I have 4 call drakes, 3 of them are about 9 months old now, we got them from a friend of ours where Bex(Becca) gets her show enlish lop rabbits, and anyways...to be honest they wern't being kept in the best of conditions, they were thin, and being kept with chickens (we got our two silkies from them too), and 3 pekins, and were constantly being trampled by the bigger ducks...all three have leg problems, they limp constantly, and seem to trip over thier feet quite alot, they were fine while it was warmer, and thier limps weren't that noticeable...but now that it's getting colder, they're starting to limp terribly, and seem to have problems getting up.. *Breathes* so anyways! I was wondering if they could possible have arthritis?, and what I can do for them to help them feel better this winter?? thanks much!
I never thought about arthritis in ducks, but I did recently read a journal of someone who has three and her solution for the duck... duck-beds! (her duck had problems getting up in the mornings after sleeping w/ splayed legs) Needless to say, those pictures stuck w/ me :-D anywho, here's the journal Clicky! Hope your ducky feels better!
What kind of feed are you giving them? I know for people, corn, wheat and other grains can make arthritis worse. A diet high in Omega 3's makes it better. Not sure if it works the same for ducks though.
the boys arn't the friendliest LOL, so duck beds would be out of the question xD. everyone gets Grower starter/laying mash/chick starter, due to the range in ages.(1 month-2 years). and cracked corn, as well as other treats (peas,tomatos,greenbeans) ext. they all due well on it, and are abunch of heifer-ducks
