Deformed bill on duckling

[Dana's Kids Chicks]

Has anyone seen a duckling bill like this? It doesn't close all the way. Is there anything I can do to help it? It is 5 days old. I've been using niacin, but I'm worried it's not the right kind and I don't know how to tell. All the other ducks are doing great. I incubated and hatched 21 ducklings last week. These are my first ducks.

 

[Kaessa]

It looks like a birth defect, and I don't think there's anything you can do about it. Is he eating and drinking ok?

What kind of niacin are you giving? It needs to be plain niacin. Not flush-free, not timed release. You can use brewers yeast or nutritional yeast on their food instead, too. One or the other, not both.

It probably wouldn't hurt to give all the ducklings some sav-a-chik electrolytes and vitamins, too.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Agree with everything Kaessa said.

I don't know where you got the eggs from, but I'd suggest not breeding those ducks again or bringing in new stock. It may be a problem of inbreeding or poor-quality genes in general. Or it might just be a random thing that happened for some unknown reason.

 

[Dana's Kids Chicks]

He's eating the best he can. I think the others are growing faster, which makes me think that he can't eat as efficiently.

This is the niacin I'm using. I saw an electrolyte suppliment for chicks at Cal-Ranch. Is that what save-a-chick is?

 

[Dana's Kids Chicks]

Sorry! This is the niacin I have been using.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I'm not sure about that niacin. But yes sav-a-chick is an electrolye supplement. It comes in small blue pouches and is poured into the birds water.

 

[Kaessa]

That niacin should be fine. You'll want to crush it really fine, and add 100-150 mg per gallon of water and stir it until it dissolves. One of those pills would be good for about a gallon and a half to two gallons of water.

 

[Dana's Kids Chicks]

Whew! That's what I've been doing, then I got to worried it was the wrong kind. Thanks for your help.