Does this one day old duckling have wry neck?

[Ratchnick]

Hello, and Welcome to BackYard Chickens!

I do agree that what we’re seeing here is Wry Neck.

Wry Neck is not a disease/condition, but rather a symptom of one. There are lots of things that may cause it, with ducklings the most likely cause is going to be either vitamin related, likely vitamin E and maybe thiamine (B1), sometimes during incubation the neck will have a greater muscle pull to one side and eventually will cause a permanent skeletal deformity, shock, bacterial or viral infections can also be an underlying cause, if her yolk sac was not absorbed all the way and got infected that may have caused the Wry Neck, also possibly neurological damage especially if there was ever trauma to the egg.

These are all factors that should be considered, use your best judgment to make a somewhat clear diagnosis. In my honest opinion, I would lean towards a vitamin deficiency. Which at this age can be treated most of the time, and even if it's not, sometimes just vitamin therapy and supportive care can help relive/cure the symptoms, so its definitely worth a try, In my opinion.

If you want to go through treatment, do the following, get her started on vitamin E soft gels capsules or liquid, give her 400iu a day, get some B complex and give a drop or two a day as well. Selenium easily overdoses so you may use that as the last option to help absorb the E. Offer her scrambled eggs often for protein, keep her warm, make sure the other ducklings aren’t bully her, flip her up as needed, make sure she’s getting enough food, and hopefully, she’ll be on the road to recovery soon.

When giving her the vitamins, just drop a drop onto the side of her bill, be gentle and give her time to get everything down, as ducklings aspirate easily.


https://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Vitamin-400-Softgel-Capsules/dp/B01I5OB3LW

https://www.amazon.com/Durvet-Vitamin-Complex-Injectable-Livestock/dp/B01DOFK0CA

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/thiamine-deficiency-in-waterfowl-in-progress.75690/

This protocol for wry neck. Isnt that for larger ducks? Stuffing a 400 iu gel cap down a day olds throat seems... dangerous? Dosing selenium at all at this size seems crazy.

 

[Ratchnick]

I'm sorry about your duck that had Wry Neck, but I don't think just because of your experience with Wry Neck it's fair to say it's unlikely the OP's duckling will survive. I'm not trying to be the opposite, but lots do recover.

No one can make a prognosis on these ducklings/ducks because each one tends to have an different underlying cause.

Its going to be hard getting this duckling to eat and drink, i could tube my duck so she made a full recovery.

 

[Isaac 0]

This protocol for wry neck. Isnt that for larger ducks? Stuffing a 400 iu gel cap down a day olds throat seems... dangerous? Dosing selenium at all at this size seems crazy.

No, I have measured the fluids in a 400iu capsule and there's only about 1/4ml (Maybe a tad more), not much at all, I told the OP to start off with a little bit anyway, just barely a drop. Selenium can be given to ducklings, but, yes, it can easily overdose, that’s actually why I told them to give it as a final option, but I don’t really think it’ll be needed in the first place.

Dripping a drop along the side of a bill is a lot different then "stuffing down a pill"

I’m am not going to take over the OP’s thread re-explaining my advice, you seem to question a lot of my posts, so just PM me next time you think it's needed.

Its going to be hard getting this duckling to eat and drink, i could tube my duck so she made a full recovery.

Support the duckling's neck and they will usually eat themselves, I have had a few, and they ate/drank fine. Time will tell if the OP's will.

 

[Miss Lydia]

 

[Ratchnick]

Ok, makes sense now

 

[threedoor]

Thanks y'all! I've seen lots of advice and I'm processing it, but right now I'm going to get him out of the incubator and put him in the towel-lined brooder. I've put a warm brick (wrapped in towels), a stuffed animal, a mirror, a heat lamp, and a donut-shaped towel to put him in. I will offer him water periodically in a shallow dish, then remove the dish so that he won't drown.

We're waiting for a call back from the Audubon Society to confirm that they are willing to/can take care of a wry neck duckling.

His name is Ziggy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww I hope they can help him. You sound like a wonderful person.