Duckling enquiries

[majasdee]

Hey everyone and anyone!

I have a few questions about 2 of my ducklings if you could help in answering any of them that would be great!

Here is a run down about them before i get started; They were laid by a Muscovy mother and then incubated up until the 33rd day by her. Then they were placed into an incubator that was incubating 5 Chinese silkie eggs that were due to go into lock down around the same time. Day 1 of lockdown we had a few issues with stabilising the humidity (it was my first time to use incubators) and then day 2 we had major issues and had no choice but to change incubators as we luckily had 2 of them.
Long sorry short; we lost one of the silkie chicks to complications and they all came out about 2 or 3 days later than they should have. All but that one chick survived and they are living indoors in a brooder box with a heat lamp and floor heater.

Okay so my main concern is the ducklings as:

They didn't take to the chick starter feed/crumble so i started to feed them boiled egg for the first week to get them started; i then re-offered the chick starter feed and they ate a little but not as much as they should or the chickens did. So i started to feed them kitten biscuits out of desperation to make sure they got something into them. They're about nearly 2 months and i can see they're starting to form angle wing and so have decided to cease the biscuits but they won't stop complaining! Anyone know how to make the chick starter feed to be more appetising to them?
I'm working on correcting the angle wing in a few days.

Now i've noticed from a week old that one of them seems to be quivering/shaking can anyone tell me what that could be? I had 3 sources of heat source 1. the heat lamp 2. floor heater that sits in one corner and 3. the air conditioner which at night id put on low 25 degrees. So i dont think its due to cold.

I have also noticed on both ducklings at the base of the wing is like a extra limb that sits above it like a claw looking thing. could this be a cause to angle wing as well? I heard somewhere (dont know where) that they have it during development in the egg but before they hatch it disappears or falls off? can anyone tell me if this is normal?

Lastly I've noticed they have blue eyes. Can anyone tell me if both parents have brown eyes can their babies eyes turn out blue? what colour eyes to muscovies usually have as babies? do they change color once they're older? The mother muscovy has a partner and i thought he was the father but if that is not the case then i think my peking got into her as he has blue eyes.

I can post pictures if need be just let me know

If you can answer any of the questions please do n.n even if its just one.

 

[CayugaJana]

I would guess the quivering is from vitamin defecencies. Do you give them any regularly? Do you have liquid poultry vitamins or a feed store near you? I would start ASAP since their main diet consists of boiled eggs (what are kitten biscuits?). Those boogers are super smart! They’ve learned how to get Mom or Dad to give them the good stuff. If you have access to an all flock crumble rather than chick starter, I would start that. Don’t give them any other options and no treats until they eat the crumble. I’ve noticed my ducks doing this before. But it was when I indulged them too much.

Put an all flock crumble out and if they won’t eat, let us know and we can help further.

 

[CayugaJana]

Oh ai forgot, send a video of the one quivering if possible.

 

[majasdee]

Hi thanks for helping! The chick starter feed is suitable for both chickens and ducklings chick as thats what they told me when i purchased it and also i have raised ducklings in the past on it with no issues. I have been leaving it out as the silkies have been living with the ducklings in the same brooder and they eat it fine. The ducklings i had been giving them kitten biscuit as they had been really fussy and i was worried they wouldn't eat at all so last week i decided to mix the biscuits with the starter feed and they seemed to eat it but i have since ceased all biscuit for the last week at least and they are very vocal T T I do see them eat a few mouth fulls of the starter feed every so often and they will eat it out of my hands when they feel like it. I took them outside for the first time the other day as it was very sunny and no cold breezes and they seemed to love eating the grass! so i'm pretty stumped about the whole thing.

I took a video of the darwin whose seems to be the only one that quivers and sometimes he breaths a little fast. I actually noticed over the last few days that his heartbeat seems to be quite fast compared to pumpkins and so i contacted a avian vet today and am waiting to here back from them.

I have separated them from the chickens today but darwin seems quite unhappy about it, do you think i should put them back?

I have posted a video link of darwin above (let me know once you watched it and i will delete it; it was the only way of letting you see) and also a few pictures of pumpkins wings as i don't know if the claw part is a deformity? they both have it on both wings. Their wings look a little scaly but i have treated that with mite stuff as i think that may the cause of that?

