Duckling not growing.

[stripedgirls707]

My one week old fawn and white runner has stopped growing. she has been 1.9 oz for 3 days now. She is eating, and drinking fairly normal- just sleeping a lot, and tires quickly. Any thoughts or similar experiences? She seems thin as well.

 

[stripedgirls707]

this Has been quite the yo-yo baby raising... but- junipur pulled through and is finally GROWING! thanks y’all

 

[Everose]

I had two wh ducklings that were given to me because they weren't growing. One was just super tiny and looked like a duckling when the others were growing in juvenile feathers. The other was small in the beginning but then she started to catch up and I swore she would be fine, never got to find out because she got stuck somehow and died. The first one I mentioned just disappeared in the middle of the day. They were fine besides being small, and the second one did start growing again. Hard to say why it happens but after doing some digging all I could come up with was that some ducklings stop growing and they turn out fine, others just don't make it.

Personally I would give her niacin in her water, keep her hydrated and well fed. If she stops eating or drinking you may want to take her to vet, but honestly I don't think they could do much for her if she isn't growing and that's her only symptom. Make sure she stays warm, being so small makes it hard to regulate body temp. Weighing her every day will help keep track of whether or not she is growing. Wish I could help more but failure to thrive isn't always curable

@DucksAreBest @RosemaryDuck have y'all had small ducklings before?

 

[Ducklingguy]

Hi there,
I have two ducks that are nearly adult—and four that are only a few weeks old.
My ducks grow fast! Very fast! I just started raising ducks a few months ago, and honestly, I didn’t know they grew so fast.

I agree with Rosemary: if the ducks are eating, drinking, and active—I wouldn’t worry too much.
Although, I will say my four ducklings growing now, one of them does appear to be a little smaller than the others.
Be well!

Ducklingguy

 

[stripedgirls707]

@Everose @RosemaryDuck thank you so much! I am giving juniper niacin, and nutridrench in her water and another supplement that I am blanking on at the moment (farm supply recommended it) i will weigh her again when I get home from work, crossing fingers that there is a little gain. You guys have lifted my spirits none the less! She likes smashed peas and crushed oats... she’s very sweet and I really don’t want to lose her! Y’all can relate I’m sure. Raspberry and blackberry are beauties!! and @Everose I can only HOPE that juniper becomes what you say, I love a little mischievousness and feisty is perfect for my household

 

[Everose]

Wow very interesting! have you weighed Bob? this Makes me very curious.... do we all have dwarf ducklings.. or- runts? you have beautiful ducks there. Thank you for writing! this community has Definetly helped me survive through the ups and downs with this experience

If you have dwarf ducklings you could start a line of bantams!!! Honestly I would LOVE to see bantam runners! Just imagine it, little bowling pin ducks running ramrod straight! SO CUTE!

 

[stripedgirls707]

Juniper is now the same size as Birdie (the khaki Campbell)- Daphne the Cayuga outgrew them both. just wanted to update!

 

[Beth42]

@Beth42 hows Bob!

That’s great news about Juniper.

Sadly Bob didn’t make it and we lost him a month ago. He really wasn’t thriving so it was the best thing for him. He had a good few last days back in the house with lots of cuddles.

 

[FunnyfarmMidwest]

That’s great news about Juniper.

Sadly Bob didn’t make it and we lost him a month ago. He really wasn’t thriving so it was the best thing for him. He had a good few last days back in the house with lots of cuddles.

I’m so sorry you lost little Bob. You gave him a great life!

 

[RosemaryDuck]

I had two wh ducklings that were given to me because they weren't growing. One was just super tiny and looked like a duckling when the others were growing in juvenile feathers. The other was small in the beginning but then she started to catch up and I swore she would be fine, never got to find out because she got stuck somehow and died. The first one I mentioned just disappeared in the middle of the day. They were fine besides being small, and the second one did start growing again. Hard to say why it happens but after doing some digging all I could come up with was that some ducklings stop growing and they turn out fine, others just don't make it.

Personally I would give her niacin in her water, keep her hydrated and well fed. If she stops eating or drinking you may want to take her to vet, but honestly I don't think they could do much for her if she isn't growing and that's her only symptom. Make sure she stays warm, being so small makes it hard to regulate body temp. Weighing her every day will help keep track of whether or not she is growing. Wish I could help more but failure to thrive isn't always curable

@DucksAreBest @RosemaryDuck have y'all had small ducklings before?

I actually did/do! Raspberry (pictured below) was very, very tiny when she hatched. She didn't really grow at all while Blackberry was already enormous and getting bigger. She suddenly caught up around the 3-4 week mark.

She's visibly shorter and much smaller. The pictures don't show it well, but in person she looks almost like a call duck next to Blackberry. I thought she was a dwarf, but she looks pretty normal now that she's fully grown.

I would say this could just be a case of slow growing. If the ducklings/duckling is eating, drinking and not distressed/sick then I don't think there's to much to worry about.

To add: If it is dwarfism or failure to thrive there isn't much that can be done to correct it, but Everose has given some good advice.