Bent Neck

[rhondita55]

I have a duckling that is only 5 hrs old. It took 2 days to hatch and it's neck is bent. As a result, it can't stay on it's feet.
I've been holding it up to let it drink, but as soon as I put it on it's feet, over it goes. If I keep my finger by it's neck, it can balance, "until" I move my finger. Any suggestions? I've had to make shoes for quail (that's not easy to do) but I've never had this problem.

 

[Amiga]

You can make a support "donut" by rolling a small towel to support it.

And I think that vitamin supplements may help quite a bit. For the first little while before the duckling starts eating, I would put liquid niacin or B vitamin supplements in the water. Plain niacin. Then my notes below would apply once the little one is eating.

Here are notes I wrote about B vitamin supplements, and at the end is a link to Bentley's story - I think you can benefit from that.

People often get confused about what to use, so please stick with me here

.

I would go with brewer's yeast. Forgive me for using capital letters, but for anyone else who may casually look over this thread, NOT baking yeast, NOT winemaking yeast. Brewer's yeast is a nutritional supplement and it provides niacin and a few other vitamins.

Generally, folks who supplement with brewer’s yeast use a tablespoon per cup of food.

Ducklings need about three times the niacin chicks do. And some ducklings get leg problems or seizures if they don't have enough niacin.

If you cannot find the brewer's yeast, or if you happen to have (here come the capital letters again, please forgive me) PLAIN niacin - NOT no-flush, NOT timed release, then dissolve 150 mg niacin per gallon of water for the duckling’s drinking water.

Another approach is to use B Complex capsules, and use the B3 - niacin - levels as a guide. Again, 150 mg B3 per gallon of drinking water.


Keep the little one on the supplements for about 8 weeks.

Sometimes it only takes a few days to see improvement.

You can also see how it went for Qwackers and Bentley from these threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help

 

[dotknott]

I've only read about this. @Amiga any suggestions?

You're my go to on stuff like this

 

[Amiga]

I've only read about this. @Amiga any suggestions?

You're my go to on stuff like this

Looks like we hit "submit" at the same time.

 

[rhondita55]

Thank you! I had a duckling that had seizures. I couldn't find the PLAIN or the Flushing kind of Niacin.. only the No-flush. Didn't know about the Brewers Yeast. But I did use B Complex. Crushed 1 tab in a quart of water and then added a some to the water making it equal to 1 tab per gal. It really helped the poor little girl. she was always a runt and never got but half as big as the others. Then the Drake got to her.

This little one, I put it in a role, it climbed out, climbed back in, climbed out and started to walk away and right on to it's back. I tried making a tighter roll... nope, then a little pen with the roll.... nope. So the only thing left is for me to find a small box and line it in a role with the side where it can't get out. I have the B complex in it's water and I pick it up once in a while to let it drink.

Just hoping it will live thru the night. I have 1 other to hatch, it's going to be a long hatch. The last 2 fertile eggs. I sold the Drakes and the Mothers. Found 3 eggs later and candled them for growth. They all showed growth, but 1 stopped showing growth at 2 weeks. We are moving back into town so I'll not be having any ducks do to the City and their noise. Downsizing my flocks to just 2 hens and quail.