My Pekin Duckling has a Leg Problem

I'm pretty new to raising ducks. I recently bought 3 pekin ducklings. I think 2 of them are around 5-6 weeks old and the other around 3-4 weeks (they didn't tell me when I bought them). One of the older ones has a leg problem. When he was little he kind of stumbled around a lot. I thought it was a niacin deficiency so i bought niacin tablets and added it to the water. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I found out I was using a "Flush Free" brand and that it doesn't work for the ducks. So now my poor guy is limping and doesn't seem to be getting any better. He doesn't put any weight on the one leg he just holds it up the whole time unless he gets scared and then he kind of runs on his elbow. As soon as I found out the flush free niacin wouldn't work I went out and bought the right kind and also got pure brewers yeast powder that I have been sprinkling on their food.

I guess what I'm asking is did I wait to long to get the niacin into his system? He's been on the niacin and brewers yeast for at least 2 weeks now and he hasn't changed. My second question is, is it really a niacin problem or is it something else? Only the one leg is effected and from what I've seen online of ducklings that have the deficiency is they almost craw on the ground...he was never that bad. Could this maybe be a birth defect or maybe an injury that we didn't know about? I just don't want him to be in pain. I'm hesitant to take him to the vet because as much as I don't want him to be in pain or anything when it comes down to it he's a $4 duck and I can't afford a huge vet bill.

Welcome,

do you have any pics? it maybe something else, i do find Pekin because of their extremely quick growth are more prone to leg issues overall.

What feed are they on now? i had to put mine on duck starter then switched to grower(duck) despite using all flocks in the past, i found they just needed more than most of my other breeds.

is their any swelling in the leg? wounds?

Well the reason I thought it was the Niacin deficiency was because it got worse as it went along. It didn't just all of a sudden happen over night. And it's just the one leg. I haven't seen any wounds or anything.

The pictures go in order from when it first started to get more noticeable to today, This video is from today as well,

It's not letting me upload any pictures or anything yet because I'm still so new on here. They are still on the starter feed I wasn't sure when to switch them over. The reason I thought it was Niacin deficiency was because it didn't just happen all at once it was a gradual process. And it's just the one leg. I haven't found any wounds and there might be a little swelling but not much that i can tell.

You are being so good to that little one!

I wonder if a B Complex vitamin (using the amount of B3, niacin, as a guide for how much to use) might help? I have read that sometimes it is also thiamine that is lacking in their diet. And ducklings seem to have different levels of need for B vitamins - some do okay with less.

You could also try an Epsom salt compress. 2 tablespoons Epsom salt, half a cup of warm water. Soak a clean cloth in that. Gently hold the duck and wrap the cloth around the leg and foot. Wait patiently together for ten minutes if you can both go that long.

Do this twice a day.

Epsom salt is a laxative, do not let the duck drink or eat it.

Some members put the Epsom salt water into a flat-bottomed dish and stand the duck in it, holding the duck gently. Remember, no drinking the water.

Is the Epsom salt just for swelling?

Oh good they let my pictures and video upload. I feel so sorry for the little guy he looks so pitiful. I'm hoping it's not to late for him :/

Epsom salt has many benefits including the reduction of swelling. It soothes muscles, and helps heal injuries.

Where have you uploaded the photo's? I don't see any here.

Amiga said:

Epsom salt has many benefits including the reduction of swelling. It soothes muscles, and helps heal injuries.

Where have you uploaded the photo's? I don't see any here.

Click to expand...

It shows that my pics uploaded..maybe I'm the only one who can see them?? Try scrolling up

May be a slipped tendon - see if this information helps. https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Thanks for redirecting me - I was looking at the wrong post. sigh.