Broken leg?

[rburrows]

Hi. We have 4 ducklings that we picked up from our local TSC about 3 weeks ago. We have had them together in a 2x5 (?) bin. Last night, we saw that one of them was limping. After watching him/her, it was as if he wanted to move forward but could only move one leg and so he ended up going in circles. We separated him out into its own 2x5 bin with clean shavings, fresh food, and fresh water. It settled down after about an hour. Before that, it sounded like he kept circling in his bin as if he was unable to get comfortable. No real difference this morning. What can we do? Does it sound like a broken leg?

 

[chickens really]

Are you giving them niacin?....what kind of Ducklings did you get?

 

[rburrows]

They are Pekin. I had posted in emergencies and someone else mentioned the same thing. We started them on Nutritional Yeast and added a supplement to their water. It's been 2 days and we are hoping it will help. Is there any chance it won't help? We caught it right away. Also, how old are ducklings typically when they are sold at TSC? 2 weeks? 3 weeks?

 

[chickens really]

I am in Canada and we can not buy Ducklings at feed stores or Chicks unless ordered.....Not sure about tractor supply?...

 

[Messica]

Most chicks and ducklings I've seen sold at TSC and similar outlets were a couple of days old to less than a week old.

Nutritional deficiencies can take some time to rebound from so I'd give it at least a couple of weeks before expecting significant results. As long as he's otherwise eating and drinking fine and you're not seeing any swelling I wouldn't assume it was broken. There's always a chance that's not what it is of course, but unless you bring it into a vet for a full workup you'll probably just have to wait and see how it shakes out. I personally wouldn't keep it segregated from the others as ducklings really don't like being isolated!