giving ducklings niacin supplements??

[HennyPenny2]

They sure do! I've raised chicks before and they seemed to take forever to grow, ducks are like lightening fast, which is good and sad at the same time. Plus they are so much more fun to raise. When I put them in the little bath today they would jump out and race round and round it then jump back in over and over, it was so funny.

 

[Shorty3735r]

They sure do! I've raised chicks before and they seemed to take forever to grow, ducks are like lightening fast, which is good and sad at the same time. Plus they are so much more fun to raise. When I put them in the little bath today they would jump out and race round and round it then jump back in over and over, it was so funny.

I think raising ducklings & goslings are way more fun then chicks. I take my ducklings and goslings on a walk around my block people laugh, take pictures, kids make them run with them etc. Chicks just sit lol.

 

[melohr88]

Ok so i have a serious question? I have a duck who has always had something wrong with his feet. But in the last week he is having more and more trouble walking i didnt know if u guys had any advice or to just take him to the vet? Well i am gonna take him there anyway. But i am a first time duck raiser and am very worried.

 

[HennyPenny2]

Ok so i have a serious question? I have a duck who has always had something wrong with his feet. But in the last week he is having more and more trouble walking i didnt know if u guys had any advice or to just take him to the vet? Well i am gonna take him there anyway. But i am a first time duck raiser and am very worried.

From reading what happens to ducks with niacin deficiency it could be from that. How old is it? From what I have read you should see a change once you start using it although I don't know if there is a point of no return. I'm sure someone else who knows more about it can help. There is another thread I saw recently on this with some links to posts of ducks with it and I think also how adding the niacin fixed it. You might want to find it and see if it sounds like what you are seeing.

 

[Amiga]

Ok so i have a serious question? I have a duck who has always had something wrong with his feet. But in the last week he is having more and more trouble walking i didnt know if u guys had any advice or to just take him to the vet? Well i am gonna take him there anyway. But i am a first time duck raiser and am very worried.

I keep a file with a writeup about niacin deficiency - I hope it sums up your options. Here it is.

Response for ducklings with likely niacin deficiency

People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here.

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

 

[melohr88]

I keep a file with a writeup about niacin deficiency - I hope it sums up your options.  Here it is.

Response for ducklings with likely niacin deficiency

People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here. 

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.

[COLOR=262626]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.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=262626] [/COLOR]

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

my duck is probably about 2 months closer to 3 months. I will try niacin or brewers yeast. Do u know where i can find brewers yeast? Thank you so much for reply and your help. I want him to grow up amd be healthy like his sister. And my kids love them so much. I would be so upset if i had to put him down. He is such a good duck. They are both like family. And his sister would miss him too.

 

[Amiga]

I would call local places that sell human vitamins and supplements.

 

[HennyPenny2]

my duck is probably about 2 months closer to 3 months. I will try niacin or brewers yeast. Do u know where i can find brewers yeast? Thank you so much for reply and your help. I want him to grow up amd be healthy like his sister. And my kids love them so much. I would be so upset if i had to put him down. He is such a good duck. They are both like family. And his sister would miss him too.

I found the powder form at a local health food store and the tablets at the pet store, I got the powder for ease of use.

 

[Shorty3735r]

This is the old feed. Feed now is NOT harmful for ducks.

 

[tactilecontact]

I'm a first-time duck mother with two 2 week old indian runners. While one is doing fabulous, the other is still wobbly, and doesn't spend nearly as much time on her feet, but appears to be otherwise healthy. By what I've read, it seems as though niacin is the issue. But rather than a supplement, would feeding mashed peas and bananas