Bumpy, Deformed Duck Bill

[CrunchTimePoultry]

Hi fellow duck guardians. We recently got 3 cayuga ducks and noticed one was a bit smaller than the other two. Now we've come to realize she has a bit of a bumpy and malformed beak, with the top and bottom not lining up (seems like the top is not developing correctly). Attached is one of the better pictures we have of her, she is the duckling sitting in front. Not sure if there's much that can be done but would appreciate any advice. We're hoping it doesn't effect her growth, a bit of a concern since as mentioned she is lagging behind the others! As for nutrition, we've been feeding them Purina duck pellets along with a bit of unmedicated chick starter/grower the first couple days since they were having a lot of trouble with the pellets.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are precious
the bill doesn't look too bad and probably isn't causing eating or drinking problems? If the bill was to continue to get shorter on top when the bottom grows normal you would have to give the duck a deep bowl so it can scoop its food. Many have done this and their ducks did fine. Hopefully it won't get extreme.
I'd def be adding some Nutritional yeast to their feed. Even when on the best feed. It's still a good idea to offer extra niacin while they are doing their biggest growing. 1 Tab to each cup of feed you give your ducklings.

 

[CrunchTimePoultry]

Thank you for the advice. It doesn't seem to have effected her personality since she is the feisty one, so that's a good sign. I went out and got some niacin to crush up and put in the food and after reading that they will not absorb the extra so while I will still try to properly dose it at least I don't have to worry about them overdosing between the food and supplementation.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just make sure Not to get time-released or flush-free when buying niacin for ducklings.

 

[CrunchTimePoultry]

Appreciate the concern, I made sure to get the niacin without the vit-B-8, and it is immediate release. Glad to get this advice since whether or not it addresses the bill situation, it should help the girls grow up stronger.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't really think there is anything that can be done with the bill, just watch it so you can make adjustments to feeding. There are others on here that have ducklings with bills not quite right.
@WVduckchick is one.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-bill-like-this.1510596/page-3#post-25752604

 

[CrunchTimePoultry]

Wanted to follow up here and say while Lily's bill (on the left) is still a little bit deformed, she has grown into it quite well and it seems like it is not causing her any trouble which we are very happy with. Thanks again for the helpful ears!

 

[Miss Lydia]