Duck leg issues

[CarrieM]

Hello! We just returned from vacation and noticed that one of our ducks is not getting around well. She is approx. 2 months old, and her "hips" (hocks? not sure if this is the right term) are jutting out oddly as you can hopefully see in the pic, and she is walking slowly. I've been trying to research and found "spraddle" or "splay leg," but this doesn't seem quite right for that. Just wondering if anyone has seen something like this, and has any ideas what we could do to help her? We put her in water as I thought maybe swimming a bit would help realign things, and she stayed afloat/swam just fine, but I am not sure what to do for long term help (if there is anything). Not sure if she is in pain, but the limping/walking slowly makes me think she may be. Culling her is an option but I would really like to try to help her, if there's a way! Thanks for any insight.

 

[KathiQuacks]

Bowed legs? What are they eating? Most likely a big niacin deficiency. You should get her started on some of Durvet’s Vitamin B Complex - 1 ml over some tasty treats once a day.

Your ducks also seem a bit wet. Are they getting to dry off completely in between swims?

 

[CarrieM]

I have just been reading about niacin deficiency on another thread and I bet this is it. They were actually in water in the picture, that's why they're so wet. And yes, they do dry off in between swims! I just added some nutritional yeast to their feed, and I'll be getting some of the vitamin B complex. Thanks so much!

Forgot to add, they may look wetter because their feathers are still coming in...they're pretty pink in some places still, and that one just looks so odd because of the way her hips are sticking out. She is also smaller than the others so I think she may not have been eating as much.

 

[KathiQuacks]

Hopefully they’ll waterproof more soon, then. Their back feathers look pretty good. Keep letting them dry out.

She is also smaller than the others so I think she may not have been eating as much.

Yeah, I had a girl who didn’t get enough to eat when she was young. She was small with bowed legs like this. I believe she had a niacin deficiency purely from not eating enough. After getting her some more food, more niacin, she was still fairly small, and she waddled more than the others, but she got by fine.