Deformed Muscovy Duckling Nettie I think Im gonna need some duck shoes

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

He hatched 1/5. He has a few problems his ancle is crooked. I cant fix it with duct tape (I tryed its not the foot the ancle) He is such a little sweety. I tryed to see how swimming went today.... he failed the test .... He doesnt understand your head stays ABOVE water when you swim. Here are some pics of Chuck the little duck.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Aww, poor little bit.

 

[Wildsky]

You can try make a "boot" or shoe with support on the ankle part, little toothpicks or something and tape them on. You dont' want to force the foot too fast into the correct position - perhaps just straight for a day and then into the correct position, you need to do it soon so it heals faster.

If you hatched the little duck in an incubator, he doesn't have the oils that mom would supply and should probably not be popped in water too soon, and then only in water an inch deep or so to start with. Once they get their feathers they'll be making their own oil and will be able to swim around like normal.

 

[Wildsky]

I had a chick with a bum ankle.

She also had the splayed legs, I had to correct the ankle and the leg problem, she has a bandaid on in that picture, I had cut most of it away in order to try the next thing (cardboard) the bandaids don't come off very easily I wouldn't use that, the bandage tape stuff works better, and vet-wrap cut into thin strips also works.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Quote:
Yeah the water was like 2 inches and he did that I he did it from the second I put him in there until the 2 second I got him out.... I have had a little boot on him with tooth picks for 3 days and today took it off and it didnt work

so I dont think its gonna work.

 

[pardygwyn]

I had a Swede named Dookie whose foot looked exactly like that. It is a deformity and it can pass down to later generations - a Silkie hen of mine managed to hide away on some of my ducks' eggs and hatched out two mini-Dookies. They hop around on one foot very well as ducklings, getting clumsier and moving around less as they grow heavier. They do learn to swim eventually and it's best in theory to have them in water as much as possible since it takes pressure off their good foot. However, both Dookie and her daughter that I kept had problems with oil production as well, so they didn't swim much. Both passed young due to recurring bumblefoot on their good foot and infected scrapes on the ankle of the bad leg - it was impossible to keep up with. I agree that some duck shoes are definitely in order, possibly some sort of legging for the bum leg? Especially if your 'Scovie is a boy.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Yeah I dont have muscovys anymore because they were attacking all my other animals and this duckling was the only one Ive ever hatched in a bator (Never again). So thats another reason Im happy I am not breeding Muscovys this little duckling can live at my place as long as it wishes to stay with us.

 

[nettie]

Can his foot be placed into the right position? If so, I can make him a little boot that would go up most of his leg (To the knee) to hold it in place. He might wobble a bit, and may have a hard time getting around, but it'll hold his foot in the right position while he grows and might help over all. How is his other foot? Is it okay looking? Are his legs both in the right position (No splaying?)? For babies, I'd have em wear two shoes, one on each foot so they don't trip or stumble too much. Babies are not always fond of wearing shoes and will sometimes not walk. It takes them awhile to get used to it.

I am unfamiliar with muscovies, do they grow at the same rate as a regular mallard derived breed? Meaning, at 4 weeks old are muscovies about the same size as a 4 week old pekin? Or do they grow faster? Your little guy is probably going to need two different baby sizes and then one or two adult sizes (depending on if he turns out to be a he lol) to help hold his foot in place. I've been working on shoes for other ducks that have various deformations (boots that need boning to stabilize them), so this'll be another experiment for me. If you PM me an address you'd like me to send some test shoes to, I'll be more than happy to try to make something for him no charge. Just keep me updated on how it works so i know if it'll help other ducks in the future. That and if you take pictures, let me know where I can see them!

I'll get to working on his stuff tomorrow, since getting his foot in the right position asap is what's best for him!

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Thank you so much! It is kinda hard to get the little babies foot in place. His other feet are fine and he can walk without spraddle leg. Muscovys grow faster. He is such a healthy little duckling.

 

[Bleenie]

I hatched a runner/buff mix duckling last year with an identical deformity. It was obvious right away that the ankle wasn't fixable, or even moveable. She hopped a little bit but was fine and made quick friend with one of the muscovy babies. She ended up going to a home with another 'special' duckling. she was totally healthy & did awesome besides the bum ankle. good luck with your baby!