9 WEEK PEKIN

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SWilliams1010

SWilliams1010

Chirping
5 Years
Feb 27, 2015
5
1
52
Hi. I did see a few other posts about ducks falling over while walking, not sure if this is the same situation. I have 4 Pekin ducks that we about 3 weeks old when I got them. They are now about 5-6 weeks old. I have one in particular that I chose because it was the runt with head fluff (it's adorable). No matter what it cannot walk without falling down. It will even fall on it's back and I have to assist it back up. It's wings so seem a tad smaller than the others also. I have read that adding vitamins and/or electrolytes can possibly help. Has anyone seen this before? How can I help my duck?
 
Sounds like you have a crested duck, and those are susceptible to nervous system troubles. Please do not despair, though, with vitamin supplementation, we have seen a good number of these littles do quite well.

B vitamins are especially helpful. While Storey's Guide recommends 100 to 150 mg plain niacin (B3) dissolved in each gallon of drinking water for 8 weeks, some have successfully used B Complex or Super B Complex, with the niacin ingredient as a guide (going with the 100 to 150 mg niacin per gallon of water dosage).

Then, some have put a tablespoon of brewer's yeast (not baking yeast, brewer's yeast, which is a supplement) on the ducklings' food daily.

And jenniemig needed to do quite a bit of work for her Qwackers, but it went well, finally.

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

Then there was Bentley.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help
 
Excellent advice and spot on. A true crested is much more likely to have these issues (ANY duck can have a crest!) and it can come on in adulthood as well. I would treat all the babies just to support their systems and hopefully prevent further issues. My last girl with issues spent quite awhile getting extra attention to keep her upright, fed, watered, etc. and slowly improved and stopped face planting after 4-6 weeks and now just has a little extra wiggle in the waddle when she walks or swims. I hope everything turns out okay!
 
Hello! One of my ducklings has a similar problem. She got really sick, and wasnt eating, so I brought her to a vet. The first thing that the vet had asked me (while he was examining her in his hands) was how she walked. I told him almost exactly what you said. And I added that she doesn't walk as upright as her sister. He was able to figure out that my duckling has a neurological disorder that is preventing her from developing properly. He then gave her a shot of vitamin b3 and told me to get her niacin supplements and force feed her with a syringe until she gets better. He said she will never walk correctly, but she would not have survived if it wasn't for me taking special care of her. Im not a vet, and I dont know your duck, but perhaps s/he has a similar issue? Maybe make sure s/he so getting enough niacin in his or her diet!
 
Vitamin B3 is niacin. If a duckling doesn't have enough in their diets their bones don't form and they can develop many other severe issues. You simply cannot underestimate how important the B vitamins are to ducks!

As for your crested, unfortunately it may just be congenital. See, the "crest" is really a fatty tumor that the body forms in a desperate attempt to protect the brain, since the gene itself isn't for a crest, it simply tells the body not to form a complete skull. So as a result a lot of crested ducks die young, and some have severe neurological problems. Niacin is always a good idea to administer, but it could be he's just got the genetic cards stacked against him. :/
 
Thank you all for your advice! Moe is 8 months old now and doing great! Still stumbling but a better swimmer out of all 6 of my group.
 
SWilliams1010 said:
Thank you all for your advice! Moe is 8 months old now and doing great! Still stumbling but a better swimmer out of all 6 of my group.
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