Duck With Swollen Ankle

[Mimi13]

My 17 week old White Hybrid Layer did something to her leg last night, specifically her ankle. This morning she could not walk using her right leg. The ankle is very swollen and appears a bit red. Her right leg feels a bit warmer than her left.

There is no bumblefoot, I could see no bite marks of any kind, and bedding is straw.

Petey (I know that’s a boy name), is a very loud mouthed female duck. Today has been a very quiet day here at home.

Several times today I placed her in her pool thinking the cool water would feel good to her. All three times I did not see her get out of the pool, but she never went any farther than right outside the pool.

She is inside in a crate in the house now and obviously had not eaten today.

My questions are

• what could have caused this and
• what could I give her for pain and inflammation?

Thank y’all in advance for help for my little, er huh, big one.

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear about your duck.

Heavyweight breeds, especially Pekins, are quite prone to leg problems due to their heavyweight. Providing them with soft grounds, a deep water source, and a pen that is free of things they might trip on can greatly reduce these problems from occurring.

As far as treatment of the sprain, start by moving the duck into its own pen as to reduce its risk of reinjuring the leg. In addition, you can start adding some supplemental B vitamins to his diet to support good leg health and start soaking the leg in warm Epsom salt water for a few days.

If the swelling doesn’t subside soon, starting him on an NSAID might be good. Meloxicam, Carprofen, or ketoprofen can be used with ducks, but are RX only, if you do have some baby aspirin you can add one 325mg tablet to one gallon of water.

Ultimately, you can follow the treatment above, but what's going to be needed is simply rest and time to fix the problem.

 

[Texag87]

I think Isolation (dog crate in the house), a few days of hydro treatment (private baths in your tub) and some poultry spray from TSC will take care of it. We have a duck that is re joining the flock tomorrow after taking these steps. She hurt one of her toes but has improved significantly since Wednesday evening.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The legs and the hip are the weak spot of the heavier duck-breeds, unfortunately. My three remaining White Layers do limp from time to time for a day or two, sometimes just after stepping with one leg into the very same hole they have just drilled into the ground…
What are you feeding the ducks? - Layer pellets with additional calcium? - I feed Layer pellets to all ducks, drakes included - no kidney problems within over two years - and the ducks still gulp down plenty of crushed oyster/egg shells.
I would give her some extra vitamin B and some extra calcium or vitamin d. If you're brave, you can give her an otc vitamin b complex and a vitamin d supply as a pill (How give a pill to a duck) for at maximum a week.
In 2018 we stuffed poor Limpy with so many pills that he was rattling when being picked up and he made it through. Limping but otherwise doing fine.
Have her sit in water as much as possible and as long as the water is clear, watch what she is doing with her leg: If she is not moving the leg at all it is a sign that she has a serious injury and is in a lot of pain. The more she is moving the leg, the better.
As the others already have said: Rest, rest, rest!

 

[Mimi13]

Sorry to hear about your duck.

Heavyweight breeds, especially Pekins, are quite prone to leg problems due to their heavyweight. Providing them with soft grounds, a deep water source, and a pen that is free of things they might trip on can greatly reduce these problems from occurring.

As far as treatment of the sprain, start by moving the duck into its own pen as to reduce its risk of reinjuring the leg. In addition, you can start adding some supplemental B vitamins to his diet to support good leg health and start soaking the leg in warm Epsom salt water for a few days.

If the swelling doesn’t subside soon, starting him on an NSAID might be good. Meloxicam, Carprofen, or ketoprofen can be used with ducks, but are RX only, if you do have some baby aspirin you can add one 325mg tablet to one gallon of water.

Ultimately, you can follow the treatment above, but what's going to be needed is simply rest and time to fix the problem.

Thank you very much for this info, Isaac. I have had her caged in the house since Saturday afternoon. I’ve been doing everything you mentioned except for the medicine, which I do not have. (Except for meloxicam -for me- but I don’t know a dosage.) I am going to call the vet this morning and ask for some medicine and/or dosage for the meloxicam I have, even if I don’t use it for her this time, I will have it on hand for the next time. (My BO has already had two different sprains, but not as bad as Petey’s.)

