Can someone tell me whats wrong with my ducks leg? ( pictures included

[Zesty108]

WHen i recieved my duck Zesty he was about 2 weeks old, maybe a little younger. He was the runt of his family and is currently about 5 weeks old and is half the size of his brothers and sisters. When he came to me his right web was curled up like a fist. over the couple weeks he seemed to relax it a little bit when i let him start swimming,but still he does not open the webs or stand on it flat. He cant walk right, he has to hop around and uses the leg for balance. Im worried that when i let him go back to his original home that he wont be able to protect himself from the raccoons and foxes that the area gets. ( he came from my moms boyfriends house which has a huge lake and other geese and ducks) is there anything i can do to help him? if i put pressure it does not seem to cause pain, and if i open the webs with my fingers and then let go they just go back to how it looks in the picture.

 

[Amiga]

Zesty is a cutie pie!

And you're good to try to find out how to help him.

From what I have read here (and there are people with experience with this kind of problem), Zesty may have had a nutrient deficiency, or it could be a genetic problem.

Some things you can do: figure out how to avoid returning him to where he came from. You are right. He's not going to be able to protect himself from raccoons and foxes. He may have this problem the rest of his life.

You are doing well by him, giving him swim time and paying attention to the let. Try some poultry vitamins/electrolyte/probiotics at least to build up his little system as he continues to grow - make sure he gets plenty of fresh food and water, and exercise time in water.

What kind of feed has he been getting? Chick feed doesn't have enough niacin in it. If it's chick feed, I would add a sprinkling of brewer's yeast, or dissolve 100 mg to 150 mg of niacin in each gallon of water for him, according to Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks.

He looks like such a sweetheart! I hope you are able to continue to take good care of him.

 

[Zesty108]

im not sure the name of it but its like a starter feed with something like 30 percent protien. I would keep him but i have 3 large dogs that would not take fondly of him in the yard. I plan on keeping him for another 2 or so months, untill hes big enough and his leg is fixed. Where do i get the niacin or the brewers yeast/poultry vitamins? do stores like petco/petsmart carry them or do i need to find a sort of farmers store to get it?

 

[AdamD77]

He's lovely

Wow, 30%! That's very high I think, but it may not be that that's causing it... People have had success with fixing this by sort of splinting the foot with foam (though he may be a bit too old for that to work now...). I'm sure someone with experience can give you advice on how to do that

 

[Amiga]

You can get things online, if you like. I got my vitamins + from Meyer Hatchery. Feed stores also sell it.

Niacin can be bought at the local grocery or drugstore. Just plain niacin, nothing fancy or special. Dissolve it thoroughly in the water.

 

[1234duck]

I had a duckling born with the feet just like that.. it was from the baby being cramped in the egg too long before it was born. I had to make its feet stay flat the way there suppose to be.. this is what i was told to do. Take something thats sticky on one side, it needs to be flat & cut it the same size & shape as the duckies foot. Try to open the foot flat as it should be & stick the sticky side to the foot. this should keep the foot flat as it should be. You know those sticky pads used for peoples feet for corns? Take one of them or something else that will stay flat..this should be done ASAP i was told when my baby first was born b/c the sooner the better for mending or straightening. unfortinatly my baby didnt even have time for this to work b/c she died at 3days old. ~ I will PM someone on the forum(duckyfromoz) that has experiance with this sort of stuff & maybe she can help your baby. Good luck, fingers crossed for your baby. ~Julie~ oh and

 

[duckyfromoz]

Zesty is such a little cutie..and is just so lucky to have someone caring to take care of him. Can you have a look at the back of his legs and describe any difference you can see- comparing how each one looks- especially around the hock joint. It does look just a little misshapen to me. Can you move the leg at all to straighten it?? Dont force it if it doesnt want to move. I am thinking by the way he is holding that leg- either a dislocation or slipped tendon are two possibilities of what has happened to him. Less likely to be a hip issue by the way it looks.

 

[LLCoyote]

I had three ducklings like this. It was a weird genetic thing. They gave me bactrim (or what ever that is) and told me to let him swim very often to help build up strength without leg stress. Good luck mine were unfortunatly killed before I could help their legs.

 

[1234duck]

THANK YOU~ ALICIA (duckyfromoz) for responding and posting

~Julie~

 

[Zesty108]

Quote:
i noticed that it looked alittle odd the other day but never thought dislocation- im looking into vets in my area to find out if any can do ducks for a low price. I tried to see if i can straighten it and no i cant. and when he stands he elongates the good leg fully but keeps this one kind of bent up so im starting to think that may be what it is. If it is dislocation have i waited to long for it to be fixed? its been like this as far as i know since he was just a few days old.