9-month-old mallard hen dragging one leg

[ArtsyLady]

Our 9-month-old mallard hen is dragging her right foot/leg today. She was walking normally on it yesterday, but our son noticed this afternoon when we were out to check on them that she was not coming to see him like she usually does. Upon examining her foot, leg, and hip, I don't notice any obvious injuries, don't hear any clicking, or see any swelling. Her lame leg feels colder than her good leg and I notice that she will push back against my hand with her left foot and leg but does not with the right. She is still eating, drinking, preening, and shaking her tail feathers. When we put her in the tub she still likes to swim but does not use that bad leg. It looks like it just floats behind her. She is also still able to fly normally.
We have 2 ducks, both 9 months old, and both hens, one Mallard and one Cayuga. We did have a drake but rehomed him last summer as he was a bit too rough on the girls for our liking. There is a gate that we keep open between the duck pen and the chicken pen where we also have all hens, and that has not been a problem. However, now that Ducky is lame, we will shut the gate to keep the 2 ducks separate from the chickens. We do put Poultry Booster on their feed and do let them out to forage almost daily when the weather is warmer.
Should we just keep Ducky and Puddles separate from the chickens and watch her for a few days? Should we think about getting or making a splint? What other ideas do you have? We've had chickens for years but these are our first ducks so we are still learning.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Should we just keep Ducky and Puddles separate from the chickens and watch her for a few days? Should we think about getting or making a splint? What other ideas do you have? We've had chickens for years but these are our first ducks so we are still learning.

Yes, I would separate her to keep an eye on her. Any chance she got into anything toxic? Or is there any place that her leg would have gotten caught?
Poultry booster is ok, but I'd try liquid super b complex - you can get it at tsc. It will state injectable on the bottle, but you put 1mL on food or a treat - something she will eat all of.

 

[ArtsyLady]

Yes, I would separate her to keep an eye on her. Any chance she got into anything toxic? Or is there any place that her leg would have gotten caught?
Poultry booster is ok, but I'd try liquid super b complex - you can get it at tsc. It will state injectable on the bottle, but you put 1mL on food or a treat - something she will eat all of.

Thank you, we will pick that up. Do you recommend adding brewers yeast as well as the liquid B?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since she flies maybe she had a rough landing?

 

[ArtsyLady]

Since she flies maybe she had a rough landing?

That's a thought. I'll ask our son if she did her usual fly around the house when she was out yesterday.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The reason I mentioned it is a member had one of her Calls injure herself I think coming in for a landing. Can you give her a few days rest where she has limited space to move around and no flying along with the liquid B complex. With an injury just like us rest is the best.
@FunnyfarmMidwest.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Thank you, we will pick that up. Do you recommend adding brewers yeast as well as the liquid B?

No reason to. The b complex has more niacin than brewers yeast, plus other beneficial b vitamins to promote healing.

 

[ArtsyLady]

No reason to. The b complex has more niacin than brewers yeast, plus other beneficial b vitamins to promote healing.

Perfect! We went out and got the liquid b complex this evening. She is fixed up in half the pen with just her buddy Puddles. We will keep a close eye on her and hope she just tweaked her "ankle". I did see her use what would be like our hip joint on that side earlier. So we have our fingers crossed. Her

The reason I mentioned it is a member had one of her Calls injure herself I think coming in for a landing. Can you give her a few days rest where she has limited space to move around and no flying along with the liquid B complex. With an injury just like us rest is the best.
@FunnyfarmMidwest.

We sure can. How limited do you suggest we make her space? Our son added some extra straw to their duck box and when he put her in there she got right up and went into the pen with her partner. Their pen is roughly 10x10. If we need to confine her more we can do that. We went out and got the B complex this evening and will start her on that right away.

 

[ArtsyLady]

No reason to. The b complex has more niacin than brewers yeast, plus other beneficial b vitamins to promote healing.

Great, thanks so much! I really appreciate all this wisdom you are all willing to share.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Is her partner a female or male? If so, she might need to be separated with a look no touch set up so she isn't getting mated. With that said it also depends on how active she remains.
If her set up allows her to rest and she's not climbing things to get around, it should be fine, if not, then I would reduce the area so she has less space to walk around.
When my ducks have had an issue I just confine them to their normal pen area and go from there. Leg sprains usually clear up in a day or two.