We have 6 ducklings who are 6 weeks old today. They have been raised indoors and we have been in the process of moving them outdoors during the day for the last few weeks. They sleep in a pool surrounded by fencing in our front room and play in a fenced run attached to a shed during the day. This run is enclosed by chicken wire and is mostly full of sand and small green grass, clover, and weed sprouts. It has not held ducks for a year or two, since our last flock was killed by a fox. The shed has had squirrels invade, but they have been removed, so it essentially has wheat straw and nothing else in it. The run has a few bins on their side for shelter and their food and water. Our children, ages 6-15 all play wit them, snuggle with them, and help care for them. We occasionally fill a pool for them to play in.
Friday afternoon, as we were leaving the house for the afternoon and evening, we ushered them indoors to their pool; we noticed that our buff was limping. We assumed an afternoon and evening to rest would do her good and she would be fine the next day. No redness. No swelling. No bumblefoot. So we went out.
At 4 in the morning I was awakened by loudduck honking and stampeding. They were totally flipping out because the water dispenser and cat litter box that sits under it were tilted sideways. Seriously, one would have thought they were being murdered. I changed the water, noticed they were all shopping wet, and wondered if I should change their bedding. I then noticed the luck who has been limping in the afternoon was huddled alone. I scooped her up in a towel, wondering if she had been stampeded. My husband was kind enough to wake up, put the other five ducks in a large bin and change out the bedding, food and water. When he finished we put our buff in the large bin alone so she would be safe. My daughter got married Saturday, so I had to take off without spending any time with the duckling. When we got home Saturday evening, she was in the same general place, with some bright green poop in her bin. Assuming she was suffering from dehydration, we placed her directly in front of her water and hand fed her some.
Since then we have been giving her short warm baths, offering her peas and tuna with Brewer's yeast sprinkled on top, and generally babying her. I am mixing electrolytes I to her water and 1 100mg tablet of niacin per gallon of water for her to drink. We fed them a gamebird starter at birth, and then mixed it half way with a general poultry flock feed from 3-6 weeks to lower the protein percentage to avoid angel wings.
She does not attempt to stand. Or move, really, beyond her head and neck. She floats in the bin when we offer her a bath, but really doesn't move her legs. She tilts slightly to the right in the water and her tail seems to stay tilted towards to her left side. She is happy to eat the peas we offer her. She dips her head and bill into her water. She enjoys sitting on our lap. She eagerly eats earthworms and other bugs the children catch for her. No apparent respiratory issues. No crooked neck. No distress sounds. In general she seems healthy but kind of paralyzed.
There is no stagnant water or rotting material in the run. They have only been going outside for 2 weeks. Botulism seems unlikely, as does the possibility of worms. Yet... She isn't moving.
Could she have been injured in the 4am stampede? Could she have botulism when there are no apparent sources? Worms advanced enough to cause lameness when she is so young and has not been outdoors much?
I would love feedback. Our current plan is to continue babying her, pushing niacin, and offering baths 2xs a day while leaving her sisters in the shed and run to avoid her being injured further.
There are no vets in our area that go beyond dogs and cats. I can't find anyone who sees birds (we have searched before for our cockatiels and love birds) or who specializes in livestock.
Should we try a wormer? Is she old enough for a wormer? An antibiotic?
Thank you so much!
Friday afternoon, as we were leaving the house for the afternoon and evening, we ushered them indoors to their pool; we noticed that our buff was limping. We assumed an afternoon and evening to rest would do her good and she would be fine the next day. No redness. No swelling. No bumblefoot. So we went out.
At 4 in the morning I was awakened by loudduck honking and stampeding. They were totally flipping out because the water dispenser and cat litter box that sits under it were tilted sideways. Seriously, one would have thought they were being murdered. I changed the water, noticed they were all shopping wet, and wondered if I should change their bedding. I then noticed the luck who has been limping in the afternoon was huddled alone. I scooped her up in a towel, wondering if she had been stampeded. My husband was kind enough to wake up, put the other five ducks in a large bin and change out the bedding, food and water. When he finished we put our buff in the large bin alone so she would be safe. My daughter got married Saturday, so I had to take off without spending any time with the duckling. When we got home Saturday evening, she was in the same general place, with some bright green poop in her bin. Assuming she was suffering from dehydration, we placed her directly in front of her water and hand fed her some.
Since then we have been giving her short warm baths, offering her peas and tuna with Brewer's yeast sprinkled on top, and generally babying her. I am mixing electrolytes I to her water and 1 100mg tablet of niacin per gallon of water for her to drink. We fed them a gamebird starter at birth, and then mixed it half way with a general poultry flock feed from 3-6 weeks to lower the protein percentage to avoid angel wings.
She does not attempt to stand. Or move, really, beyond her head and neck. She floats in the bin when we offer her a bath, but really doesn't move her legs. She tilts slightly to the right in the water and her tail seems to stay tilted towards to her left side. She is happy to eat the peas we offer her. She dips her head and bill into her water. She enjoys sitting on our lap. She eagerly eats earthworms and other bugs the children catch for her. No apparent respiratory issues. No crooked neck. No distress sounds. In general she seems healthy but kind of paralyzed.
There is no stagnant water or rotting material in the run. They have only been going outside for 2 weeks. Botulism seems unlikely, as does the possibility of worms. Yet... She isn't moving.
Could she have been injured in the 4am stampede? Could she have botulism when there are no apparent sources? Worms advanced enough to cause lameness when she is so young and has not been outdoors much?
I would love feedback. Our current plan is to continue babying her, pushing niacin, and offering baths 2xs a day while leaving her sisters in the shed and run to avoid her being injured further.
There are no vets in our area that go beyond dogs and cats. I can't find anyone who sees birds (we have searched before for our cockatiels and love birds) or who specializes in livestock.
Should we try a wormer? Is she old enough for a wormer? An antibiotic?
Thank you so much!
she can wag her tail, so I suppose that means she isn't paralyzed. Perhaps just something severely injured in her legs? 
