Duck drops bottom when walking

[PBGGG]

My 4 Runner/Swedish have been home for about 10 days now and have settled in very well. I finally worked up the courage to let them out and that's going well, too. Here is the problem. One of the boys has been dropping his butt as he waddles around but only when they are outside the pen. It's every few steps or so, looks like he's about to sit down, it's very quick. Another boy was doing it too but only a few times and he hasnt since. But Gunter still is.Gunter is otherwise totally fine, his behavior is no different from the others and his appetite is same as always, just like the other 3. Does anyone know what's going on? I found something on the boards about constipation,and gave him some lettuce yesterday. It's just that with 4 ducks who knows whose poo is who's?Any advice or info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Amiga]

How old? My first thought is leg weakness, needing more niacin.

 

[PBGGG]

Thanks for responding, Amiga. They are about 8 weeks old. I'm going to look up Niacin now.If Gunter was constipated wouldnt he lose his appetite? He is acting completely fine, thank God. Even though I love all 4 of my ducks equally, Gunter has become my favorite.

 

[Amiga]

I really like his name!

So do I understand correctly that they were six or seven weeks old when you got them? I wonder what they were fed their first six weeks. If it was chick starter, Gunter may be sensitive to low niacin. Not all ducks are affected the same way. Some seem to manage, some have seizures, some get lame....

Ducklings need three times the niacin as chicks, generally speaking. You can get plain niacin capsules (not no-flush or timed release, just plain), and add 100 to 150 mg of niacin per gallon of water for all of them for I'd say another six weeks or so.

Time to improvement varies. Some in just a few days, others longer.

Also, I would put him solo in a tub of lukewarm water and watch him paddle, and listen. Any chance he's got a joint problem? Or a sprain? Sprains can be treated with Epsom salts soaks. Caveat - do not let him ingest E.s., it's a laxative. whew.

Please keep us updated. I can only guess based on what comes to mind when I read your description. I think we all do remarkably well with this system, such as it is.

 

[PBGGG]

Well, I was told they were "about 6 weeks", it's possible they were a bit older. They all still have some fluffy feathers and have started changing to some blue or green on their heads. I have no idea what they were fed as youngsters, but I know they werent treated like beloved pets as they are here. I give them Home Fresh Grow and Show. Now, as I said, Gunter's brother Gunther did the droop a few times too but then stopped. Gunter only seems to do this out of the pen. He swims around with all the others and waddles around the pen just fine. It's hard to explain what it looks like when he droops. His back will arch just the slightest bit, and his butt just goes down towards the ground a little, as if he was about to sit down. His butt does not touch the ground at all when he does this. Thanks again for responding.Should I get a supplemet for him? Saturday night before I tucked them in for the night is when he started, then a few times yesterday while he was out and about. It is no more or less since then, and nothing about his behavior has changed. He may have gotten more handsome though.

 

[PBGGG]

I just went outside with a handful of feed to get the flock moving and Gunter didnt droop at all. However, I almost lost my right (feeding) hand to the other 3 because I was so focused on Gunter's bottom. I'm so glad these boards are here, I'd be a nervous wreck without them. Thanks, Amiga.

 

[Amiga]

 

[PBGGG]

Aaaand he's doing it again. But only when he's out of the pen.

 

[Amiga]

What surface is he walking on? Does he have a splinter?

 

[PBGGG]

The pen is built over grass, and I don't think he drops his butt at all when in the pen. But when he comes out he is still on grass and that's when I see him doing it. Only out of the pen. As I said, his brother was doing the same thing 2 nights ago but has not since. I have torn up the whole of the internet, using every imaginable combinations of words and phrases, I can't find a thing. Perhaps my Gunter is just special. If he had any other unusual behavior I would have taken him to be seen by a vet, but he just seems so happy and healthy, thank God.