Ailing drake - please help

[Little Doe Homestead]

We have a Cayuga drake on our farm, he's about 4 months old. He'd been doing great ( already bigger than our 2yo runners and khakis), but within the last few days he's shown some concerning symptoms. I guess anytime an animal experiences symptoms suddenly, it's cause for concern. We've had high hopes for the guy as our breeding stud and we don't have another drake - not to mention, he's a cutie and we love him.

A while back, I started to notice that he'd been losing his voice. Now, when he quacks, it's very quiet and strained. This began maybe 10 days ago. Around the same time he began to limp. At first it was mild and I figured he'd improve, but today it's dramatic and he struggled to get to a spot outside and then just stayed there, even during feeding. I've been trying to administer a vitamin b complex pill, so that we can cross niacin deficiency off the list. We feed all of our birds turkey feed this time of year, since we mostly raise them and it makes feeding more convenient. We've just placed an order for duck feed and will no longer be taking the easy way out. However, I'm also not convinced it's nutritional since none of our other 20 ducks show any ailments at all.

Can someone please help us? Could these two problems be related? What should we be treating him for/with. We have a real soft spot for our duckies and it's really heartbreaking to see him limp, flop, and use his wings as a crutch all while he's straining to vocalize, but barely making a sound.

 

[Isaac 0]

A drake will never quack, so if the bird was quacking previously, and now has lost its voice, it's a female, not a male.

As far as any sort of deficiency, like niacin, you can cross that off, as that would appear at a younger age, and is not going to paralyze the duck in just a few days.

Regardless, if he's not moving much, it would be helpful if you get a video of him.

Have you inspected both legs, for discoloration, swelling, lesions, warm spots, etc? How do his poops look? Is he eating/drinking much?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Anyway you can put a video up here so we can see how he looks and is acting ? You’ve check feet for bumble and legs an feet for swelling?

 

[Miss Lydia]

And your sure there isn’t bumble foot?

 

[EmtheFishLady]

And your sure there isn’t bumble foot?

I thought this as well.

 

[Isaac 0]

There were not. The skin looked fine, no ruptures, but the swelling is fairly drastic. It's two or 3 times larger than the healthy ankle.

Did the joint bend normally?

 

[Little Doe Homestead]

When you do test the joint, watch for a strong reaction of pain, and try to feel the joint, comparing it to the other good one if needed to see if anything feels off place.

More information about what you find on the physical exam will be helpful in determining the nature of his problem, but it sounds to me like he sprained/injured the joint, there could also be an infection, but just as a basic treatment, in addition to the rest, you can also soak the leg in Epsom salts every few days to help reduce some of the swelling. In addition, administering B vitamins, and omega 3's may also prove helpful.

Thank you very much for the advice. I will try this with him tomorrow and follow up. It is very possible that one of my turkeys stepped on him during a feeding. They often stampede when it's feeding time and sometimes flatten a duck or a chicken. Though it has never injured any before, I've certainly seen a duck or two in this position.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

@sourland @Eggcessive

 

[Miss Lydia]

You’ll need to put it on Vimeo or you tube then copy an paste here.

 

[Little Doe Homestead]

I could try to upload a video (i have to use data with very poor connection b/c no internet) but there isn't much to see. He's limping badly when he walks, can't vocalize despite trying, and mostly just sits still. He's in the duck house right now because I didn't want him moving much.