Crippled Call Duck...

[chrispbrown27]

As an early birthday present for my wife I picked her up a pair of grey call ducks this past Saturday and the woman asked if I wanted one that was born crippled.....I couldn't help myself he just looked so pitiful. He can scoot around on his belly using his beak, legs and tail, but he can't stand up for very long. I have read about slipped tendons, making hobbles, shoes, niacin deficiencies and chick chairs. As far as I can tell both of his tendons have slipped (compared to the other two ducks which are slightly older than he is) and his feet are slightly turned out and do not fully open. Every now and then he will stand up to stretch his wings but immediately falls beak first to the ground. He swims fairly well but doesn't use his right leg much. When I hold him and mess around with his legs they both seem strong, as he can fight me pretty well when I try to move them. His legs don't seem to be splayed out. Until I get a new coop built just for them they are in a large cage in our living room and the floor has pine shavings on it, so he should be able to get a grip. I am feeding him brewers yeast to add extra niacin to his diet and it does seem to have made him stronger.
So my question is: at his advanced age (I am not positive how old he is, but he is fully feathered out) is it possible to that he will walk or is it too late for it to be reversed?
Chris

 

[sourland]

Without actually seeing the bird, it is hard to evaluate the situation, but very likely he will remain a 'special needs' duck. Adequate diet, vitamin supplementation, and swim exercise may help. He is vulnerable to predation and abuse from the other ducks. Good luck with rehabilitating him.