Any advice for a special needs duckling

[blameames]

https://imgur.com/a/LDRImVH

This is Rivet. She* is 10 days old and one of 27 ducklings from her nest. Right now, I'm raising her indoors because she has a bad twist in her spine that essentially makes her hunchbacked. She was knocked out of the nest when she was still wet from hatching. After three days in the indoor brooder to get strong (and have her neck and splayed legs braced) she went back to the nest with zero issues--the moms, despite having rejected her once, took her right back in. Two days later she was being picked on both by moms and siblings. More than once I saw her stumble and then get trampled over by the rest of the ducklings. At that point I decided to bring her back indoors.

Problem 1:
Her oil gland is healthy and functioning, but because of her hunch she can't reach it. She also can't reach much of her body to preen, so she winds up performing the preening action in empty air. Are there any safe oils that I can brush or mist over the baby fluff (and as they come in) the adult feathers to keep her plumage healthy? I am concerned about her not being able to waterproof herself, and that if she can't reach the oil gland long-term that it may clog or dry out or get infected.

Problem 2:
I have two more duck eggs that were "contributed" by other ducks to the big nest but that happened two weeks behind the rest of the nest. I put them into the incubator for about a week when one of my chickens turned broody. I don't have a rooster for her, and she was trying to set on all of the other chickens' eggs (the girls were all convicted of aiding and abetting). I had the bright idea to try giving her the fertilized duck eggs. She immediately got with the program and decided that they're her babies. My hope is that once these two other ducklings hatch (they're piping today!), I'll wait another day or two and then try to introduce Rivet to this nest. Has anyone introduced a different duckling to a nest that wasn't their original group? My hope is that since she's two weeks older, and therefore will be bigger and stronger than the two new ducklings, they won't be able to bully her. I'm pretty sure she won't be interested or able to bully them, either. That way she'll have a bird-mom and other ducklings to socialize with like she's supposed to have in the first place.

*I actually have no idea about the duckling's sex; I just smacked her with a pronoun for my own convenience. If she turns out to be a he we'll cross that bridge when we're halfway over it.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I really don't know but I like your plan about putting her with 2 younger ones. That just might work out great for you.

 

[Isaac 0]

The only way I know of keeping her feathers oiled down, is manually doing it for her. Rub, your thumb and index finger on her oil gland and it should naturally secrete a little bit of oil, your fingers should then be slightly greasy, and you can "preen" just how she would. Pinch the feather and pull with the "grain".

Will this help completely, probably not, but it should help her repel water more efficiently.

Adding foods with omega-3 fatty acids may help such as flaxseed, or fish.

 

[DuckyDonna]

She is so precious. I have no advice but I'm betting you will do great with her.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Your wanting to put Rivet into a nest that a chicken hen is sitting on? It may or may not work but I’d sure be watching close because if she attacks the duckling she could be seriously injured. I’ve had a chicken hen accept someone else’s chicks when they were just a few days old, you just never know how it’s going to go. And not sure you can replicate the oils from the oil gland. 7 weeks ago I had a hen an female duck hatch a duckling each I decided to take the duckling from the hen and give it to the duck so both ducklings would have each other. She accepted that duckling with out hesitation.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you try another duckling from the original nest with her inside maybe start with a see through barrier in their brooder so they can see each other first then try putting them together daily until they bond. Ducklings do so much better with a buddy.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

These are really positive signs - I appreciate the oil gland is a concern.

We had lots of issues with our hatchlings this year and for those that survived, it took weeks to get them right with a mix of good and bad days inbetween.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things:

@Miss Lydia and @Isaac 0

Is there any extra help options for Wobbles on the oil side of things pls ?

 

[blameames]

@Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia Are you thinking its too late to brace again ?
And have you excluded wry neck completely from the mix ?

hi! Rivet has been away from her hatching group for four or five days now. We tried reintroducing her at 4d. She did not keep up and was being pecked and stepped upon.

I have not put any aids on her for the last two days because she eats less when wearing the brace. She’s also prone to getting stuck upside down or in a corner of the brooder because it limits her mobility. I’ve mostly decided it’s not worthwhile—she puts her head down and her neck straight when she sleeps and doesn’t have to carry the weight. Because I handle her so often, I make sure to flex and turn and help her stretch the necessary muscles in the hope that it will help long-term.

I just tried introducing her to the chicken and that did not work. The hen was suspicious at first and then pecked Rivet viciously when I finally moved my arm and Rivet tried to get under the hen’s wing. What is really ironic: the hen’s name is Mean. Her sister was named Nasty (they were the flock bullies when we first bought them), but Nasty ran away about two weeks ago. She got broody and did not like that we kept interrupting her nests—we found her at one point and kept her caged for five days to see if we could cure the running away, but nope. First day out and she dashed straight into the woods and hasn’t made herself known since.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Hello there and nice work on taking on Wobbles !

Is there Selenium and Vit E in the mix of supplements and is Wobbles able to drink unaided ?

Great name for a lovely looking duck too !

 

[Weeg]

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