Duckling can't walk

[DUCKOBSESSED]

Thats great!!!

 

[jendarwin]

Hello everyone, I have two ducklings with me.. ones around 3 weeks and the other I guess is 4 weeks old.. the older one isn't walking much these days.. she's always sitting, but when she has to she forces herself to walk.. what must be the problem?? I let them swim everyday and I don find any issues with her legs.. please help me

 

[jendarwin]

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[Miss Lydia]

Hello everyone, I have two ducklings with me.. ones around 3 weeks and the other I guess is 4 weeks old.. the older one isn't walking much these days.. she's always sitting, but when she has to she forces herself to walk.. what must be the problem?? I let them swim everyday and I don find any issues with her legs.. please help me

Adorable lil ducklings.. Best I can say is a niacin deficiency it happens in alot of ducklings that are fed chick starter and that is what most of us have to use since it's hard to find water fowl starter. You need to pick up some plain niacin tablets crush and add to their drinking water. It's 150mgs to 1 gallon. Mixed real well. Has to be plain though not time released or non flush.given fresh daily till at least 10-12 weeks old.same if you choose the BY instead of niacin tab.

Or Pick up some Brewers yeast at the health food store. Not the kind for making wine though.. Sprinkle a Tab over each cup of feed you give them.

Usually once started on either of these you begin to see improvement in less than a week.

@jendarwin Welcome to BYC

 

[quackers619]

Try adding brewers yeast to their food. Ducks need more niacin then chicks. Brewers yeast has it. What food are they on?

x2 on brewers yeast

 

[jendarwin]

I give them apples,eggs, milk and weeds.. iv got the niacin tablets will start giving them from tomorrow.. I'm so disturbed seeing her.. I just pray that she becomes normal soon.. I love them so much

Thank you all for all the advice merry Christmas

 

[Miss Lydia]

I give them apples,eggs, milk and weeds.. iv got the niacin tablets will start giving them from tomorrow.. I'm so disturbed seeing her.. I just pray that she becomes normal soon.. I love them so much

Thank you all for all the advice merry Christmas

Your also feeding them feed? they need a good balanced diet .

Merry Christmas to you too.

 

[Amiga]

@jendarwin - do you live where you can get chick starter feed? Or do you need to make your own feed? What you listed does not have enough niacin and some other nutrients for them to develop very well. I know we all do our best - but if you need to make your own, perhaps we can suggest some more things to include in their diet.

 

[jendarwin]

I need to make my own feed.. can you please suggest.. i want the best for them .. thanks

 

[Amiga]

The eggs are a very good start . . . the rest is good, as long as you don't feed more of the other foods than the egg. Here, we can get dry food that is already balanced for us, so I have to think about what you can do.

Can you get any wheat or amaranth or millet? I think I would try adding some amaranth that has been cooked and cooled. Or sprouted by soaking overnight, then pouring off the water and rinsing the seeds for a day or two. It is higher in protein. Insects and worms (animal protein) has niacin and B vitamins that are very important for ducklings. Can you get earthworms or mealworms? Those would help. And the ducklings need grit so that they can digest things other than the eggs. Grit is just sand. A sprinkle of a teaspoon of grit on a smashed up egg should do it.

Wheat and millet have some protein, too - I would probably soak them and rinse them so they will sprout a little, and use that.

Cooked sweet potato is another food that is good as part of a duck's diet - not more than maybe 10 percent.