlfriends)

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@neduckmomma504 Having trouble swimming please explain. Is it because he hasn't feathered in? Do you give them vitamins you might try some poultry vitamins in their water he may need just a little boost. Poultry Nutri Drench is a good one. What feed are you feeding them?

They are not fully feathered in yet. But, they've been diving & swimming since they were 4 days old. I might try the vitamin supplement, I've always been nervous about giving that to them.

neduckmomma504 said:

They are not fully feathered in yet. But, they've been diving & swimming since they were 4 days old. I might try the vitamin supplement, I've always been nervous about giving that to them.

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If you go by dosage on bottle it can be fine start out with every other day then when you begin seeing results cut it back to 2X a week then 1X a week.

If they aren't feathered in yet are they okay to swim out of doors it has to be pretty warm for ducklings not feathered in and don't have a mom to be in an out door swimming pool with out chilling. The reason I mentioned mom is because when a duck has ducklings they are constantly under and around her feathers so some of her oils are getting on them and water proofing them. Ducks we brood don't have that so it takes a while for their oil gland to begin working and when they aren't completely feathered they can chill real easy.
Also are you feeding them the food for their age? that is very important also. Sometimes we'll just have a duckling that needs a bit more TLC than the others, It's good you are being observant to this lil one and see it.

I am feeding the chick starter & although they go outside to swim I've been very cognizant of them getting cold watch their behavior to tell if they are getting chilled. I will look for the vitamins & continue to give him extra care. Thx for your help.

He is tiny compared to the other two. I think the vitamins and the nutri drench will give him that extra boost he needs. Make sure too that he isn't getting crowed out by the bigger ones at the food bowl. Keep us updated please.

pattyhen said:

He is tiny compared to the other two. I think the vitamins and the nutri drench will give him that extra boost he needs. Make sure too that he isn't getting crowed out by the bigger ones at the food bowl. Keep us updated please.

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Yes please do.

I have given some vitamin solution in the water bowl. I added a bit of scratch in with the food (very little) & he's doing okay still. They get to free range during the day. We are doing some landscaping & the worms are plentiful. I have no concerns about him getting pushed back from food bowl. He does have some (for lack of a better term) like cradle cap (in babies) behind his neck. His feathers are thinner. Kinda like he's getting the adult feathers but super slow. Thx everyone for the suggestions.

neduckmomma504 said:

I have given some vitamin solution in the water bowl. I added a bit of scratch in with the food (very little) & he's doing okay still. They get to free range during the day. We are doing some landscaping & the worms are plentiful. I have no concerns about him getting pushed back from food bowl. He does have some (for lack of a better term) like cradle cap (in babies) behind his neck. His feathers are thinner. Kinda like he's getting the adult feathers but super slow. Thx everyone for the suggestions.

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Hopefully the vitamins will kick in soon. Protein is what helps get those nice shiny feathers . I give mine sardines in water some times and they get dried meal worms daily. Scratch is okay for adults but it's just carbs so it isn't real nutritious Even for adults it should just be a snack just like you said.