Until this morning, she has been very quiet — which I will say is very unlike Petey. Not only is she quacking, which is normal, she is panting pretty hard. She is not hot, as it is much cooler in the house than outside. I would think if she was in pain, she would be more silent. Ducks are new to me, but I am thinking it could possibly be she might be trying to lay her third egg. I am waiting a bit before I take her outside to her pool for some water therapy and to see her buddies, just in case an egg appears. I just don’t know enough about the duck’s egg laying schedule as it seems to be a little different than a chicken’s. I’ve got to research that.

More about her habitat here. I probably do not have the best setup for ducks. I’m realizing this in hindsight, of course. My ducks do free range with my chickens. They have total access to several acres of my yard, which a majority of it is on a slope, including their run which is in my upper back yard. The only real negatives include, first of all dang hickory nuts that fall faster than I can pick up, and unfortunately I do not get them all. These nuts can easily be stepped on causing the “stepper” to fall. Yeah, ask me how I know! Anyway, I’ve seen the ducks and chickens step on these at times.

And secondly, my back yard slopes into a deck. There are four sets of steps that access the deck from the yard and the ducks have found them. They love to come on down to the house and hang out at my back door and on the porch of the dog house. Not thinking that ducks could maneuver steps (stupid me), since everything I’ve read said they needed a ramp, I didn’t worry about them even trying to reach the deck. Dear lord, I’ve learned that a duck can do just about anything they darn well please. They are a different animal for sure. Talk about a strong-willed child!

Even though either of these dangers could have caused Petey’s leg injury, she was definitely walking fine and uninjured when I locked them up Friday night. It wasn’t until I let them out Saturday morning that I noticed her very significant limp...along with my first duck egg. A very sweet and sad situation all rolled into one.

Unfortunately, I realize going forward that I most likely need to either not keep ducks or only keep the much lighter breeds, like my runners and WH. My BO and the Pekin mix ducks don’t fall into that category.

I’m sorry for the long post. I tend to type too much, but want to make sure everything is disclosed when it comes to a hurting baby — whether it’s a chicken, duck, dog, cat, horse, or a grandson! Thank you for taking your time to read and respond!

 

[Mimi13]

The legs and the hip are the weak spot of the heavier duck-breeds, unfortunately. My three remaining White Layers do limp from time to time for a day or two, sometimes just after stepping with one leg into the very same hole they have just drilled into the ground…
What are you feeding the ducks? - Layer pellets with additional calcium? - I feed Layer pellets to all ducks, drakes included - no kidney problems within over two years - and the ducks still gulp down plenty of crushed oyster/egg shells.
I would give her some extra vitamin B and some extra calcium or vitamin d. If you're brave, you can give her an otc vitamin b complex and a vitamin d supply as a pill (How give a pill to a duck) for at maximum a week.
In 2018 we stuffed poor Limpy with so many pills that he was rattling when being picked up and he made it through. Limping but otherwise doing fine.
Have her sit in water as much as possible and as long as the water is clear, watch what she is doing with her leg: If she is not moving the leg at all it is a sign that she has a serious injury and is in a lot of pain. The more she is moving the leg, the better.
As the others already have said: Rest, rest, rest!

The aches and pains always have to happen to the “heavier” ones, huh? That’s just not fair, but probably explains why my hips and legs hurt.

That video is a bit disturbing for me. I’m gonna have to research the whole trachea/esophagus layout in a duck before I’d try that. I can’t imagine just “sliding the pill over the trachea.” Something sounds amiss.

Anyway I am giving her (all of them, actually) the High Level Vitamin B Complex.

As far as her feed goes, I feed my whole mixed flock (gender, age & species) Kalmbach Flock Maker. It is a 20% feed. There is oyster shell a la carte for all the ones that need it. Yes, and even my goofy rooster munches on it every now and then.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you very much for this info, Isaac. I have had her caged in the house since Saturday afternoon. I’ve been doing everything you mentioned except for the medicine, which I do not have. (Except for meloxicam -for me- but I don’t know a dosage.) I am going to call the vet this morning and ask for some medicine and/or dosage for the meloxicam I have, even if I don’t use it for her this time, I will have it on hand for the next time. (My BO has already had two different sprains, but not as bad as Petey’s.)

