Duck seizures

[georgie13]

Hello, my husband and I have recently moved to France. We bought 4 hens and a cockerel and have recently added 5 ducks (unsure of breed as bought from a french market).

The ducks are now 5 weeks old and all are growing well apart from 1 which 3 day ago started having seizures. She has approx 1 every 1/2 hour. Even when not having seizures her legs, wings and tail seem to twitch.
She stopped eating yesterday and is noticeably smaller than the other 4, all of which are healthy and well.

She is still drinking lots but is just not interested in food. We have syringe fed her a couple of times. She is such a lovely natured duck and it would be a shame for her to continue suffering and eventually die.

Any ideas what could be causing the seizure or anything we could try to perk her up?

We separate her during the day as the others are starting to peck her as she keeps making them jump every time she seizures. When not having the seizures she generally seems quite happy but I do not want her to continue suffering.

Any advise greatly appreciated

Georgie

 

[Amiga]

Bonjour, Georgie!

Don't know what feeds are available for littles in your parts, but we often see niacin deficiencies causing those problems with ducklings.

100 to 150 mg per gallon of niacin in her water for the next eight weeks is what I would try.

Not the no-flush, timed-release, just plain niacin.

If that is not available, brewer's yeast, a tablespoon on top of their feed once a day is an alternative.

You could also search the archives for "niacin duckling" and see what other ideas pop up.

If you are really remote, animal products contain niacin - so worms, bugs, unsalted fish not packed in oil in small amounts, would give her some niacin. Mealworms, tiny feeder fish, these are things to consider. First, let me emphasize she would need to have had some small grit in her diet, a sprinkling of clean sand on the food for a few days would do it, if they don't get to go outside and dig in the dirt.

 

[georgie13]

Thank you for the advice. It is more difficult to get specific things over here mainly due to the language barrier. We do speak basic french but duck terminology isn't taught in french classes!

If she was niacin deficient would this not be affecting the others as well?

This morning she has eaten a little bit of chick crumb on her own and has only had 1 seizure so far. If we added niacin to the food could it have a negative effect on the rest of the ducklings I try are getting too much?

I am hoping she is on the mend but can never be sure because I think se is ok then turn around and she is fitting again. Would niacin deficiency cause her to be twitchy all the time as well as the seizures? Because her tail and wings seem to always twitch.

Thanks again, I will check if we can get the brewers yeast etc, unfortunately it is bank holiday today and tomorrow in France.

Georgie

 

[Amiga]

I barely speak the basics, too. No one here to talk with, either. So, we'll stick to English.

Okay. Niacin deficiencies seem to affect some ducklings, not others. Giving extra niacin has not been a problem for anyone I am aware of on the forum. I believe it is water soluble, so you'd need to use much more than the recommended amounts to be toxic - this is based on what I have read here, so go with your gut.

Animal products contain niacin, so mealworms, earthworms, slugs, fish (some people give their littles the tiny feeder fish you can get at pet stores), those things boost niacin. It's also called Vitamin B3. It is necessary for proper development of the nervous system. Most often, seems to me, it is noticed when it affects the legs, but we have read of duckling seizures stopping with niacin. Some have also found ducklings Vitamin E deficient.

A good poultry vitamin-electrolyte-probiotic mix is nice to have on hand. If you cannot find it, try a combination of iron-free pedialyte, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, and a tablespoon of plain yogurt in a cup of water.

 

[georgie13]

Just a quick update! My duck has only had 1 seizure this morning and then started eating a small amount. We have only had to syringe feed her once today! Fingers crossed she is on the mend! Yesterday we fed her a combination of her chick crumb and some crushe up cat biscuits via syringe so maybe that did the trick. It maybe that she was niacin deficient and the added chick crumb helped so thank you!

Georgie

 

[pysankigirl]

What ever happened with this? we have a duckling having seisures also. But this one is our BIGGEST duckling. I will try to find some liquid niacin, but am wondering how this worked out for you guys...

 

[georgie13]

Hello,

We didn't buy liquid niacin. We literally used a combination of crushed up cat biscuit and her duckling crumb mixed with a bit of water and syringe fed her for a couple of days. She then started eating on her own and has never had a fit since. It certainly worked for her, she has now becone the leader of her group of ducks. Maybe because of all the traumas she has seen she feels like the wise old duck of the group. She has also become very tame due to all the handling as well. Hope this works for your duck, please let me know how things turn out. Good luck!