2 month old duckling with swollen ankle for little less than a week and a limp... help please!!!

[NoKoMeMommy966]

So my husband and I tried incubating for the first time about 3 months ago and a lot of the advice I got was from posts on here and we only incubated 7 duck eggs (Peking and Khaki Campbell) and we hatched 4!!! We actually helped along the 4th one and it was one of the most special moments I ever had helping bring a life into the world, sorry, anyway, they are 2 months old now about and 5 days ago one was limping really bad and when we looked the bottom of the foot looked normal but the “ankle” part was and still is pretty swollen. I had hoped if it was a sprain it would have started to get better. We kept it in the garden the first 3 days and put it in the pool every day to try and help it too but still no change... how much longer does my heart have to break seeing him/her in so much pain? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Congratulations on the ducklings, and sorry about that one! What are you feeding them? And what are you using to house them? Pictures?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am betting this has been coming on for a while but just wasn’t as noticeable. Have you been given the ducklings any form of niacin since hatch?

 

[chickens really]

A sprain can take up to 6 weeks to heal just like with people..

 

[Miss Lydia]

If s sprain then soaking in Epsom salt water can help with swelling you’ll just have to keep the duckling from drinking it. Nice warm water with E.S. mixed in. But along with that I’d try the liquid b complex and rest.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Niacin deficiency is very prevalent in water fowl fed chick starter which what most of us have to use because that all is available. A lot don’t know that Purina Flock Raiser has the perfect amount of niacin for waterfowl babies. Even with that some duckling can still have a niacin deficiency that is why we offer something like liquid b complex because we have seen positive results when using it and why not give something like that a try if it might help. So try the liquid b complex soak in Epsom salt water and let the duckling rest and not try to keep up with the rest. If you can post a video of you duckling that would also help.