Duck can barely walk, any ideas?

[RachaelS]

I got these ducks about 3 months ago, they were either 1 or 2 years old in April, the guy did not know for sure. A few weeks back this duck started walking funny, now she can barely walk at all. She does eat and her eyes don’t seem sick, however, she is very skinny. Picked her up yesterday and could feel her keel bone very easily. Thank you for any thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I got these ducks about 3 months ago, they were either 1 or 2 years old in April, the guy did not know for sure. A few weeks back this duck started walking funny, now she can barely walk at all. She does eat and her eyes don’t seem sick, however, she is very skinny. Picked her up yesterday and could feel her keel bone very easily. Thank you for any thoughts and suggestions.

Okay not sure whats going on but a few questions, could she have eaten something toxic? has she ever been wormed do you have stagnant water any where she may have gotten into? you say she is eating but skinny which makes me think possibly worms. What do you feed and do you ever give supplements especially with niacin in them? How does her legs look? any swelling or unusual heat in them? look under her feet any sign that are not normal.? does she lay if so when?

 

[RachaelS]

Not sure about being wormed, I have not wormed them, not sure about other owner. I feed Purina Flock Raiser, fermented. I checked her legs and all seems okay, nothing unusual. Feet look good. I change their water and kiddie pool every day. None of my ducks are laying right now, they were but when temps hit 100 they stopped. I did go ahead and treat her with Ivermectin since I had some topical on hand. I am thinking worms also. She eats with gusto but I really felt her today and she is really light weight, all bones. The feathers make her seem bigger. She is a Sonxony if that makes a difference.

 

[Amiga]

She may have egg yolk peritonitis, in which case she needs antibiotics a.s.a.p. and a good duck vet would be ideal.

 

[RachaelS]

No duck vets in my area, I have Duramycin-10 on hand, would that work? If yes, what do I do with it?

 

[RachaelS]

She holds her "butt" lower than all the others not sure if that helps. Even my husband commented on it.

 

[Amiga]

Sounds like a reproductive problem. I would try the Duramycin-10. Let me see if I can find a dosage recommendation.

@Miss Lydia had a table of dosages, I think.

One reference from the forums I found was half a tablespoon per gallon for seven to ten days. I am not a vet, this is just a recommendation I found here.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You may want to worm again in 10 days because from all I've read Ivermectin is not doing the job now I am going to send ths to casportpony since she is [to me] expert on worming and can help you figure out what to use and what dose, because if she is extremely wormy worming can really hurt them also.

 

[RachaelS]

Thank you Miss Lydia, that would be great.

 

[casportpony]

There are a couple of wormers you could use... Safeguard liquid for goats, Safeguard Paste for horses or Valbazen. You can get both of the Safeguards at Tractor Supply, Valbazen you would have to order. Do you have a way to weigh her?

According to a wiki page, Pekings normally weigh between 8 and 11 pounds (3.6 and 5 kilograms), but your girl is thin, so it would be best to have a rough idea of how much she weighs. Not only will it allow you to give medicine more accurately, it will tell you one way or the other if your treatment is working or not. Get me a weight and I'll get you a dose.

The The Duramycin 10 dose is:
400mg dose = 1/2 tablespoon per gallon
800mg dose = 1 tablespoon per gallon

That info can be found:
http://www.durvet.com/dl/Durvet-Poultry-Brochure.pdf

If I were to use it I would use the 800mg dose.

-Kathy