Duckling legs and feet

[Rohrer2005]

We got our ducklings around April 26th. We have one that after about 1-2 week became lame and couldn’t walk. we brought him inside because he was unable to get up and down the ramp and was being trampled by the chickens and other ducklings. We figured it was a niacin deficiency and started putting niacin in his food water and fed him peas. We also added niacin to the other ducklings food as well. His legs are extremely sprawled so we started to tie them together so they would learn to sit the correct way. It has worked very little and he has yet to open his feet. I just recently bought liquid niacin to give him and hope to get a better response. He is still eating and growing but at a much slower rate than the others. He is starting to move himself around but he put no weight on his feet or legs. When he is in water he Can paddle in water but still does not open his feet. He uses his beak to help pick his front end up and move around. Attached is a picture of him this morning. I also noticed that his poop is starting to get more loose and is becoming diarrhea. ANY advice would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[CoriM]

I had a pekin last spring that developed splay leg. You might be able to still help yours but you need to get the liquid vitamin B complex ASAP and dose her every day with that - make sure she gets enough! You can get it at Tractor Supply, a feed store, or amazon - I just urge you to get it whatever is quickest. Then you can use vet wrap or the first aid tape that is stretchy and sticks to itself to do what you've already tried to do - bring her legs into proper position and wrap them together with the vet wrap. Leave this on for several weeks (changing when needed) until she's fully better. Keep up the liquid vitamin B complex every day until she's grown. I let my duckling swim in the bathtub everyday a couple times for short periods to also strengthen her legs. I'm attaching a picture of what she looked like with the vet wrap/first aid tape on, and a link to a video I made of her walking after she started getting stronger.

 

[Rohrer2005]

I had a pekin last spring that developed splay leg. You might be able to still help yours but you need to get the liquid vitamin B complex ASAP and dose her every day with that - make sure she gets enough! You can get it at Tractor Supply, a feed store, or amazon - I just urge you to get it whatever is quickest. Then you can use vet wrap or the first aid tape that is stretchy and sticks to itself to do what you've already tried to do - bring her legs into proper position and wrap them together with the vet wrap. Leave this on for several weeks (changing when needed) until she's fully better. Keep up the liquid vitamin B complex every day until she's grown. I let my duckling swim in the bathtub everyday a couple times for short periods to also strengthen her legs. I'm attaching a picture of what she looked like with the vet wrap/first aid tape on, and a link to a video I made of her walking after she started getting stronger.

Isn’t vitamin B niacin? I ordered it and it just came yesterday so we have been giving her that. I can try to get wrap on her legs but she doesn’t even put weight on them to walk. We have had her in the bath tub or pool on and off each day to try and help strengthen her legs but I’m. Itnyre it’s doing much because she just sits most of the time and doesn’t paddle around.

 

[Isaac 0]

We got our ducklings around April 26th. We have one that after about 1-2 week became lame and couldn’t walk. we brought him inside because he was unable to get up and down the ramp and was being trampled by the chickens and other ducklings. We figured it was a niacin deficiency and started putting niacin in his food water and fed him peas. We also added niacin to the other ducklings food as well. His legs are extremely sprawled so we started to tie them together so they would learn to sit the correct way. It has worked very little and he has yet to open his feet. I just recently bought liquid niacin to give him and hope to get a better response. He is still eating and growing but at a much slower rate than the others. He is starting to move himself around but he put no weight on his feet or legs. When he is in water he Can paddle in water but still does not open his feet. He uses his beak to help pick his front end up and move around. Attached is a picture of him this morning. I also noticed that his poop is starting to get more loose and is becoming diarrhea. ANY advice would be helpful. Thank you!

Isn’t vitamin B niacin? I ordered it and it just came yesterday so we have been giving her that. I can try to get wrap on her legs but she doesn’t even put weight on them to walk. We have had her in the bath tub or pool on and off each day to try and help strengthen her legs but I’m. Itnyre it’s doing much because she just sits most of the time and doesn’t paddle around.

Hi, Welcome to BackYard Chickens!

Could you give us some more info? What brand of niacin are you using, a picture of the bottle or link would be wonderful, how much are you giving, and how are you administering it? What are you feeding them, and what are they being housed on, could you post a picture of his poop? Thanks!

 

[Isaac 0]

Niacin is one B vitamin, there is also thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), , pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).

 

[CoriM]

Isn’t vitamin B niacin? I ordered it and it just came yesterday so we have been giving her that. I can try to get wrap on her legs but she doesn’t even put weight on them to walk. We have had her in the bath tub or pool on and off each day to try and help strengthen her legs but I’m. Itnyre it’s doing much because she just sits most of the time and doesn’t paddle around.

I held my duck up and supported her when I put the vet wrap on. I used to help support her a bit like when she got out of the bathtub and wanted to preen herself. My duck wasn't strong enough to stand on her own, but I kind of supported her for a few minutes so she could do that. Gradually she got stronger and stronger with the vitamin B. It took some time. I'm sorry about your duck!

 

[Rohrer2005]

We have been giving the niacin a multitude of ways. First we were taking 1-2 capsules and pouring the powder on top of his food. When we were putting them in the tub we were also dumping 1-2 capsules in there. After I read some and learned that peas naturally have niacin I gave them peas and put 1-2 capsules in those as well hoping to get them as much as possible. Recently I have been putting more in his food and not as much for the other guys. The liquid came and I put a dropper in his water bowel and I tried to get him to drink just that out of the dropper and that didn’t work. I had my daughter open his mouth and I squirted 1/2 dropper into his mouth and he didn’t like that. Almost immediately he pooped and it was a lot of clear liquid. Last night I was able to put a dropper full into a cap and coaxed him to drink most of it over a few min. He has been on towels so it could soak up the water he plays in and so it’s no slippery for him to walk on.

 

[Isaac 0]

The niacin capsules won't work because they are flush-free, what is the niacin content of the liquid niacin?

 

[Isaac 0]

Ok, I looked at the brand, it contains 80mg of niacin per 0.8ml, you'll want to give 1ml of niacin a day, for more info read this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

 

[CoriM]

When I was dosing my duckling with the vitamin B complex I dosed the whole batch of ducklings. They can't overdose on this and it won't hurt the other ducks. It comes in a big bottle - bigger than what you're showing. I put it in their drinking water and also their food - which was a fermented whole grain mash so it was easy to add the liquid vitamin. I'm not sure about your duck's feet and why the webbing won't open up, but hopefully the increased vitamins will start to reverse this?!