deformed foot on the last one out...advice please

[1st time pekineers]

so finally the last duck is out. this hatch we incubated 21 and if this last one makes it we'll have 15 new mouths to feed. problem is this last one took nearly 48 hours to get out, we had babies in there that were 5 days old, the first ones pipped and zipped on the first day of lockdown. anyway the poor thing spent the first 12 hours or so with a twisted neck and not able to do much but roll around. today,he has more energy but now i've noticed that his right foot is still "folded up" we've cleaned him up inspected the foot can open it up but it "folds right back up. do you suppose he could grow out of it, survive with it or die because of it? any suggestions on what we should do would be appreciated. btw this one pipped early a.m. on day 29 and hatched late p.m. on day 30. whoduthunkit.

 

[Luciesbuddys]

one of our mallards had a folded foot. we found exercise helped "it" wanted to run and play. over a couple days it opened up. we boosted the niacin and that could have helped as well.

 

[chicknmania]

Well for chicks you can take a popsicle stickor light piece of wood and gently straighten and splint the crooked foot to the stick
with cloth tape. I have not tried this and am not sure how long it takes to straighten out. We have a rooster who was hatched in an incubator
and the people who hatched him did not try to correct the crooked foot. It never straightened out. He was the
same way, he had a hard time hatching. He is three years old now and is happy and healthy; he can use the foot and
even perch with it, but it still curls up. I think it would be more important for a duck to have two normal fee, so he
can swim properly. If you're going to try it you should probably do it now while he is still very young. Won't hurt to try.

 

[1st time pekineers]

thanks for the quick reply. we've got some 500mg niacin capsules, do we just disolve 1 in his water or what? we've got him in with one of the more mild chicks for company, and the brooder they're in is 2'x4' so he has plenty of room to move around. again, THANKYOU!!!

 

[duckyfromoz]

It will help if you can get something sticky to tape the foot spread out. i have had them hatch like this and tape the foot- usually within two or three days they are running around as normal- unless there is some other kind of damage or deformity causing them not to use the leg.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

I would put him on niacin and essential vitamins. Poultry Pak is on brand you can find in the feed store. Or you go the route of mixing it on. Niacin, not the no-flush version, is 100-250mg per 1 gallon of drinking water. This is good for all the ducklings and they should get this until they are 10 days old. For the essential vitamins you can get Polyvisol without iron drops for infants. One drop 2-3 times per day directly into the bill. You should see improvement within 3 days. I would not try to manipulate the foot for the first 5 days at all. I had ducklings born like your and they all turned out healthy later on. I call the fallen asleep foot. It should go away by itself with the supplements.