 

[alyssa.leigh]

I think that's a feather follicle?
As for quivering, my Pekins either shiver or pant if I've pissed them off too much.. could be him trying to get some sympathy? Maybe I've just convinced myself that ducks are master manipulators
Meal worms, even just a few, rile up appetite for my ducks. For any treat that gets them excited, you could put some in a dish of water, then add more crumble than treat in there and they'll happily slurp everything out of the water. Or just sprinkle only crumble into a bowl of water, sometimes they want to forage for food

 

[alyssa.leigh]

I think that's a feather follicle?
As for quivering, my Pekins either shiver or pant if I've pissed them off too much.. could be him trying to get some sympathy? Maybe I've just convinced myself that ducks are master manipulators
Meal worms, even just a few, rile up appetite for my ducks. For any treat that gets them excited, you could put some in a dish of water, then add more crumble than treat in there and they'll happily slurp everything out of the water. Or just sprinkle only crumble into a bowl of water, sometimes they want to forage for food

Ohh nvm that's not just a feather lol, not sure now.. but silkies have 5 toes, maybe your ducks are polydactyl too just with an extra little wing tip!

 

[CayugaJana]

Hi thanks for helping! The chick starter feed is suitable for both chickens and ducklings chick as thats what they told me when i purchased it and also i have raised ducklings in the past on it with no issues. I have been leaving it out as the silkies have been living with the ducklings in the same brooder and they eat it fine. The ducklings i had been giving them kitten biscuit as they had been really fussy and i was worried they wouldn't eat at all so last week i decided to mix the biscuits with the starter feed and they seemed to eat it but i have since ceased all biscuit for the last week at least and they are very vocal T T I do see them eat a few mouth fulls of the starter feed every so often and they will eat it out of my hands when they feel like it. I took them outside for the first time the other day as it was very sunny and no cold breezes and they seemed to love eating the grass! so i'm pretty stumped about the whole thing.

I took a video of the darwin whose seems to be the only one that quivers and sometimes he breaths a little fast. I actually noticed over the last few days that his heartbeat seems to be quite fast compared to pumpkins and so i contacted a avian vet today and am waiting to here back from them.

I have separated them from the chickens today but darwin seems quite unhappy about it, do you think i should put them back?

I have posted a video link of darwin above (let me know once you watched it and i will delete it; it was the only way of letting you see) and also a few pictures of pumpkins wings as i don't know if the claw part is a deformity? they both have it on both wings. Their wings look a little scaly but i have treated that with mite stuff as i think that may the cause of that? View attachment 1347625 View attachment 1347627

It looks like it’s feathers are coming in. Looks normal to me. @WVduckchick what do you think?

I forgot that my ducks definitely quiver at me when they are scared or mad. But it’s mostly in the head and neck.

 

[WVduckchick]

The video was removed before I saw it, but yes, I've seen mine quiver also. I don't believe it's anything major to worry about, if everything else seems fine. Since they have reached 2 months old, I wouldn't worry much about it.

I think the wing and feathers are also probably normal, I'd like to see a full view of the duckling in question. Also the angel wing suspect.

 

[WVduckchick]

Here is an excellent post related to feathering and angel wing.

Angel wing shows up when the first set of flight feathers starts to grow out, no matter the age... it is all dependent on when each particular duck is growing out their primaries... that being said, primaries are very heavy pinfeathers that ducklings aren't used to and need to build up the set of muscles used to keep them in place and tucked in properly, so many times they stick out a bit before they learn how to keep them folded... and the tips need to reach a certain length before they will even catch properly when they fold them up...

If it self corrects, then it's just 'growing pains' and awkwardness from new, heavy feathers... true angel wing *does not* self correct, it always needs to be corrected... but wrapping when unsure if it is angel wing or not does not hurt them and many wrap *just in case*...

I do suggest waiting just a bit longer before deciding to wrap or not, just because the pin feathers are still short and messing with them can be a bit sore for them... and if they get broke, they *can* bleed rather badly... I prefer a good bit of the feathers to extend out first, plus it gives more to tuck in properly for correct growth...

After much research and personal, hands on experience, it does seem more likely that angel wing is more likely a hereditary issue more than a too much protein issue... and can be more common in Calls than other breeds just due to the extremes Calls tend to be bred for...

They do still need a proper, balanced diet though... and too high of protein is not recommended... a good average is 20%, but slightly higher or lower (+/-2%) is fine... they do have higher Niacin requirements than chicks though, so chick starter should be supplemented with brewers yeast mixed in or Vitamin B complex added to their water...

Or switch to a good feed with her Niacin content like Purina Flock Raiser... that can be fed from hatch to lay and is formulated at higher amounts of Niacin... I still keep brewers yeast on hand though as occasional mess ups in formula and feed production have happened...