- Mar 5, 2008
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We got a duckling from orchlens (something like that anyways) - the ducklings had just arrived in the mail a few hours earlier and had not started eating yet. Transit time was from saturday (idiots) to wednesday when we picked him up. He came from Estes hatchery. Basically no matter what I did he would not eat until yesterday late afternoon. He would watch Jack (our cayuga duckling) eat but not do so himself. He(or she) drank readily but when I dissolved food in water or sugar would not touch the stuff. Not gatorade either. So now his right foot will not flatten out- it is pliable but he seems to have no control over it and uses it like a crutch instead of a foot and hobbles everywhere. His legs are not splayed. I was told malnutrition when I called the feed store and that I should have gotten him eating (like I can force him) and that I just need to cull him and they will replace him with the next batch. I do not want another duckling I want this one (blue and white crested) we named him/ her evie and my kids are in love, Jack is in love and the chickens even like the little tyke. Jack is alot bigger at 6 weeks and lifts her up and puts her on her feet alot but she still cannot stretch out her webbing. Any ideas on what to do to help him or her? She loves to sleep in our arms and chases Jack or a human indiscriminately though she falls all over herself doing so. I have never seen this before and do not know how to help. (the duckling sleeps under jacks wing/feathering every night it is so funny watching him try to wriggle under such a tiny wing)