Until this morning, she has been very quiet — which I will say is very unlike Petey. Not only is she quacking, which is normal, she is panting pretty hard. She is not hot, as it is much cooler in the house than outside. I would think if she was in pain, she would be more silent. Ducks are new to me, but I am thinking it could possibly be she might be trying to lay her third egg. I am waiting a bit before I take her outside to her pool for some water therapy and to see her buddies, just in case an egg appears. I just don’t know enough about the duck’s egg laying schedule as it seems to be a little different than a chicken’s. I’ve got to research that.

More about her habitat here. I probably do not have the best setup for ducks. I’m realizing this in hindsight, of course. My ducks do free range with my chickens. They have total access to several acres of my yard, which a majority of it is on a slope, including their run which is in my upper back yard. The only real negatives include, first of all dang hickory nuts that fall faster than I can pick up, and unfortunately I do not get them all. These nuts can easily be stepped on causing the “stepper” to fall. Yeah, ask me how I know! Anyway, I’ve seen the ducks and chickens step on these at times.

And secondly, my back yard slopes into a deck. There are four sets of steps that access the deck from the yard and the ducks have found them. They love to come on down to the house and hang out at my back door and on the porch of the dog house. Not thinking that ducks could maneuver steps (stupid me), since everything I’ve read said they needed a ramp, I didn’t worry about them even trying to reach the deck. Dear lord, I’ve learned that a duck can do just about anything they darn well please. They are a different animal for sure. Talk about a strong-willed child!

Even though either of these dangers could have caused Petey’s leg injury, she was definitely walking fine and uninjured when I locked them up Friday night. It wasn’t until I let them out Saturday morning that I noticed her very significant limp...along with my first duck egg. A very sweet and sad situation all rolled into one.

Unfortunately, I realize going forward that I most likely need to either not keep ducks or only keep the much lighter breeds, like my runners and WH. My BO and the Pekin mix ducks don’t fall into that category.

I’m sorry for the long post. I tend to type too much, but want to make sure everything is disclosed when it comes to a hurting baby — whether it’s a chicken, duck, dog, cat, horse, or a grandson! Thank you for taking your time to read and respond!

Sounds like you're doing everything right.

I've kept heavyweight breeds for quite a few years, and wouldn't recommend them to anyone that wants "matinence-free ducks", after three years of age, IME, they become less mobile and prone to hygiene-related problems and injuring their legs, I've left a brick out in the yard and have watched one directly trip over it instead of walking around it, and develop a limp soon after. Of course, taking every single trip-able item out of yard would be laborious and time-consuming, but taking time to pick up a few logs, that's in its walking path would be a precautious measure nonetheless.

It's sad, but the truth that Pekins are supposed to be butchered, not kept as pets. They can be, but problems are a given.

 

[Rammy]

I dont have any suggestions other than keeping her comfortable and maybe restricting movement. I hope its not broken.

 

[Mimi13]

I dont have any suggestions other than keeping her comfortable and maybe restricting movement. I hope its not broken.

You and me both! I just can’t imagine what is wrong.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

And don't worry about your property not being a »good setup« for ducks! - I wish i just had those hickory-nuts (i read they taste yummy!), here i have pine-tree cones with pointy thorn like hooks that easily penetrate skin - humon and duck!
And i wouldn't even consider your "slope" a slope! I have 45° slopes here that are impossible to mow and still the ducks run up and down like they are training for the Pikes-Peak hill climb race… I have all kinds of terrain too: Soft muddy surfaces, pasture (with hidden pine cones!), gravel and even some concrete. The ducks conquer them all without problems.
And ducks can hop steps up- and down without injuring themselves. Up is never a problem, down all my ducks have a different strategy: The Runners just hop down, the swedish »fly« and the White Layers just slide down and use their front and bottom »airbags«.
Petey is still growing, and growing ducks do hurt themselves from time to time, but they also have incredible healing capabilities. Don't worry! All your ducks will be fine and happy at your place!