- Jan 13, 2013
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Well, my one-month-old Blue Swede duckling looks like she's starting to develop angel wing in her left wing. She started growing wing feathers the other day and now they're perhaps 3/4 of an inch long. Her left wing looked a little different this morning but now, just twelve hours later, it's starting to look very distinctively angel wing-ey. It's drooping and starting to point outward. I tried to take a picture for this post but you couldn't really tell what was going on without the perspective of seeing it in person.
What can I do to nip this in the bud? I've been feeding them (just two ducklings) 15% protein feed because Storey's Guide suggested 16%-18% at this age and the feed store only had the 15% grower and a 22% grower available. I've also been giving them a poultry vitamin containing niacin in their water and have been taking care to exercise them each day.
I need to slow this duck's growth to allow the wing to catch up to its feathers, right? I read somewhere that you're supposed to immediately put them on alfalfa pellets until the condition clears up. I have guinea pig pellets that are alfalfa based -would those do? Would they really be alright on that stuff for, what would it be, a few days? Should I change only the diet of the afflicted ducklling or the diets of both?
Should I start binding now or wait to see if a diet change works before I get so drastic?
I'd appreciate any advice. This is only my second time raising ducklings and I'm not terribly experienced. They just grow so fast (and I've just witnessed what a difference twelve hours can make) so I thought I should go straight to the forum on this one. I'll have time for research tomorrow evening but I'd like to be able to do something for her until then. Thanks!
What can I do to nip this in the bud? I've been feeding them (just two ducklings) 15% protein feed because Storey's Guide suggested 16%-18% at this age and the feed store only had the 15% grower and a 22% grower available. I've also been giving them a poultry vitamin containing niacin in their water and have been taking care to exercise them each day.
I need to slow this duck's growth to allow the wing to catch up to its feathers, right? I read somewhere that you're supposed to immediately put them on alfalfa pellets until the condition clears up. I have guinea pig pellets that are alfalfa based -would those do? Would they really be alright on that stuff for, what would it be, a few days? Should I change only the diet of the afflicted ducklling or the diets of both?
Should I start binding now or wait to see if a diet change works before I get so drastic?
I'd appreciate any advice. This is only my second time raising ducklings and I'm not terribly experienced. They just grow so fast (and I've just witnessed what a difference twelve hours can make) so I thought I should go straight to the forum on this one. I'll have time for research tomorrow evening but I'd like to be able to do something for her until then. Thanks!
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