Duckling sits too much

[Gimmeaduck]

I don't want to be an alarmist, but my two new baby ducklings are giving me some concern. The one baby sits a lot. It will go to the dish, and sit then stick his head in to eat or drink, same way with the other dish. Other times it gets in the dish. When they were outside in the grass yesterday they did both chase each other a bit. It was unfamiliar territory so they did not get too goofy, but there was a bit of running and chasing for a few seconds. It seemed to run ok and was active. But it sits a lot. It seems to walk ok. I have not had them a week yet, they would not have been injured. This unusual sitting is bothering me. Should I be concerned?

 

[SilverBirds]

What are you feeding them? He could have a niacin deficiency.

 

[Gimmeaduck]

organic crumbles

 

[DuneDucks]

They should be hitting their niacin requirements on that feed as long as they're getting enough. Are you feeding them free choice right now?

I've had a couple ducklings who've liked sitting more than I would care for too. Some will recommend supplementing their feed with brewer's or Nutrional yeast, but I'm honestly not a fan. Yeast has a pretty distinctive smell, powders up on the bottom and gets messy when the ducks get their food wet, and if you have enough ducks, it's a pretty fruitless endeavor trying to make sure everyone gets an even fill. A duck who eats off the top isn't going to get anywhere near the same amount of yeast compared to one who cleans off the bottom. Depending on the brand the stuff can get pretty pricey too.

Another thing that gets often recommended on here, which I find 100% more preferable, is Vitamin B Complex. Might be a bit harder to find depending on where you're located, but many feed/animal supply stores in the US carry it.

This is the brand a lot of us use. I picked up mine from Tractor Supply Co. It says injectable but you can just put 1 mL over their favorite treat and feed it to them orally. If your ducklings are less than a week old I think you'd only want to do .5 mL. @Miss Lydia could probably confirm that. She's super helpful with these things. I'll give it to them once a day for a few days if I'm worried their legs are looking a little weak. Pretty happy with the results.

 

[Gimmeaduck]

Oh yes, they are fed free choice. They spend the majority of their time messing with the water though. The feed has niacin in it. One weighs a little less than the other too. I will keep an eye on them and see how they progress.

 

[Isadora]

Some ducklings are just more high maintenance than others. I would still supplement with the extra niacin, even though the feed should technically be adequate.

 

[Gimmeaduck]

They should be hitting their niacin requirements on that feed as long as they're getting enough. Are you feeding them free choice right now?

I've had a couple ducklings who've liked sitting more than I would care for too. Some will recommend supplementing their feed with brewer's or Nutrional yeast, but I'm honestly not a fan. Yeast has a pretty distinctive smell, powders up on the bottom and gets messy when the ducks get their food wet, and if you have enough ducks, it's a pretty fruitless endeavor trying to make sure everyone gets an even fill. A duck who eats off the top isn't going to get anywhere near the same amount of yeast compared to one who cleans off the bottom. Depending on the brand the stuff can get pretty pricey too.

Another thing that gets often recommended on here, which I find 100% more preferable, is Vitamin B Complex. Might be a bit harder to find depending on where you're located, but many feed/animal supply stores in the US carry it.

This is the brand a lot of us use. I picked up mine from Tractor Supply Co. It says injectable but you can just put 1 mL over their favorite treat and feed it to them orally. If your ducklings are less than a week old I think you'd only want to do .5 mL. @Miss Lydia could probably confirm that. She's super helpful with these things. I'll give it to them once a day for a few days if I'm worried their legs are looking a little weak. Pretty happy with the results.

I put them both in a tub with 6 inches of warm water and let them swim. both were very active diving and swimming under water and having tons of fun. So I left them to play. when i returned one was floating and gently paddling his feet the other had one foot on the bottom of the tub and the other foot paddling. But it appears to be the larger duckling that acts weird laying down all the time, keeping one foot on the tub bottom while paddling with the other foot. Just weird.
It was also much more saturated with water than the other duck even though they both had been in the water for the same amount of time.
Still concerned for the one duck, but nothing other than appearing less mobile. eats well, drinks well, swims well, plays well, peeps a lot.

 

[DuneDucks]

I wouldn't worry about one standing in the water too much, especially if it was playing nice before then. And as long as your duckling dried off properly, I wouldn't worry too much about it being extra wet. Might have just done some extra splashing while you were out.

As long as it's doing everything else fine I'd just continue to watch it like you have been. A little niacin supplement probably wouldn't hurt if the behavior continues. And like @Isadora said, some are just more high maintenance than others. What breed are your ducklings?

 

[Gimmeaduck]

I wouldn't worry about one standing in the water too much, especially if it was playing nice before then. And as long as your duckling dried off properly, I wouldn't worry too much about it being extra wet. Might have just done some extra splashing while you were out.

As long as it's doing everything else fine I'd just continue to watch it like you have been. A little niacin supplement probably wouldn't hurt if the behavior continues. And like @Isadora said, some are just more high maintenance than others. What breed are your ducklings?

It is speculated that they are mallards per a hatchery that I sent their photo to. I just adore them. They sleep right beside me at night and stay in the foyer in a bin during the day, they get to swim once a day and go outside and play in the grass once a day when the sun is shining. I am a bit protective of them.
It was just odd that the tiny one was treading water and the big one had one foot on the bottom and the other foot was treading water. It bothered me because he is the one who sits down to drink and sits almost all the time.

 

[Goosey Girl]

Does the little one's legs shake when he is standing? I had a runner duckling that sat all the time and after an outdoor run, it's legs were shaky. Frozen peas sprinkled with niacin helped after a few days. I also learned that clover, dandelions, and grass are high in niacin. I would fill a bucket with lots of weeds and dump them in the pen.