Can ducklings recover from niacin defficiancy?

[SheWolf2077]

Well I got my first set of ducklings a few weeks ago. Come to find out the feed I have them on is low in Niacin (even though it is made for ducklings. Good job, local brand). I purchased some niacin supplements due to my Pekin's legs beginning to bow.
Two days went by and he was showing no signs of recovering. Frantically I searched online to see what the issue could be. I kept seeing things about not giving them flush-free niacin. My heart sank as I picked the bottle up and read the label. "Flush-Free Niacin"

The past two days I've been giving him supplements, all the while it's not been doing him any good and his bowleggedness has progressed.
Tonight I am going to just purchase a bottle of brewers yeast to supplement him with. Is it too late to supplement with brewers yeast? Should I find some regular Niacin supplements?
My biggest question...will he recover fully if I start (actually) supplementing him now? His legs have been bowing for about 4 days.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Alaskan]

Well I got my first set of ducklings a few weeks ago. Come to find out the feed I have them on is low in Niacin (even though it is made for ducklings. Good job, local brand). I purchased some niacin supplements due to my Pekin's legs beginning to bow.
Two days went by and he was showing no signs of recovering. Frantically I searched online to see what the issue could be. I kept seeing things about not giving them flush-free niacin. My heart sank as I picked the bottle up and read the label. "Flush-Free Niacin"

The past two days I've been giving him supplements, all the while it's not been doing him any good and his bowleggedness has progressed.
Tonight I am going to just purchase a bottle of brewers yeast to supplement him with. Is it too late to supplement with brewers yeast? Should I find some regular Niacin supplements?
My biggest question...will he recover fully if I start (actually) supplementing him now? His legs have been bowing for about 4 days.
Thanks in advance!

If the bones themselves have actually bent.... then maybe not... however, if you give him lots of swimming time (make sure he doesn't get chilled though), to keep weight off of his feet... for the next week while you give him lots of brewers yeast... (but one niacin tablet crunched up over his food the first day might be best), it might improve a bit


good luck!

 

[SheWolf2077]

If the bones themselves have actually bent.... then maybe not... however, if you give him lots of swimming time (make sure he doesn't get chilled though), to keep weight off of his feet... for the next week while you give him lots of brewers yeast... (but one niacin tablet crunched up over his food the first day might be best), it might improve a bit


good luck!

I purchased some electrolyte vitamins that contained a fair amount of Niacin. I tried my darndest to find brewers yeast or at least normal Niacin. Alas, no avail. I diluted the powder 1/4tsp per gallon. He's walking and playing with his friend again! His legs are still bowed but I'm hopeful that they will return to somewhat normal. Thanks for your response!

 

[Alaskan]

good luck!

 

[suzy4027]

Can I hop on and ask a similar question? Our ducks are working on their 4th week. Even though they're welsh harlequins, they both quack. In fact, the lighter billed duck, (Tater) honks! Clearly, she's not the best example of a WH, but she's adorable and has a great personality. Very calm and sweet. She would be the one I'm asking about. I didn't realize her niacin wasn't high enough until her right leg began to bow. Of course, then I panicked and threw the Brewers yeast to them. These are the legs she may be stuck with. I don't know if she's still spraddled or just a wide load! Maybe the other duckling's legs (Tot) are too narrow set? Idk. I can talk large animal conformation all day long, but I'm outta my league here. Tater is moving slower than Tot, and lays down more, but she's sore from wearing a splint. Otherwise, she's fine. The splint squared her legs up underneath her for about a day, but then she went back to her usual stride. Do I keep going with a splint that's a bit wider? My only reason for continuing to pester her would be concern for weak hips. I'm a horse person. Conformation is a big deal to us and it's not like I've never been known to overthink something.... Cough cough. Neither of them wil ever be APA show ducks. Lol. Maybe my daughter would do 4-h or something local with Tot. Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill? Should I just leave poor Tater alone?

Here she's laying down but she was pooped! They'd been in their pool for quite a while and had followed me all over the place. Tot walks with just a slight waddle and is a rocket! Not a great thing right now.

She's a bit of a pill. Tater waddles like I did at 9 months pregnant!! Her legs don't shake and she does fine uneven surfaces. I assume the pidgeon toe is here to stay...

 

[suzy4027]

Oh my gosh. She looks so sad in that last picture! She was looking for a piece of kale I had tossed out of the frame. I was just slinging little pieces everywhere, trying to get them to play along. Lol

 

[Alaskan]

Well, if they are now getting plenty of niacin, that should keep it from getting worse.... ... unless, as you worry, she is already shifted funny.

Hummmmm. I like the idea of putting her in a tub of water, and watching to see if she paddles well or crooked.....

If you think the splint helped at all..... I would want to put it back on for at least a couple more days, a week at most...

since things might still fix themselves while the duck is growing... but you will be stuck with what you have once she is no longer growing.

 

[suzy4027]

I've been letting them swim as much as possible and she does well. In fact, it seems to bother me more than it bothers her. Lol. That's why I wondered if the only niacin deficiency issue was the bow, but the width of her legs was just how she was built, and her wide stance looks normal to someone who knows what they're looking at.

As far as the splint going back on, she just got so sore and was a total drama queen about it, I don't want to put it back on if I'm making too much over it. If you think this is something the niacin supplement can still fix (she's getting nutri-drench too) then I'm good with that. You've seen WAY more than I have! And let's be honest, What I'm trying to do is appease my guilt over her bow getting so far ahead of me. That's always a good reason to do something! Lol. If I'm now the one who's being a drama queen, just tell me to chill and go sit back down. Everybody else has. Tater isn't the only one I'm driving crazy....

 

[Alaskan]

Well, I don't think that you are being a drama queen....


funky leg things are just so much easier to fix the younger they are...

I would try to keep her off the leg as much as possible for a week, while you wait for the niacin to do its thing.

If the splint bothers her that much... Well, I am not sure if there is a better way to do the splint... or if just keeping her off of it as much as you can will do the trick

hard to know...

if however, she has NO discomfort and is having an easy time getting around... it might just fine the way it is.

It is the fact that the foot it turned in a bit that is the issue..... A wide stance often means drake, and legs closer together often means female

 

[suzy4027]

Poop!

Maybe I was wishful thinking on the hen/drake thing. I just really don't want a pair. I'd much rather have the hassle of what to do with so many eggs from 2 hens as opposed to getting a couple more so poor Tot doesn't get mauled. Neither option is going to go over well. Of course, my kid is thrilled and is already wanting cayugas. She's not much help. Lol. I officially give up on the gender guessing. It is what it is, right. And the little booger has an ideal temperament. He/she really did do several quacks, but it's not been very consistant. Dang. Moving on.

So the control freak in me will have to wait. I'll Ty to figure something out on the turned in foot. Maybe have him (let's face it, all other signs point to drake

) swim in a rubber band splint? I didn't do the bandaid type, I did loose hair bands that stayed up above his hocks (? Horse person. Lol) and their texture rubbed him too much. I wanted to do the loose rubber band that Ruth had described a few years back, but the only appropriate band I had, broke. Idk. He's certainly happy to be lazy and lay around..... Any direction you could point me in would be appreciated. They've had Brewers yeast for about 10 days and those previous pics were from yesterday. I understand that not doing anything else could lead to a compensatory issue that bothers him even more. They already think I'm a shifty character that's always out to pester them. Lol. Not like I've got much of their trust to lose.