duck is pigeon toed

[jigger]

I have never had a duck before and last time we got chicks we got a duck. It is walking a little funny with one foot facing inward. Does anyone know what we are doing wrong or how to help him?

 

[BelovedBirds]

I have a duck that is very badly pigeon toed and can’t get around as well as the other ducks. She swims and can fly to help waddle but has trouble with her feather oils when swimming. She is about 2 months old now, I waited it out like most recommended, we got her special food with more niacin in it but nothing has seemed to work for her. I’ve thought about getting her a splint but with how grown she is already we’re concerned that her legs with break she is a white duck and before we knew she was a female we named her Fred.

You may want to make a new thread as this lne is very old- do you know how? If not I can guide you l
on how--
It does sound like a niacin deficiency and despite being on the correct food now, it won't contain enough niacin to get her back where she should be.
If you can, a trip to TSC and getting some Durvet cattle injectable B complex would be best, 1 ml orally via a treat, daily until improvement.

If not, niacin tablets (flush effect, not flush free, you can get them online) 100mg tablet broken, powder mixed to 1 gallon of water. Use this as their drinking water and it will give them some extra niacin, but the B complex is the best stuff if you can get it where you are.

If she worsens or you cant find the right stuff, definitely post a thread!
Best of luck!

 

[CoriM]

If they are pigeon toed it's likely due to a niacin deficiency when they were growing. The best thing to do is get them on the liquid vitamin B complex supplement as soon as possible, plus adding brewer's or nutritional yeast to their food. Pekins are especially prone to this - they just need extra niacin.

 

[tomingreeneco]

The duck has a niacin shortage. You need to give them additional niacin in their water. 100 mg per gallon of water. You need to buy regular niacin (not the time released no flush kind) and add it to the drinking water. It usually comes in a capsule, just open in up and dump it in the water.

 

[jigger]

Thank you Yes he is probably around a month already. He can walk it just doesn't seem as easy as it should be. We we will definitely do what we can he is not a meat duck he will be part of the family.

 

[bucky1renee]

We too have a pigeon toed Pekin duck, she will be 4 weeks old tomorrow (4-24), she can swim fine but walking/running is always a challenge for her. She is growing but not as rapidly as her sibling. We keep her well protected from our hens as they tend to peck her. We sure don't want to keep her in a cage all her life, she is very loved by our 12 yr old daughter and we have no intentions of her being a meat duck. If anyone has any info on leg correction I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

 

[Haunted55]

I have some who have had this problem as well. Now you haven't said how old he is, but I have found the more time they spend walking and swimming the better it will get. As long as it isn't keeping him from getting around, I would leave it and let him work it out, he will. If it is really bad, to the point he just can't get around, there are ways to make a braces/wrap that will start turning the foot out. If he is young still, less than 4 months old, this shouldn't be needed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

at 2 months a tablespoon or 2 of Brewers yeast added to their feed daily would also help.

 

[Haunted55]

at 2 months a tablespoon or 2 of Brewers yeast added to their feed daily would also help.

Thanks Miss L, I forgot that one! Or a 100mg niacin tablet crushed and added to their water daily would help as well. You can get both at WalMart. If you go the niacin route, make sure you get plain old niacin, ask the pharmicist, they usually have it behind the counter at mine. You want to make sure you do not use the 'no-flush' or the time released. Neither one do any good whatsoever. They leave the system long before they can be released and give any benefits at all. Another thing that will give them a more natural niacin boost is meal worms. They love them and if given as a treat or bribe, lol, they will be getting extra niacin. Niacin is a water soluable B vitamin so it is hard to give too much. I would do the 100mgs a day and see how it all goes.

 

[Duckymomma333]

I have a duck that is very badly pigeon toed and can’t get around as well as the other ducks. She swims and can fly to help waddle but has trouble with her feather oils when swimming. She is about 2 months old now, I waited it out like most recommended, we got her special food with more niacin in it but nothing has seemed to work for her. I’ve thought about getting her a splint but with how grown she is already we’re concerned that her legs with break she is a white duck and before we knew she was a female we named her Fred.