Duck limping and trouble walking

[Love my little farm]

Hello -
We have three female mallards (one is about three years old and other two are two years old) and they’ve been showing signs of limping, not walking and/or holding wings up only one of them is doing this). This has been off and on, since we moved here.
Daisy, the one having trouble walking... started limping and would get better. Her troubles walking are shown in the video had started a couple of months ago, where she returned back to normal within a day. This time, she is having the same troubles, but had no sound in her quack or a quiet (struggle to push out) quack and she does feel smaller... this is more on a visual basis as they are not really wanting to be held. She didn’t really eat her peas when we doled them out even when they were next to her. She pretty much just wanted to stay put.
The second, Dani had fallen forward yesterday and put her wings out and head back... my husband thought she was having a seizure (?). Now she is getting around, but tends to keep wings up... shown in picture.
I’m not sure what is going on with them... I include brewers yeast in with their feed and we replace their water each day.
I’ve also included pics on the bottoms of their feet as I’m wondering about the callouses/bumble foot (?).
Please, if you have any advice to offer... it would be greatly appreciated. We love our three girls.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04dpGb5rpj9pTl-PRa2d1pP1A

 

[KaleIAm]

In the photo of the feet, that looks like bumblefoot to me. A lot of people choose to do home treatments, but personally I take my ducks to the vet. They always prescribe antibiotics, pain relievers, and a different method of washing/bandaging than is usually used when doing at home treatments.

My vet also recommended very soft surfaces for my ducks to walk/stand on 24/7. So I removed all rocks, boards, gravel, and even wood shavings. I grew grass in their aviary and put down straw or hay in their barn. I haven't had any bumblefoot since. It seems that not all ducks need this, though.

I'm sorry I'm not sure about your other duck. When my duck had issues quacking she had a respiratory infection, but there could be so many reasons for vocal changes. I think a vet would be your best choice for her.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That does look like bumble, It is a hard kernel inside the foot which makes it painful to walk, it's also Staff infection so needs to be treated to keep it from spreading,
If a vet is possible that would be the way to go. I've done both treated my self and also used a vet, for antibiotics and pain meds then still had to remove the bumble myself. many ways to treat.
As for the other one she sounds like she def needs some vet attention. How does her poop look is she eating and drinking well? When did she lay last?
We definitely understand if it isn't feasible to use a vet but we can't ignore when they are sick either, Broad spectrum antibiotics can be bought on line. Also is there anything in their run they can chew on or metal sh may have picked up?

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=treating+bumble+foot+in+waterfowl

a vets opinion on how to treat.
http://www.duckdvm.com/condition/bumblefoot

 

[Love my little farm]

That does look like bumble, It is a hard kernel inside the foot which makes it painful to walk, it's also Staff infection so needs to be treated to keep it from spreading,
If a vet is possible that would be the way to go. I've done both treated my self and also used a vet, for antibiotics and pain meds then still had to remove the bumble myself. many ways to treat.
As for the other one she sounds like she def needs some vet attention. How does her poop look is she eating and drinking well? When did she lay last?
We definitely understand if it isn't feasible to use a vet but we can't ignore when they are sick either, Broad spectrum antibiotics can be bought on line. Also is there anything in their run they can chew on or metal sh may have picked up?

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=treating+bumble+foot+in+waterfowl

a vets opinion on how to treat.
http://www.duckdvm.com/condition/bumblefoot

Thank you so much for commenting. I guess I assumed they were like callouses, because the other two have them and have never limped or had problems getting around. Miss Daisy has been in the same coop, but separated with her own food and vitamin water (extra niacin and electrolytes). We just did their de-worming yesterday (we do twice a year... spring and winter). Would it be bad to use a broad spectrum antibiotic now too? I just looked at Miss Daisy’s poo... coloring is same with others (greenish-brown and a little white area), but much more runnier (more diarrhea than denser). Not sure about the laying... they all sporadic lay, we get one to two eggs daily (?). Yesterday, we did put sand (bagged) in their temporary space as the bulk that we bought for this was kind of ‘gravely’ and will use this in their new pen too to be softer on the feet. We are in a more rural area, but have farming/ranching around us. Being that we just moved out this way... have not seemed out a vet w/poultry experience. The girls have previously always been happy/healthier little go getters and the mind-set around here is... if it seems off, just cull it. Not my mind-set as they are ‘my girls’. In talking with a gal here... she said vets are primarily ‘big livestock’ vets. When we predator-proofed their temporary pen... we did put the hardware wire with cinder blocks around the perimeter, which does enter in their pen. We try and keep it covered with dirt/sand. Her first experience with the trouble walking was before that (wire) was put down. Before we lived in a desert environment and now we are in a more forested area, so thought possibly parasitic or gape worm with the way the other was throwing her head back. . She is doing much better today, but want to get ahead of it. Again, thanks so much!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Many of us keep Baytril on hand it's a broad spectrum antibiotic
https://allbirdproducts.com/collections/bird-antibiotic-medications
My little Runner was sick back last year and I brought her inside and gave her Baytril for 7 days also had to tube feed her. She recovered thank the Lord.

If the worming doesn't take care of it.

 

[Love my little farm]

Thank you... ordering now to have on hand.

 

[Love my little farm]

Found a vet about 60 miles away, so tomorrow making an appointment to get Daisy looked at. The videos and research is making me rethink their new home more so. It notes to keep them out of wet and muddy areas, but they are always in the water and back out again. I’d love to hear how others keep their ducks from getting bumble foot or what ground covering they use (?).

 

[KaleIAm]

Found a vet about 60 miles away, so tomorrow making an appointment to get Daisy looked at. The videos and research is making me rethink their new home more so. It notes to keep them out of wet and muddy areas, but they are always in the water and back out again. I’d love to hear how others keep their ducks from getting bumble foot or what ground covering they use (?).

I think if you make a thread called something like, "Bumblefoot prevention," you might get more responses.

2 of my 6 ducks were getting bumblefoot repeatedly for a year before I changed their environment. I would take them to the vet, treat them, they would heal up, and then it would come right back. I finally asked my vet why they were getting foot sores and she told me to remove all the hard surfaces from their environment and keep them on grass only outside and 4-6 inches of straw/hay inside. I was sure she was wrong but I did it anyway. This was years ago and I haven't had any bumblefoot in my flock since. The straw needs more frequent cleaning than the wood shavings I used before, but it is worth it to me.

Outside I have a large 30ftx30ft aviary, split in two. When the grass in one side gets thin I move them to the other side and reseed the first side so they always have a lush grassy area under their delicate feet. I also don't dump water buckets in their aviary, but carry the buckets out. Their pool has a drainage pipe so that water drains away as well.

 

[Love my little farm]

I like that idea... Thanks! We only have the three mallards in a 10’x20’ area right now, but it would be easy enough to add another 10 SF to divide the other half ‘yard space’ in two to grow grassy areas and rotate them. I’d have to start with straw, since it’s all sandy/loamy soil soil to keep the area softer (soil packs down in no time). We are putting in a pool that will also drain outward into the pastured area and a hanging self-waterer to make sure they have fresh water for drinking with a stop valve to add vitamins, etc. I’m now wondering if I can find naturally grown turf (without chemicals)... hmmm. We can’t get into the vet until Thursday, so picked up some epson salt, terramycin and neosporin to try and get rid of bacteria. Want to keep her strong until we get to the vet. Thanks again!

 

[duckduckgoose13]

Thank you... ordering now to have on hand.

Where do you order baytril??? I would like to keep some handy for my ducks just in case!