Duck Identification..

WalachaFarm

Chirping
Apr 22, 2015
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0
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I purchased these ducklings as a rescue from a lady that had to move. She said she purchased them from Tractor Supply. They are Approx 2 months old. When I got them, they were white feathered on the wings and yellow body down... I assumed they were Pekins. As the past weeks have gone, thier heads have turned black; and ones tail turns down, while the other up. Their beaks are pink & red. I began thinking they may be Muscovys; but the only black is on thier heads. Anyone have any ideas?
 
That could be some kind of injury. Time in a tub with lukewarm water, no soap, might help.

It's not a cure-all, but sometimes I drop back to B vitamin supplementation if I suspect nervous system problems in ducklings.

Here is my writeup.

Response for ducklings with likely niacin deficiency
People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here
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You have some options.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help
 
Also, this pair is inseparable. My Rouens and Khaki's separate and mingle. These two stay together always, never more than a foot from each other. I've never really seen a pair so young be that bonded.
 
I have 8 Adult Rouen, 1 Adult Pekin (2 Drakes and a female are being culled tomorrow however), 3 Juvenile Rouen we hatched, 2 Khaki I adopted with these 2 White ducks. My adults are all on Niacin and Vitamin Supplements daily, and the juvenile are getting Chick Feed, Cracked Corn and fresh chopped veggies daily. I change their water (as well as clean the waterer) 4-6 times daily. Only the white juveniles have formed this black forehead. As for the downturned tail duck, she shows no signs of weakness, leg malformation or lethargy. Do you think it could still be an issue? Also, I'm still very unsure of the Breed. I can't imagine TS Sold Muscovy ducklings for $2 each. And they have no other color markings. I'm just so confused about those two. lol Willing to take any info though and I appreciate it, as Ive only been raising ducks a short while and my three Juvenile Rouens were selectively bred as a first attempt. Thank you so much!
 


So after some work, getting them out and working with the pair; I do believe they are a Muscovy pair. I feel very lucky to have them (even if they may be misbred, I'm truly not sure, they were rescues). What SWEET and friendly birds. From what the previous owner told me they are around 2 months old... I took the 2nd pic next to my 13 month old Rouen female (one of the bigger girls). 2 month juvenile Muscovy's compared to 1 yr old Rouen Hens isn't much off. I cannot wait to watch these birds flousish! Thank you all for looking and helping! I am sooo excited about this pair.
 
For any experts... This pair is WAY bigger than the rest of my juveniles, and close to feathered... How long do you think it will be before I can integrate them with my adult flock? I really wanted to do it the other day as the Muscovy pair truly kept getting caught up in the fence wanting to go to the adults (shared nylon fencing)... I think they would be fine, but I'm scared. Any advice truly appreciated!
 

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