Duckling problems. Please help.

[Mary Coleman]

So yesterday I had to hatch out a duckling because it was getting shrink wrapped inside the egg. After I got her out of the egg, she was peeping and acting like a normal duckling should. After a while, I noticed that she couldn't lift her head. I thought by the next morning it would be better and I would move on with raising my new duckling like normal. Well... I was wrong. It's been 24 hours and she can lift her head, but 90% of the time she has it in this very awkward position. Kind of to her right side and upside down. It's very wierd. She tries to walk, but her head is weighing down her body and she just flips onto her back. I'm giving her a little water with Gatorade. What else should I do? Will she eventually be able to keep her head in a normal position. Anybody ever had this before?

 

[Mary Coleman]

 

[Amiga]

You may be seeing "star gazing," or "wry neck" and it is often related to a need for more nutrients, especially B vitamins such as niacin and thiamine.

Brewer's yeast (nutritional yeast), not baking yeast, one tablespoon per day in her food should help.

Not sure Gatorade is the very best thing for electrolytes, but you do have the right idea.

Do you have any apple cider vinegar? A teaspoon in a pint of water might be good for her.

If you don't have brewer's yeast, but do have plain niacin capsules, you can put 150 mg niacin in a gallon of water and give her some of that to drink. Some people on the forum have suggested Super B Complex, using the niacin to guide the amount you mix in water (so use the 150 mg niacin per gallon of water dosage).

Here is some encouragement

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761308/peking-duckling-with-crooked-neck-help
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857143/treating-wry-neck-in-crested-duckling-edited-title

 

[Mary Coleman]

She can't eat. The only way she's getting water is by my getting the water and Gatorade on my finger and she gets of off my finger. I think I have a little apple cider vinegar left. I could try that.

 

[Amiga]

K, then get some niacin or B complex and get that into water at the rates I wrote above, and see if you can get any of that into her a.s.a.p.

I need to turn in, but will check in the morning (might be back for a couple of minutes in a few, if possible).

 

[Mary Coleman]

So what exactly is "niacin or B complex"? Could I get it at a local feed store? She's still alive today seems happy, just a little contortioned haha.

 

[Amiga]

Niacin and B complex can be found in drugstores or some grocery stores. Plain niacin, not no-flush or timed release.

 

[Mary Coleman]

So it's for people, but okay to give to ducklings? And if so, could I use a vitamin B pill and crush it up and put it in her water?

 

[Amiga]

Yes, the thing to pay attention to is the amount of niacin in the water. There needs to be from 100 mg to 150 mg per gallon of water. So look for the amount of niacin (B3) in the ingredients. If there are 200 mg of niacin in each pill, then you'd need 2 gallons for the right ratio of 100 mg niacin per gallon of water.

Some of us are arithmetic folks, some of us are not - so let me know if you need exact amounts of water - but we need to know the amount of niacin in each pill first.

 

[Mary Coleman]

Update. So she has improved so much! She can walk much better now. Not perfect yet, she still flips over sometimes, but it's a huge improvement. She can walk to her water dish and drink now. She can hold her head upright for minutes now. Every so often she will rest and her head will fall back, but not as far back as before. I haven't even given her any niacin yet. My mom said we would have to get some later this week, but at this rate I may not even have to get any. We will see though.