3.5 week duckling not walking and has green poop

[Kw92]

We woke up this morning to find one of our ducklings not walking and having green poop. Another just has nasal discharge and is a bit sluggish. I have isolated these two. They are still very alert and peeping normally. Not sure if they are eating the same, because they don't always eat their feed first thing in the day. We've been giving them soldier fly beetle larvae and flies that we catch, and they eat them up! I put electrolytes in their water, and they are drinking normally. I've always included a niacin and garlic supplement in their feed. I'm wondering if I should up this supplement and add some powdered oregano in it? I have a vet appointment scheduled for this Tuesday, but I would prefer to treat this naturally, if possible. Has anyone had experience with this? How might I treat this?

 

[Tookie]

How are your ducklings doing? I'm sorry you haven't gotten a reply yet!

 

[Kw92]

I managed to get in touch with a vet on justanswer.com and they diagnosed the issue as being a combination of niacin deficiency and a mild respiratory illness. The respiratory issue is also likely being caused by the immune system not functioning as well due to the deficiency. Oh, and the green poop was just because it ate a piece of newspaper that had green ink .

All of them ended up not being able to walk well, but they are slowly recovering. The vet recommended we buy Rooster Booster Poultry Cell and an over the counter antibiotic from Pigeon Supplies Plus. I put in about 1.5 times the normal dose in their water, in addition to adding it to their feed. With the one that is struggling the most, I've been giving some orally through a syringe. The vet assured me that too much is better than too little, especially since the ingredients are water soluble.

3 out of 4 are walking and standing more, and the other actually took some steps, albeit very clumsily, today, so they are definitely improving. I'm so thankful that they are making improvements, because I was very worried for a bit. I didn't realize that it takes them several days for them to fully recover!

I just wish there was a feed that had an adequate amount of niacin in it! I was even adding a brewer's yeast supplement to their feed, but it wasn't enough.

 

[Tookie]

I managed to get in touch with a vet on justanswer.com and they diagnosed the issue as being a combination of niacin deficiency and a mild respiratory illness. The respiratory issue is also likely being caused by the immune system not functioning as well due to the deficiency. Oh, and the green poop was just because it ate a piece of newspaper that had green ink .

All of them ended up not being able to walk well, but they are slowly recovering. The vet recommended we buy Rooster Booster Poultry Cell and an over the counter antibiotic from Pigeon Supplies Plus. I put in about 1.5 times the normal dose in their water, in addition to adding it to their feed. With the one that is struggling the most, I've been giving some orally through a syringe. The vet assured me that too much is better than too little, especially since the ingredients are water soluble.

3 out of 4 are walking and standing more, and the other actually took some steps, albeit very clumsily, today, so they are definitely improving. I'm so thankful that they are making improvements, because I was very worried for a bit. I didn't realize that it takes them several days for them to fully recover!

I just wish there was a feed that had an adequate amount of niacin in it! I was even adding a brewer's yeast supplement to their feed, but it wasn't enough.

I'm so glad to hear you figured it out, and that they're improving! Yay!

When I was looking for feed for my ducks, I saw on here there was 162ppm of niacin in Mazuri duck and goose starter. Its the only feed I've been giving my ducks and I haven't had any issues.
It would be good to get some Durvet High Level Vitamin B Complex Injectable, and sprinkle some of it over treats once a week or so. That's the recommended treatment here for niacin deficiencies.

 

[Kw92]

I'm so glad to hear you figured it out, and that they're improving! Yay!

When I was looking for feed for my ducks, I saw on here there was 162ppm of niacin in Mazuri duck and goose starter. Its the only feed I've been giving my ducks and I haven't had any issues.
It would be good to get some Durvet High Level Vitamin B Complex Injectable, and sprinkle some of it over treats once a week or so. That's the recommended treatment here for niacin deficiencies.

I actually just ordered this feed day after searching for this on Google! After going through this, I don't think I'm going to use another feed again!
Thanks for the information about the b complex injectable. I will look into it!

 

[Tookie]

I actually just ordered this feed day after searching for this on Google! After going through this, I don't think I'm going to use another feed again!

Oh awesome! I like that feed. It also can float in water for an amount of time too, which is cool.

Thanks for the information about the b complex injectable. I will look into it!

Sounds good! You're welcome!

 

[BloomingHeartHomestead]

I managed to get in touch with a vet on justanswer.com and they diagnosed the issue as being a combination of niacin deficiency and a mild respiratory illness. The respiratory issue is also likely being caused by the immune system not functioning as well due to the deficiency. Oh, and the green poop was just because it ate a piece of newspaper that had green ink .

All of them ended up not being able to walk well, but they are slowly recovering. The vet recommended we buy Rooster Booster Poultry Cell and an over the counter antibiotic from Pigeon Supplies Plus. I put in about 1.5 times the normal dose in their water, in addition to adding it to their feed. With the one that is struggling the most, I've been giving some orally through a syringe. The vet assured me that too much is better than too little, especially since the ingredients are water soluble.

3 out of 4 are walking and standing more, and the other actually took some steps, albeit very clumsily, today, so they are definitely improving. I'm so thankful that they are making improvements, because I was very worried for a bit. I didn't realize that it takes them several days for them to fully recover!

I just wish there was a feed that had an adequate amount of niacin in it! I was even adding a brewer's yeast supplement to their feed, but it wasn't enough.

A TSC worker suggested I feed them peas as a snack or added to water to help get more Niacin, an Amish community member told her this tip. i’m also dealing with a 4 week old pekin duckling with very bad splay leg. it’s very bad and not improving so i am going to supplement with B complex and epsom salt baths to reduce inflammation as i’m already feeding it brewers yeast mixed into its feed and have seen no progress